1978
Florida created a State Migrant Prekindergarten Program using Migrant and Title I funds.

1987
Florida established the Prekindergarten Early Intervention program to serve low income three and four-year-olds. As of 2000, these two programs served more than 20,000 children.

1999
The Florida Legislature passed the School Readiness Act that consolidated the state’s early education programs into a more cohesive, efficient, and integrated school readiness system. The goal of this massive restructuring was to increase children’s chances of achieving future educational success and becoming productive members of society.

2001
A state-level governing board known as the Florida Partnership for School Readiness was created to coordinate statewide efforts.

November 2002
Florida voters approved – with 58.6% of the vote – a ballot initiative to change Florida’s Constitution to require that high quality Prekindergarten be made available on a voluntary basis to all four-year-old children in the state by September 2005.

April 2003
The State Board of Education (SBE) established an Advisory Council to make recommendations for the implementation of a quality program consistent with the requirements of the constitutional amendment. Governor Jeb Bush appointed Lt. Governor Toni Jennings as chair of the UPK (now VPK) Advisory Council.

June-October 2003
The Council conducted nine meetings and conference calls in order to collect information for recommendations to be made to the State Board of Education.

December 2003
The State Board of Education revised the UPK Advisory Council's recommendations, which were forwarded to the Florida Legislature.

May 2004
The Florida Legislature passed what was considered by many to be a fundamentally flawed bill that did not include provisions to phase in certified teachers with college degrees, an acceptable teacher-child ratio, or a strong curriculum to guide what children learn.

July 2004
Governor Jeb Bush vetoed the Pre-K bill, saying that it did not meet the necessary high quality standards.

December 2004
In a special session of the Florida Legislature HB 1A was passed creating the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program.

January 2005
Governor Jeb Bush signed the VPK legislation into law.

August 2005
Thousands of four-year-olds attend the first day of the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.

Summer 2006
Thousands of four-year-old children participate in the Summer VPK Program.