Lake County Schools VPK Program

It is our mission to prepare children for school and to develop school readiness skills in an environment that encourages children to enjoy learning.

Lake County Schools (LCS) is a provider for the Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program (VPK). The VPK Constitutional Amendment approved by Florida voters in 2002 requires that a high quality pre-kindergarten learning opportunity be available to all our four (4) year-old children in the state. The program is free and participation is voluntary.

VPK is available during the school year as well as the summer. The state provides funding for 3 hours per day during the 180 day calendar school year or 6 hours per day for 1 semester (90 days). Please see our FAQ page #15-17 for available programs. The registration page highlights the programs available at each participating elementary school within the district. The state requires 300 instructional hours during the summer program. Parents may choose either the school year or the summer program, but not both. In order to be eligible to participate in one of these programs, the student must have turned 4 either on or before September 1st of that program year.

For families with "young" 4 year olds and you're not sure they're ready for school, you can delay their VPK enrollment one year based on their date of birth. A new law extends VPK eligibility for 4 year-olds with birthdays from February 2 through September 1 in a calendar year. Parents can enroll their child in the state’s free, voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) education program that year OR wait until the following year when their child is 5.

Please visit our website for further information