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Pre-application period for 2023-2024 school year opens

December 1^st, 2022 at 6:00 pm.

See descriptions for program options below.

What program options are available to children and families?

OPTION 1: Full Day Program FREE Head Start Pre-K for children turning 3 or 4  years old by September 1st of the current school year

Eligible children include:

-Children in foster care

-Families experiencing homelessness or house-sharing (living “doubled-up” due to the   family’s loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason)

-Children with disabilities

-Families receiving public assistance (TANF, SNAP or SSI)

-Families earning below the Federal Poverty Guidelines

OPTION 2: Full Day Program VPK combined with Parent Pay Option for children turning 4 years old by September 1st

-This option combines a three-hour VPK program with an additional 3.5 hours to make a full academic day

-Parents are responsible for the additional fees associated with this option, $480 per month payable at the beginning of each month

-Spaces are limited, enrollment is first come first served 

 OPTION 3: Half Day Program FREE VPK  

                   Sabal Palm Elementary

                 4095 18th Avenue NE, 34120 

-Three-hour morning and afternoon sessions available 

-Spaces are limited, enrollment is first come first served

Step 1 New Families CLICK HERE TO START YOUR PRE-APPLICATION 

Families that have applied for other children in a previous school year CLICK HERE TO RE-APPLY   

Step 2 Please visit elcofswfl.org to apply for 2023 - 2024 Florida State Child Eligibility Certificate (VPK Voucher - Eligible 4 years old only) opens January 1st, 2023. 

Step 3 After you receive confirmation of a space for your child, you will be instructed to complete a Collier County Public Schools registration.

• The early years are the learning years. Research suggests the most important growth and development in the brain happens by the age of five. A child’s ability to be attentive and to follow directions emerges in the early years. Structured early learning in Pre-K helps foster these abilities for later success in school and in life
• Pre-K prepares children to be ready for school. Children who participate in high-quality early childhood education programs develop better language skills, score higher in school readiness tests, and have better social skills and fewer behavioral problems once they enter school. They are also better prepared for kindergarten, especially in the areas of pre-reading, pre-math, and social skills
• Pre-K enhances what a child learns at home and promotes a love of life-long learning
• The goal of our programs is to ensure children enter kindergarten fully ready to learn and succeed. Collier County Public Schools provide an environment rich with child-initiated active learning experiences for children. The curriculum is developmentally appropriate and can be modified for individual four-to-five-year-olds that have skills at either end of a developmental continuum.