If you have a child who is already attending preschool or one that is scheduled to start later this year, the free Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program could save you thousands of dollars. The state-sponsored program aims to prepare 4-year-olds for kindergarten by helping them develop vital learning and social skills.
If your child was born between Sept. 2, 2006, and Sept. 1, 2008, you can enroll this year at one of a wide selection of public and private programs in the area. Registration started Feb. 1 for the summer and fall sessions.
There are two programs offered annually, and your child can only attend one. The school-year program begins in August and includes 540 hours of instructional time. The summer program offers 300 instructional hours and can start as early as May 1.
The application process requires all parents to have a face-to-face visit with a Family Central parent counselor to determine eligibility for the program. The main Family Central office is located at 3111 S. Dixie Hwy., in West Palm Beach. However, there are a couple of local off-site registration opportunities:
Save yourself time by filling out the VPK application before heading to one of the above locations. Visit the Family Central website to download the application. You will also need to provide proof of Florida residency and an original copy of your child’s birth certificate with your application.
Once your child is approved for the program, you will receive a voucher and a list of participating providers. There is a wide selection of public schools, private centers, and faith-based programs that meet the VPK quality standards.
Family Central has identified these VPK providers in our area (click on pink center names to visit their websites):
Boca Raton
Delray Beach
Boynton Beach
MORE ON PRESCHOOLS
Read more about other local preschool programs – and how to find the right fit for your family in the BocaParent Preschool Guide.
Can you recommend any of these programs? Share your advice in the comments.
- MERCEDES COPPIN
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Boca Prep International School aims to prepare students to navigate the wide world and to work with people of different cultures.
While it serves children of globe-trotting parents for whom Boca Raton may be a temporary home, it is also a place for local children to get a global education.
Serving students from preschool through 12th grade, Boca Prep offers the rigorous International Baccalaureate curriculum. It is IB authorized for the diploma program and working toward credentials for the primary and middle years.
The school facilitates cultural sensitivity by its atmosphere, where every day children are sitting next to someone with a different background.
Founded in 1999, Boca Prep is owned by SEK, which runs international schools around the world. Enrollment at the Boca campus, in the Mission Bay community near U.S. 441 and Glades Road, is at 180 students.
Students from sister SEK schools abroad visit Boca and stay with host families. Some Boca students do the same abroad.
Though IB is more structured, the approach is similar to Montessori in its focus on inquiry and critical thinking rather than the regurgitation of information.
In admissions, Boca Prep looks for students who will work hard. There is plenty of homework, especially in the diploma program (11th and 12th grades.)
Boca Prep also offers opportunities for kids to pursue sports at a high level and compete for college scholarships. The Evert Tennis Academy is across the street, and Boca Prep is partnering with Team Boca to up its soccer game.
Teachers will work with a student’s schedule to accommodate their pursuit of excellence in sports or the arts.
(Tennis stars Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish and pro soccer player Jozy Altidore are alumni).
IB was founded to provide a global community of schools. The United States is the fastest-growing area for IB, partly because of its value in college admissions.
The college dropout rate for IB students is low because they are trained to be self-organized, self-motivated and can meet deadlines.
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LEARN MORE
Visit Boca Prep online
Read more about the International Baccalaureate curriculum at www.ibo.org.
Read about other Boca schools in the BocaParent blog:
And read our profiles of other private schools:
If you’re seeking a well-rounded private education for your children – where they can move seamlessly from those tender prekindergarten days through high school graduation – a tour of Saint Andrew’s School should be on your list.
The Jog Road campus serves 4-year-olds through 12th-graders, where the “vertical integration” of curriculum allows kids to build on the previous year’s academics, without having to switch schools. They can start Chinese or Spanish in kindergarten – three or four days a week. Students may have the same music teacher for years.
A few years ago, the city estimated that about half of Boca’s children were enrolled in a private school. While the recent economic downturn may have had some effect on enrollment, private education is still in great demand here. Saint Andrew’s added prekindergarten only three years ago and is fully enrolled, with 1,300 students in pre-K through 12th grade.
Saint Andrew’s is a nonprofit, with tuition averaging about $20,000 a year.
The school campus is much like a small college – neat and manicured. Saint Andrew’s lower school, added in 2000, is LEED-certified, built to environmentally friendly standards. And the playground equipment is designed for circular motion, which stimulates the brain.
There are “smart boards” in all the classrooms, and fifth-graders are trying out iPads. But beyond that, technology is not pervasive. Teachers want the kids to take notes by hand, they don’t hand out laptops, and wi-fi isn’t everywhere on campus.
The school’s mission is to nurture the students in mind, body and spirit. It offers a rigorous International Baccalaureate program for the upper grades (and soon, the lower grades, too).
The program is part of the school’s worldly focus. While it is affiliated with the Episcopal Church, Saint Andrew’s is independent and embraces students of all faiths. Students attend chapel, but the speakers focus on multicultural, thought-provoking messages.
“It’s very inclusive, very respectful,” said Carlos Barroso, director of marketing and communications.
Part of the Episcopal tradition is service oriented. Every grade does a service project. A common message to the students is: To whom much is given, much is expected, said Denise Redington, associate director of admissions.
For those anxious middle years, the school is proactive about bullying and drugs, and teachers are vigilant, Redington said. Students follow an honor code.
“It’s cool to be smart here,” she said.
Sports are a big part of the Saint Andrew’s experience. Upper school students are required to play a sport. Well-known Saint Andrew’s alumni include champion boxer Steve Geffrard and young golf sensation Morgan Pressel.
The school has 10 tennis courts, an Olympic size pool (swimming is part of PE), and two gyms.
“The scholar athlete does well here,” Barroso said. “They’re balanced out.”
For arts, middle school students take performing arts every day. Upper school students can take song-writing classes or stage crafts. They produce three drama productions a year in the school’s 653-seat theater, which is also used by the Boca Raton Symphonia.
Saint Andrew’s also has a co-ed bagpipe band, a nod to its Scottish founders.
About 75 percent of Saint Andrew’s graduates go the most competitive, or highly selective colleges, Redington said. But the guidance counselors work hard to ensure students end up with a good match. Close to 90 percent stay at the first college they go to, she said.
Other details:
Getting in
The first step in applying is calling the admissions office to schedule a tour: 561-210-2000.
For the fall, Saint Andrew’s expects to have 48 slots for 4-year-olds. Testing begins in January, so apply now if you’re interested.
For sixth grade, the school expects to have 13-15 openings. For the best chance of getting in, apply by Feb. 1. The school will keep accepting applications after that.
Saint Andrew’s is looking for motivated students who will add to the school community. For older students, grades, test scores and recommendations are considered.
Class sizes
Sixteen per class in prekindergarten; 22 in kindergarten; up to 24 by third grade. Saint
Andrew’s uses the co-teacher model, with two full-time teachers in the classroom through fifth grade.
Summer camp
Saint Andrews also offers a summer camp that is open to the public. Registration is going on now. Click here for more information.
To learn more
Visit the school’s website.
For information on the public school academy programs for the middle grades, visit our middle school guide.
