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Dear VPK Providers:
House Bill 5001, also known as the General Appropriations Act, was passed by the 2022 Florida Legislature, and signed into law as Chapter 2022-156, Laws of Florida, by Governor DeSantis. This law became effective on July 1, 2022.
Proviso language (see below) following specific appropriation 82 provided additional compensation to Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) providers in the base student allocation for the 2022-23 school-year and summer programs. VPK providers who elect to participate in this additional payment program must complete an application in the EFS Mod Provider Portal.
Within the application on the portal, each VPK provider will attest via affidavit that every VPK program employee’s hourly rate is at least $15 per hour for all time worked on the VPK program within 30 days of receiving the funds.
As further explained below, the starting date for paying the minimum of $15 per hour rate must be within 30 days of the VPK provider’s rate increase funded with this incentive. The provider’s rate increase will begin on the first day of VPK classes, or on the date, the affidavit affirming the agreement is submitted to ELCNWF in the EFS Mod Provider Portal, whichever is later.
A VPK provider is deemed to be in receipt of this additional funding on the date that the provider’s VPK rates are increased through this allocation. Thus, for example, if a provider submits this affidavit and will be paid for VPK students at a rate that includes this incentive pay beginning on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, then all VPK employees must be paid at least $15 per hour for VPK duties beginning no later than Friday, September 9, 2022, which is 30 days after the provider’s rate increase.
VPK program employees include all employees who work on the VPK program, including the VPK Lead Instructor, Assistants and Substitutes listed in each VPK Classroom on Form OEL-VPK11A, and VPK Directors or Principals listed on form OEL-VPK10, who have been approved by ELCNWF.
The Division of Early Learning continues to perform requirements gathering to complete the build of the additional payment program application and attestation in the EFS Mod Provider Portal. They will provide additional instructional materials to successfully implement this program.
If you have any questions, please email the Redline at redline@elcnwf.org.
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