The Early Learning department manages the Pre-K Evaluation Center and Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) program for the School District of Manatee County.

We believe that all children are intelligent, creative and resourceful and that they communicate their individual gifts in many different “languages” including the arts, literacy, math, science, social/emotional, and physical languages.

We respect families as essential collaborators who contribute distinct experiences and knowledge as an integral part of our early learning program.

We create learning communities of children, families, and educators whose work depends upon listening and responding to each other’s needs.

We provide opportunities for children to take the initiative in their own learning as they make sense of the world.

Build a strong foundation for our early learners, ensuring their future success as they demonstrate social, emotional and cognitive growth along standards-based learning progressions.

Build a strong foundation for our early learning teachers, ensuring ongoing professional growth through learning and collaboration for implementation of a standards-based, developmentally appropriate curriculum.

Build a strong foundation by partnering with families of our early learners, ensuring that families have access to information and guidance that will enable families to support and enhance their child’s learning and growth.

Build a strong foundation for early learning in our community, ensuring the needs of our early learners are addressed both inside and outside of the school day.

• Early skills matter, and our PreK programs can help children build these skills.
• On average, children who attend a high quality PreK program gain about a third of a year of additional learning across language, reading, and math skills. 
• The strongest predictor of later achievement are school entry reading, math and attention skills.
• For children who enter kindergarten behind, roughly 75% will never catch up to their classmates.
• Participants in PreK programs score higher on the third-grade language arts test than did nonparticipants.
• Children who attend a quality PreK program are better prepared kindergarten students.