of Polk County. He said they are the official administrator of the funds. He discussed
their budget and how they are allocated. He said every VPK program in the county
comes through this coalition and receives their funding from them. He said they are the
designated state agency. He discussed the school readiness program and said it does
support low income families. He said they serve infants up through school aged
children. He said the primary age they serve is birth to the age of four. He said they
serve 5,500 children daily. He said it has become educationally driven. He discussed
the state funded VPK programs; and said they are very low funded. He reviewed the
VPK program and requirements and said any four-year old child can participate. He
said 1/3 of the sites are located in the public elementary schools and the others are in
the communities. He discussed how the VPK programs are evaluated yearly in every
classroom. He discussed the American Rescue Plan and the funds received in
2022-2024. He said in Polk County they are responsible for keeping the industry alive
and allowing parents to keep working through the school readiness programs. He said
the funds are decreasing and in 2024-2025 there will be no funds allocated for child
care providers. He discussed the barriers to early childhood profession such as wages,
high turn over, staffing shortages, high teacher mobility rates and ECE deserts. He
discussed the shortages of childcare. He said the workforce, public schools, and
society in general is impacted by their work. He discussed the window of learning for
young children. He discussed their priorities, eligibility thresholds, provider
reimbursement rates and evaluating and adjusting the ELC allocations. He said 8,000
per year attend kindergarten and only 4,000 attend VPK. He said childcare is a huge
barrier to the workforce. He said the Florida Chamber of Commerce published a report
on how childcare affects the workforce and recommended the audience read it. He
thanked the Board for their support.
Commissioner Combee said he did not get to go kindergarten because it cost money.
Upon question, Mr. Hutek said 78% has to go into the pockets of the providers and
they have to reimburse them for the children. He discussed how the remaining funds
are allocated. He discussed the three tests that are given to VPK children and how the
results are used. He discussed the testing in kindergarten and said children are
classified as whether or not they are kindergarten ready. He said 50% of children
statewide do not go to VPK and the parents are given the results.
Commissioner Santiago thanked Mr. Hutek for all they do and said she understands
the value. She said Florida is ahead of the game compared to other states.
Mr. Hutek said they base the numbers off the 8,000 that enroll in kindergarten in the
public school system. He said they do community events and media campaigns at least
twice a year.
Commissioner Santiago said she and Commissioner Lindsey attended the annual gala
and heard the stories of the families and the kids. She gave kudos for all they do.
Commissioner Lindsey thanked Ms. Bevilacqua-Ely and her team for their service and
for representing this Board. He said they would like bi-annual updates with the progress
and challenges.