FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

John L. Winn

Commissioner of Education

F. PHILIP HANDY,

Chairman

T. WILLARD FAIR,

Vice Chairman

Members

DONNA G. CALLAWAY

ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ

PHOEBE RAULERSON

KATHLEEN SHANAHAN

LINDA K. TAYLOR

January 23, 2006

MEMORANDUM #06-01

TO:

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District School Superintendents

FROM:

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Shan

Goff,

Executive

Director, Office of Early Learning

SUBJECT:

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Rilya Wilson Act and School District-Operated Voluntary Prekindergarten

(VPK) Education Programs

The purpose of this communication is to clarify a memorandum previously released on

May 10, 2004, entitled “Rilya Wilson Act and School District-Operated School

Readiness Programs” (http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-

2065/ActMemo.pdf). In the previous memorandum, we provided information about the

law and stated that it was the intent of the Department of Education and the Department

of Children and Families (DCF) …..“that these provisions of the [Rilya Wilson Act]

(Section 39.604, Florida Statutes) apply to any school district-operated early education

or care program including school readiness programs, district-operated Head Start

Programs, Title I prekindergarten programs, prekindergarten programs for children with

disabilities, programs serving the children of parents enrolled in the Teen Parent

Program, and district-operated ‘for pay’ child care programs.” Since the Rilya Wilson

Act predated the passage of the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) legislation, please be

advised that the provisions of the law also apply to school-district operated VPK

programs.

These measures are designed as an additional safeguard for children between the age

of three and kindergarten entry age who are under court-ordered protective supervision

or in the custody of the Family Safety Program of DCF or a community-based care lead

agency. School districts and DCF district/region staff should have locally developed

procedures in place to ensure implementation.

325 W. GAINES STREET • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0505 • www.fldoe.org

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District School Superintendents

January 23, 2006

Page Two

If you have additional questions, please contact Dr. Martha Haynes at (850) 245-9560

or martha.haynes@fldoe.org

SG/MH

cc:

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Debby Russo, Child Care Services, DCF

Nelson Simmons, Child Welfare and Community-Based Care, DCF

District/Regional Administrators, DCF

Gladys Wilson, Agency for Workforce Innovation

District

Prekindergarten Program Contacts