Loading ...With the free Voluntary Pre Kindergarten or VPK Program of the government in the state of Florida, children in the area are given more focus. Many of the best daycare centers have since then integrated the VPK preschool preparatory program into their own programs. Because of this, the Florida Voluntary Pre Kindergarten (VPK) Education Standards in its 2008 edition enumerates the desired characteristics that parents should seek from any daycare program that applies the VPK Program. Parents in Carrollwood, Tampa, 33625 should take note of this.
In coordination with the Florida Voluntary Pre Kindergarten (VPK) Education Standards of 2008, the government created a flipbook called “It’s Okay to Play in VPK.” These two documents are complementary since the 2008 Florida Voluntary Pre Kindergarten (VPK) Education Standards identify the skills taught by the VPK Program to four year old children while the flipbook tells parents how to create the appropriate learning environments wherein the children can develop the said skills. Both documents are intended for educators and parents alike. Parents should therefore also look for daycare centers that abide by the guidelines in both documents.
According to the The Florida Voluntary Pre Kindergarten (VPK) Education Standards of 2008, the VPK program should cover eight developmental domains, namely, Physical Health, Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Language and Communication, Emergent Literacy, Mathematical and Scientific Thinking, Social Studies and the Arts, and Motor Development.
According to the flipbook “It’s Okay to Play in VPK,” the aforementioned domains of child development can be supported through many types of children’s play activities that can be set up in the home, the community and the classroom. Such play activities are actually techniques of active learning. They are based on the principle that children have been found to be learning a lot from hands on experiences that are in the form of play but are really expertly planned and designed according to specific developmental goals. Through those activities of structured play, the children are guided as they directly explore their senses and practice new skills. The experiences are meaningful to the children while being appropriate to their particular developmental stage.
So what characteristics should parents desire from a daycare with Voluntary Pre Kindergarten or VPK?
Parents should observe the children in the daycare. They should be happily involved in the many activities of the center and should be healthy. Their activities should be in accordance with the Florida Voluntary Pre Kindergarten (VPK) Education Standards. These should be arranged in a well design schedule which covers a balance of learning and playing indoors and outdoors. They should be administered by VPK teachers who are kind, friendly, calm and patient.
The daycare center should have enough space to accommodate all the required indoor and outdoor learning centers and play activity centers. This should include a children’s library with a huge book collection, an art center with all the art materials children need, a center for dramatic play, a music center, a water table, a sand table and manipulative toys, blocks and puzzles. The facilities of the daycare center should be clean, safe and cheerful. All equipment should be in good working order and should not pose any hazards to the children.
One of the childcare facilities in Carrollwood, Tampa, 33625 that likewise provides more than just daycare to children from 6 weeks to 11 years old is the A Brighter Future Child Development and Learning Center which integrates the Voluntary Pre Kindergarten or VPK Program in its services for four year old children. The Center also offers after school child development programs for older children in K1, K2, K3, and K4. Being a Christian facility, the A Brighter Future Child Development and Learning Center furthermore teaches children positive values.
