Parent Magazine Volusia April 2019 | Page 30

I ​ t's not too early to start thinking about summer VPK programs. The School District of Volusia County will provide a free Voluntary Prekindergarten Program this summer for families of incoming kindergartners who have not taken advantage of the state's free Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Program. Studies have shown that students who attend VPK generally do significantly better in kindergarten than students who did not participate in VPK. Registration takes place at the student's home zoned school during early registration between the hours 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tues., March 5; Thurs., March 7 and Wednesday, March 27. The following sites may be selected during registration: Indian River (Edgewater); Palm Terrace (Daytona); Spirit (Deltona); Sugar Mill (Port Orange); Woodward (Deland) elementary schools. The program will operate 4-days per week, generally Monday through Thursday, beginning Monday, June 10 to Thursday, August 1. School hours are scheduled for 7:37 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Although breakfast and lunch are served free to all children, transportation is not provided. To participate, a child must: be 5 years-old on or before September 1, 2019; be a resident of Volusia County; and have a current, valid summer 2019 Certificate of Eligibility from the Early Learning Coalition of Flagler and Volusia Counties – (386) 323-2400, (386) 736-5010 or www.elcfv.org FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL (386) 734-7190, 255-6475, 427-5223 OR 860-3322, EXTENSION 33210, or visit the school district's website at HTTP://MYVOLUSIASCHOOLS.ORG. Click on the "Parents" icon. Once there, click on "Programs" in the Toolbox, and then select "Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK)." "Summer VPK" is listed in the menu on the left. 30 | V O L U S I A parent M A G A Z I N E