Hillsborough County families with 4-year-olds have access to free full-day prekindergarten for the first time in the district's history.

Referendum funds cover second half of the school day

Hillsborough County Public Schools is using money from the millage referendum voters approved in November 2024 to extend its Voluntary Prekindergarten program, known as VPK, from a half-day to a full school day. The state funds only half-day VPK. Referendum dollars are covering the second half, Spectrum Bay News 9 reported Aug. 31.

Nearly 2,000 seats are available districtwide at no cost to families, according to the district's referendum page. The referendum generates about $177 million a year for the district.

South Shore campuses among those offering expanded seats

South Shore families in Apollo Beach and Ruskin can enroll 4-year-olds in the full-day program. Previously, VPK covered only about three hours of the school day.

Cypress Creek Elementary School in Ruskin and Ruskin Elementary School are among the district's South Shore campuses. The district has not published a site-by-site list of which schools offer the full-day VPK seats.

Teacher says extra hours ease the rush

Brianne Cloutier, a VPK teacher at Cork Elementary School in Plant City with more than 20 years of experience, told Bay News 9 the half-day schedule meant cramming content into a small window. "So now that we have the extended day, it is just a breath of fresh air," Cloutier said.

Cloutier said the extra hours let her cover letters, sounds, counting and patterns without rushing.

District ties program to broader academic gains

District leaders said the expanded day gives Hillsborough's youngest students more time to develop school-readiness skills before kindergarten. Superintendent Van Ayres said in a statement that early education shapes long-term academic success and called the VPK program a building block for literacy.

The full-day VPK launch coincides with the district's first A rating since 2014. The district earned 74 A-graded schools, with 40 schools improving by a full letter grade, according to the Southshore Circle.