VPK Director
Qualifications/ Required Supporting Documents:
- A current background screening with an “Eligible” status for the DCF General, Child Care, and Substance Abuse items.
- An Affidavit or Attestation of Good Moral Character Form with all fields completed including the county and school name.
- A current, VPK-endorsed director credential proven through a DCF transcript.
General Responsibility:
The VPK director oversees VPK administration and instruction. They must be onsite for the majority (at least 51%) of the VPK program.
VPK Lead Teacher
Qualifications/ Required Supporting Documents:
- A current background screening with an “Eligible” status for the DCF General, Child Care, and
Substance Abuse items. - An Affidavit or Attestation of Good Moral Character Form with all fields completed including the county and school name.
- One of the following credentials:
- A current Staff/FCCPC/NECC Credential with the “Emergent Literacy” course and “Implementing the Florida Standards in Preschool Classrooms: 3 Years Old to Kindergarten” course (previously called the “Standards for Four-Year-Old’s” course) completed as proven through a DCF transcript.
- An associate degree or higher in an approved field proven through a college transcript.
General Responsibility:
The VPK lead teacher conducts VPK instruction based on Florida Standards and age-appropriate curricula (http://www.floridaearlylearning.com/vpk/vpk-providers/the-vpk-class) to prepare four- and five-year- old children for Kindergarten.
Within First 90 Days of Employment
Child care personnel must begin training within the first 90 days of employment in the child care industry by:
- starting a Part I or Part II course,
- taking a child care competency exam, or
- earning an educational exemption.
Complete 1 year after starting training
All of the 40-hour required training must be completed one year from the date the training began. Child care personnel must pass competency examsfor the 40 hours of training to demonstrate their competency or receive an educational exemption.
PART 1 (30 hours)
- Child Care Facility Rules and Regulations (6 hours)
- Health Safety and Nutrition (8 hours)
- Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect (4 hours)
- Child Growth and Development (6 hours)
- Behavioral Observation and Screening (6 hours)
PART II (10 hours)
- Understanding Developmentally Appropriate Practices (5 hours)
AND one (1) of the following:- Infant and Toddler Appropriate Practices (5 hours)
- Preschool Appropriate Practices (5 hours)
- School-Age Appropriate Practices (5 hours)
- OR
- Special Needs Appropriate Practices (10 hours)
Note: Training is available online or instructor-led.
Note: Training is available online or instructor-led.
VPK Assistant Teacher (also known as an “aide”)
Qualifications/ Required Supporting Documents:
- A current background screening with an “Eligible” status for the DCF General, Child Care, and
Substance Abuse items. - An Affidavit or Attestation of Good Moral Character Form with all fields completed including the county and school name.
General Responsibility:
The VPK assistant teacher supports the VPK lead teacher and increases the maximum allowable VPK children in one classroom to 20 (within the limitations of room capacity). There is no credential requirement for this position; however, they are expected to be in the classroom during all VPK instruction.
VPK Lead Substitute
Qualifications/ Required Supporting Documents:
- A current background screening with an “Eligible” status for the DCF General, Child Care, and
Substance Abuse items. - An Affidavit or Attestation of Good Moral Character Form with all fields completed including the county and school name.
- One of the following credentials:
- The 40-hour Introductory Child Care Training course proven through a DCF transcript.
- A current Staff/FCCPC/NECC Credential proven through a DCF transcript.
- An associate degree or higher proven through a college transcript.
General Responsibility:
The VPK lead substitute can assume the VPK lead or assistant teacher role when they are not onsite. It is recommended to hire eligible substitutes for your VPK program in case the lead or aide become ill or goes on vacation.
Within First 90 Days of Employment
Child care personnel must begin training within the first 90 days of employment in the child care industry by:
- starting a Part I or Part II course,
- taking a child care competency exam, or
- earning an educational exemption.
Complete 1 year after starting training
All of the 40-hour required training must be completed one year from the date the training began. Child care personnel must pass competency exams for the 40 hours of training to demonstrate their competency or receive an educational exemption.
PART 1 (30 hours)
- Child Care Facility Rules and Regulations (6 hours)
- Health Safety and Nutrition (8 hours)
- Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect (4 hours)
- Child Growth and Development (6 hours)
- Behavioral Observation and Screening (6 hours)
PART II (10 hours)
- Understanding Developmentally Appropriate Practices (5 hours)
AND one (1) of the following:- Infant and Toddler Appropriate Practices (5 hours)
- Preschool Appropriate Practices (5 hours)
- School-Age Appropriate Practices (5 hours)
- OR
- Special Needs Appropriate Practices (10 hours)
Note: Training is available online or instructor-led.
Note: Training is available online or instructor-led.
VPK Assistant Substitute
Qualifications/ Required Supporting Documents:
- A current background screening with an “Eligible” status for the DCF General, Child Care, and
Substance Abuse items. - An Affidavit or Attestation of Good Moral Character Form with all fields completed including the county and school name.
General Responsibility:
The VPK assistant substitute can assume the VPK assistant teacher role when they are not onsite. They may NOT substitute for the lead role. There is no credential requirement for this position.
VPK School Year Ratio
If there is only one approved VPK lead teacher in a VPK school year classroom, the highest acceptable teacher-to-child ratio is 1:11 (within the limitations of room capacity). If there is a lead teacher with an assistant in the classroom, the highest acceptable teacher-to-child ratio is 2:20.
Child Safety Employee Requirements for St. Luke ECC
- Employees All employees 14 years of age and older must be Level 2 FDLE/FBI (AFRNP) Level 2 background screened using electronic fingerprinting through diocesan resources. Click here to register. (For the purposes of background screening only, employees of the following business relationships are included in the term “Employees”: contractors, vendors, licensees, consultants, Memo of Understanding Personnel, and federal or state resource personnel and are also considered Church Personnel.)
- Volunteers: All volunteers working with children and vulnerable adults must be Level 2 FDLE/FBI (AFRNP) Level 2 background screened using electronic fingerprinting through diocesan resources. Click here to register.
Within First 30 Days of Employment
Fire Extinguisher Training
All child care personnel must complete training in the use and operation of a fire extinguisher. The DCF Child Care Personnel Orientation Course (5 hours) provides general information on this topic that may be used to supplement a facility specific training offered by the child care provider.
- DCF Health, Safety and Nutrition (8 hours)
Early Literacy
Complete 5 hours of literacy training through one of the following:
- Early Literacy for Children Birth to Three (5 hours) online course
- Emergent Literacy for Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Instructors (5 hours) online course
- One of the department s approved literacy training courses
- One college level early literacy course (for credit or non-credit) if taken within the last five years