Academic Links

for Parents and

Teachers

For Parents and Teachers

• Bright Beginnings Web Link
  This Web site is one product of the Department of Education’s Bright Beginnings initiative that provides teachers and parents with resources to help children in Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) through third grade, succeed in reading and mathematics.

  http://www.brightbeginningsfl.com/

• FDLRS Child Find                                                                                                                            The purpose of Child Find is to discover whether a child has special learning needs, to identify what those needs are, and to provide the programs and services which will best address them.

  http://www.palmbeachschools.org/ese/fdlrscf.asp

• Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Standards (PDF)
  The Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Standards (2008) describe skills that four-year-old children should know and be able to do by the end of their prekindergarten year and are designed to guide prekindergarten administrators and teachers in designing and implementing appropriate early learning environments.

  • What I Learned in VPK - Child Portfolio
  • What I Learned in VPK - Teacher's Guide

   

• Importance of the Early Childhood Years
  

  he Early Learning Coalition in partnership with the Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County is embarking on a multi-year evaluation of child care programs which will begin in the Fall of 2011.  The primary goal of the Child Outcomes Study will be to inquire into child care models and specific program components within our early care and education system that provide the greatest outcomes and gains for kindergarten readiness and future school success of 4-year-old children.  This study will also examine the impact of specific economic investments in program quality and which investments yield the greatest gains.  The information gathered from this study will provide the Coalition and other funders with greater insight as to how to best invest in quality early care and education programs.  The study will include all current child care program models in Palm Beach County to include Head Start, School Readiness, Voluntary Prekindergarten, School District and Quality Counts.  A team from the Center for Family Policy and Research at the University of Missouri is providing consulting services to lead the county through this project.  This team is led by Dr. Kathy Thornburg, an expert in this field of work. 

For Teachers

• Sample Lesson Plans Based on the Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Standards
  These lesson plans, based on the Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Standards, are designed to help develop the skills that four-year-old children should know and be able to do by the end of their prekindergarten year. The lesson plans are organized under the targeted VPK Education Standards that are included in each plan. Related VPK Education Standards are also included in each lesson plan to show prekindergarten administrators and teachers how one lesson can be easily integrated across the domains of the VPK Education Standards.

• VPK Teacher Toolkitit
  The VPK Teacher Toolkit is new for 2009. Each Toolkit folder is created based upon what stakeholders have shared as areas they would like more information on. The direction of each topic is the result of a workgroup that includes stakeholders from across the state, as well as national experts. The information in each folder includes information and footage from real VPK classrooms across the state. New information and resources will be added to folders as it becomes available.

• Emergent Literacy for VPK Instructors Online Course
  http://www.flvpkonline.org/elInfo.htm

• Understanding the VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate Report: Linking Results to Instructional Resources (PDF, 120KB)                                                                                                               This document was prepared by the Florida Department of Education, Office of Early Learning to answer questions related to what may be impacting a provider’s readiness rate and to provide information on available instructional resources to assist VPK providers.   

• Inclusion of Department of Education Online Courses New!  Since the passage of the legislation to implement Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program, the Department of Education (DOE) has created high quality professional development courses and materials for VPK instructors that are aligned with the VPK Education Standards. To date, the DOE has developed three online courses that are appropriate for certified public school VPK teachers. To provide certified public school VPK teachers with the opportunity to earn in-service points toward recertification, we have developed Master In-service Plans for the following DOE-approved online courses: Emergent Literacy for Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Instructors; English Language Learners in the VPK Classroom; Language and Vocabulary in the VPK Classroom.
  • Memo #10-4 (PDF) March 5, 2010 - Inclusion of Department of Education Developed Online Courses in District Development Inservice Plans
  • Emergent Literacy for VPK Instructors (PDF, 42KB)
  • English Language Learners in the VPK Classroom (PDF, 59KB)
  • Language and Vocabulary in the VPK Classroom (PDF, 57KB)