Five-year-old Marlaina Paulding likes playing in the tents in her VPK classroom at Felix A. Williams Elementary School in Martin County. She likes learning the alphabet and numbers, and the Spanish ...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of Florida kids who go to voluntary prekindergarten, or VPK, are not ready for kindergarten, according to the state. In Florida, 4- and 5-year-olds have free access to ...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti highlighted the district's VPK program Tuesday during a meeting with school board members and community leaders. The ...

Malcolm McKey and a dozen other voluntary pre-kindergarten students sit crisscross applesauce in their Lincoln Park Primary classroom Wednesday afternoon and clap in unison as they count to 20. The ...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The cost of child care is on the rise and research shows it’s largely due to the pandemic. But in Florida, there is the option of free volunteer pre-kindergarten, also known as ...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CBS12) — Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered changes to the state's VPK program. The Florida Department of Education said they released the 2017-2018 Voluntary Pre-k (VPK) readiness rates, ...

For years I’ve driven across Brevard County and seen signs that say “free VPK.” I’ve often wondered, what exactly is VPK? I know it stands for voluntary prekindergarten, but what exactly is it? When I ...

Families enrolled in the Florida’s Voluntary Pre-kindergarten program will soon have more flexible options for their 4-year-olds. The Florida Department of Education and the Office of Early Learning ...

On May 15, the Florida Department of Education released the 2017-2018 Voluntary Pre-K readiness rates, and statewide, only 58% of children who participated in VPK were ready for kindergarten. In ...

Hunter Geisel is a digital producer at CBS Miami. Hunter has previously produced digital content for local and national outlets, covering several topics from breaking news and current events to ...

Florida's first voluntary prekindergarten program began in 2005. The program is free for all 4-year-olds. School-readiness test scores show VPK prepares children for school. This story was updated to ...