teach1st
08-01-2005, 05:33 AM
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Florida/03FloridaSTAT02080105.htm
TALLAHASSEE -- Peggy Van Sleen of Gulf Breeze is just one of thousands of Florida moms who weren't able to take advantage of the new universal prekindergarten program cranking up for the first time this week.
Her 4-year-old son, Benjamin, will attend a private program at his parents' expense -- an advantage many others who fall through the bureaucratic cracks won't have.
"We got hit by hard by (Hurricane) Ivan and could definitely have used the $230 a month for pre-k," Van Sleen said. "I thought it was a wonderful program, but I don't know why it took so long to come up with the rules. Any parent knows you have to make a decision on preschool by February or March or you may not be able to get them into one."
She didn't want to take that chance.
Lawmakers couldn't agree on the prekindergarten policy in their 2004 session and finally agreed on a measure palatable for Gov. Jeb Bush in a special session last December. Bush signed it into law in January.
But they didn't come up with the state's subsidy, roughly $2,500 a pupil, until this spring and the compressed period forced educators, preschool providers and parents to scramble.
"They are inventing solutions as they go," said Laurel Zinssar, director of a Winter Park preschool that has enrolled 51 youngsters in its program. "Getting information was another challenge ... Month by month they add a little bit more. It's hard to figure out."
As zero hour approaches for the start of the voluntary prekindergarten program, no one is sure what is going to happen: How many 4-year-olds will show up? Or, where will they show up?
"We don't have a complete handle on the supply and demand in each county," Bush said.
There is, however, plenty of agreement that a lot of kinks need to be worked out.
"It's a big undertaking from a standing start," Bush said. "We've had some bottlenecks in some of the counties."
Read more (http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Florida/03FloridaSTAT02080105.htm)
TALLAHASSEE -- Peggy Van Sleen of Gulf Breeze is just one of thousands of Florida moms who weren't able to take advantage of the new universal prekindergarten program cranking up for the first time this week.
Her 4-year-old son, Benjamin, will attend a private program at his parents' expense -- an advantage many others who fall through the bureaucratic cracks won't have.
"We got hit by hard by (Hurricane) Ivan and could definitely have used the $230 a month for pre-k," Van Sleen said. "I thought it was a wonderful program, but I don't know why it took so long to come up with the rules. Any parent knows you have to make a decision on preschool by February or March or you may not be able to get them into one."
She didn't want to take that chance.
Lawmakers couldn't agree on the prekindergarten policy in their 2004 session and finally agreed on a measure palatable for Gov. Jeb Bush in a special session last December. Bush signed it into law in January.
But they didn't come up with the state's subsidy, roughly $2,500 a pupil, until this spring and the compressed period forced educators, preschool providers and parents to scramble.
"They are inventing solutions as they go," said Laurel Zinssar, director of a Winter Park preschool that has enrolled 51 youngsters in its program. "Getting information was another challenge ... Month by month they add a little bit more. It's hard to figure out."
As zero hour approaches for the start of the voluntary prekindergarten program, no one is sure what is going to happen: How many 4-year-olds will show up? Or, where will they show up?
"We don't have a complete handle on the supply and demand in each county," Bush said.
There is, however, plenty of agreement that a lot of kinks need to be worked out.
"It's a big undertaking from a standing start," Bush said. "We've had some bottlenecks in some of the counties."
Read more (http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Florida/03FloridaSTAT02080105.htm)