Hillsborough County Public Schools Student Services and Federal Programs
Action Item

DATE: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
TO: School Board Members
FROM: MaryEllen Elia, Superintendent

SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS

Approve Contract Between Hillsborough County School Readiness Coalition, Inc., Doing Business as Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County and Early Childhood School Readiness Programs for The Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK) (Student Services and Federal Programs Division)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Under this contract, Early Childhood School Readiness Programs provides the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK) to eligible Hillsborough County families by performing intake and eligibility services for children registering for the program and for child care providers applying to be VPK providers, as well as disbursing monthly payments to VPK providers. This contract is in effect commencing July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009.

ANNUAL DISTRICT GOAL(S) AND CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S)

Goal 5 - The District will eliminate the FCAT achievement gap by a minimum of 10 percentage points as reported by No Child Left Behind.

FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted: Yes)

The total $20,928,331 funding is a state grant channeled to Hillsborough County Public Schools from the Agency for Workforce Innovations, Office of Early Learning through Hillsborough County School Readiness Coalition, Inc., doing business as Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County. The contract requires that $20,102,039 is to be used to provide the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program for approximately 7,417 Hillsborough County four-year-old children at the reimbursement rate set by the state legislature, which has not been determined at the time of this writing.

EVALUATION

Each year the financial statements are audited by Hillsborough County School Readiness Coalition as prescribed by law. The funding for Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County is provided through federal dollars. The flow-through dollars are channeled by the Agency for Workforce Innovations. The School Readiness Program uses these funds to purchase child care in Hillsborough County. There is no district-generated revenue used for this purchase.

SUBMITTED BY: Beverly Wickson, Ed.D., Director, Early Childhood and HOST Programs

Gwendolyn L. Luney
Assistant Superintendent, Student Services and Federal Programs
(813) 272-4879
Gretchen Saunders
Chief Business Officer
(813) 272-4270
A 5.20
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20080520_293 * Section A Item# 5.20