VPK4
BHPS' satellite VPK4 center, located at 1815 North Meridian Road, opened in 2005, when Florida began its state-financed voluntary pre-kindergarten program. This program gives a valuable opportunity to all families with four-year-old children, as it is designed to provide a universally available educational foundation for these children to meet (and in many cases, exceed) the prerequisites necessary to entering and excelling in kindergarten. The program pays for all four-year-olds (who turn four on or before September 1 of the school-year in question) to attend a regular year of three-hour academic days. This service is paid for by the state of Florida and is provided to you free of charge (application fees and extended-care fees not included). For more information about Florida's VPK4 program, please visit their online portal here. For BHPS' VPK4 guidelines, applications, tuition agreements, and other relevant forms, visit our documents page.
In addition to fulfilling the requirements of this wonderful program -- of which we are the only Five-Star-Plus provider in all of Leon County and North Florida (as rated by the Early Learning Coalition of Florida) -- we also offer a regular PreK4 program (established much earlier, in 1996) with extended academic hours. Members of our VPK program are also eligible for these extended academic days, and both groups may take advantage (at additional cost) of our full after school program.
At BHPS, our philosophy towards early childhood education is to develop each child's whole self, including the social, emotional, mental, and physical aspects. To achieve this, we selected the Core Knowledge® Preschool Sequence. This advanced curriculum acknowledges the fact that children all learn at different rates, and it enables our teachers to individualize their classes far more effectively than standard pre-kindergarten programs (both public and private) make allowances for. In addition to this sequence, we must adhere to the standards set forth in the 2005 Florida Pre-Kindergarten Educational Standards as part of the aforementioned VPK program. No other preschool can provide you with both of these strong academic foundations, and we firmly believe that your child deserves the absolute best head-start possible!
Our PreK4 staff is a diverse group of educators who have dedicated their lives to teaching young children. They are an enthusiastic, loving, and loyal group that genuinely cares about making every child's first educational experience a positive, memorable stepping stone to a whole exciting future of scholastic success. They provide their students with increased focus and knowledge in the following areas:
- language
- social skills
- work habits
- mathematical reasoning
- number sense
- time/space conceptualization and orientation
- scientific reasoning
- physical awareness of themselves and the world around them
- movement and coordination
- music and art appreciation
Our school has an "open door" policy, and you may visit at any time. However, if you wish to speak directly with a teacher, we request that you contact us and make an appointment.
Thank you for taking the time to research our program. We look forward to welcoming you and your family into our big, happy home!
