Jacksonville, FL – In 2010, ICARE secured commitments from the Early Learning Coalition of Duval (ELC) and the Jacksonville Children’s Commission to expand access to a high-quality early literacy program known as Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) for working low-income families. This included $2.1 million in funding to provide a full-day Pre-K for 500 four-year-olds. In its first year, 168 kids were removed from the wait list and placed in VPK. Duval County Public Schools also agreed to work with the ELC to track VPK students throughout their years in the district, providing data-driven accountability.
