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VPK/PRESCHOOL

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8605 Erie Road,
Parrish, FL 34219
(941) 545-6380
Preschool/VPK and Wrap-Around Hours: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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Enrollment

FORZA Child Development Center 
DCF Licensing #C12MA0342
Options for 3-and-4-year-old Students

Faculty and Staff

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Maria Pacheco
Director
mpacheco@pcaedu.org
Maria Pacheco is honored to serve as both the Preschool Director and a VPK teacher. She has been a valued member of the FORZA family since 2019, and throughout her time with the organization, she has enjoyed growing alongside the school's students, families, and staff.
As a mother of three, Maria understands the importance of finding a school where children feel safe, loved, and excited to learn. She is passionate about early childhood education and believes every child deserves a nurturing, engaging environment where they can develop with confidence. She is committed to building strong relationships with children, families, and teachers while fostering a positive school community where everyone feels welcomed, supported, and valued.
Maria looks forward to partnering with families to make each school year a fun, memorable, and successful experience for every child.

School Calendars

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Curriculum

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GOAL of ELLM/Plus

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Every Child Enters School Ready to Learn, Ready to Read, and Ready to Succeed

The Objectives of ELLM/Plus are to:
 

  • Increase achievement of 3-and-4-year-old children.

  • Provide regular and ongoing literacy training to all participants.

  • Build children's cognitive development through literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts, motor experiences, and physical health.

  • Expand children's vocabularies and refine their understanding and comprehension of words they know and use

  • Encourage children's curiosity, persistence, and creativity

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Benefits of Early Education and VPK/Preschool:

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  • The most important growth and development in the brain happens by the age of five. 

  • The early years are the learning years.

  • A child’s ability to be attentive and to follow directions emerges in the early years. 

  • Structured early learning fosters these abilities for later success in school and in life.

  • Pre-K prepares children to be ready for school. Children who participate in high-quality early childhood education programs develop better language skills, score higher in school-readiness tests and have better social skills and fewer behavioral problems once they enter school.  They are also better prepared for Kindergarten, especially in the areas of pre-reading, pre-math and social skills. 

  • ​Pre-K enhances what a child learns at home and instills a love of life-long learning.

​Highlights of the Preschool Program


Curriculum



  • Focuses on reading, writing and social skills

  • Prepares children for Kindergarten

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Instructors​
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  • Ratios are 1 instructor to 10 children

  • Highly qualified lead teachers are CDA certified

 

​Transportation
 

Parents are responsible for their child’s transportation

 

 

ELC of Manatee County

​​Note To Parents Interested in the VPK Program:

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​​Parents who are interested in enrolling their children in a VPK Program are now required to log on to www.elc-manatee.org and complete the online application. On the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County website, you will need to create a family portal to apply for VPK. A copy of the birth certificate and a proof of residency will need to be uploaded. Once the voucher has been approved, it needs to be signed by the parent and presented to the school of choice.  

 

Please find the office location below for the ELC:

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Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County
600 8th Avenue West
Suite 100
Palmetto, FL 34221
 
Phone:  941-757-2900

www.elc-manatee.org ​​

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