Our VPK program is all about Kindergarten Readiness. Miss Yuki, Miss Ashley and Miss Luvenia exceed all the Universal Pre-K expectations set forth in recent legislation.

Our children excel at phonics, sight words, number sentences, computer sciences, social studies and creative arts.

Our philosophy is simple...create a structured environment where children have room to explore new skills while being introduced to the tools to succeed.

We place all our students by their abilities not by age.

Our teachers are second to none. Miss Luvenia has been teaching for 22 years has her Child Development Associates, ECA, and Florida Director's Credential. Miss Yuki has been teaching for 5 years and has her Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education, ECA, and DCF certification. Miss Ashley is recent Graduate of USF and has also taught for Hillsborough County Schools. Our teachers believe the only way to start Kindergarten is ahead of the curve. Our aggressive approach creates a solid foundation for Kindergarten and beyond.

Key Benefits

	FREE for all children who are 4 years old by September 1 and reside in Florida
	A high quality educational program with an early literacy focus
	Prepare the child to be ready for kindergarten based on standards adopted by the State
	No registration fee
	Parents have the option of the School Year Program – 540 instructional hours; or Summer Program – 300 instructional hours

	No more than 18 children per class.
	One teacher for every 10 children
	The teacher has her 5 hour VPK literacy accreditation
	The lead teacher must have a National Child Development Associate Certificate Florida Child Development Associate Certificate; or college degree
	The program must offer 540 hours of instruction during the school year, & 300 hours during the summer
	The school must pass licensing inspections
	The provider must be licensed (or exempt from this requirement) and must also: Be accredited by an accrediting association that is a member of the National Council for Private School Accreditation (http://www.ncpsa.org), the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (http://www.citaschools.org), or the Florida Association of Academic Nonpublic Schools (http://www.faans.org) Hold a current Gold Seal Quality Care designation; or Be a licensed child care provider and demonstrate to the early learning coalition that the provider meets the VPK program requirements, including, but not limited to, credentials and background screenings of instructors, minimum and maximum class sizes, director credentials, and developmentally appropriate curriculum.

	Complete the Child Application (AWI-VPK Form 01) available for download below
	Provide the following: Proof of child's age/date of birth Proof of Florida Residency
	Take the completed application, along with the proof of age and proof of Florida residency to a VPK registration location (a list of Hillsborough County sites are available below) and meet with a representative of ELCHC who will verify the information. Upon verification, you will receive a VPK Certificate of Eligibility
	Deliver the VPK Certificate of Eligibility to Castles of Imagination and complete our registration process

	Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County - VPK Parent's information site
	VPK Application Form - download form AWI-VPK 01 with instructions
	Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County - VPK registration sites
	My Florida Education - VPK regulations and information