A new state initiative has convinced over 13,000 Florida families to start saving for university before their children even step foot into a kindergarten classroom.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced the milestone Thursday in Kissimmee, marking the first four months of a collaboration between the state’s Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program and Florida Prepaid College Savings Plans.
The program streamlines the paperwork by allowing parents to apply for VPK and open a Florida Investment 529 Plan account simultaneously. To sweeten the deal, the state provides $100 to families who open the account through this combined process to kick-start their savings.
“We’ve kept our world-class public colleges and universities affordable for Florida residents, and our new partnership between the VPK program and Florida Prepaid is already helping thousands of families save for higher education,” Governor DeSantis said.
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Florida was among the first states to offer free VPK for all 4-year-olds, a program that has seen more than 3.1 million children enroll since 2005. The recent integration aims to remove the traditional hurdles of financial planning.
“For many families, the hardest part of saving for college is simply getting started,” said Kevin Thompson, Executive Director of the Florida Prepaid College Board. He noted that the partnership meets parents “right where they are—at the very start of their child’s education.”
Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas added that the goal is to empower parents to take an “important first step” toward long-term success.
Beyond the financial aspect, the state has recently implemented several VPK upgrades, including a 15-hour literacy training requirement for teachers and a new accountability system to monitor student progress in math and reading before they reach elementary school.
For families interested in the program, the state continues to offer the integrated application through the Department of Education’s early learning portal.
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