The bill amends section 1002.71 of the Florida Statutes to revise the funding structure for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. It establishes that each private prekindergarten provider and public school delivering the program will receive a base student allocation per full-time equivalent student, which will be equal for all students regardless of the type of provider. Starting with the 2026-2027 program year, the base student allocation cannot be less than the amount appropriated for the previous program year, with annual adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index, capped at a 5% increase each year.

Additionally, the bill mandates that the Division of Early Learning publish the adjusted base student allocation on its website and provide this information to early learning coalitions by May 1 for the upcoming program year. It also allows the Legislature the option to allocate additional funding or supplements for the program in the General Appropriations Act. The effective date for these changes is set for July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
H 345 Filed: 1002.71