Funding for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program

Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Osgood
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: Senate - Died in Education Pre-K - 12
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill died in committee and did not become law. Therefore, its provisions are not enforceable as stated.

Funding for Florida's Free Pre-K Program

This bill revises how funding is calculated and distributed for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program in Florida.

What This Bill Does

Revises the calculation of base student allocation for students enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs, ensuring it does not decrease from one year to the next and adjusts annually based on inflation but not exceeding a 5% increase each year.
Requires the Division of Early Learning to publish yearly updates about funding on their website by May 1st.

Who It Names or Affects

Students enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs
Schools and private providers offering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
The Division of Early Learning

Terms To Know

base student allocation: The amount of money given to each student enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass the Education Pre-K - 12 committee and died in the Senate.
It is unclear how much additional funding, if any, will be provided by the Legislature beyond what is calculated annually.

Bill History

2026-03-13 Senate
• Died in Education Pre-K - 12
2026-01-13 Senate
• Introduced
2025-12-01 Senate
• Referred to Education Pre-K - 12; Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; Appropriations
2025-11-17 Senate
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Funding for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program; Revising the calculation of the base student allocation for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program; requiring the Division of Early Learning to annually publish and provide to early learning coalitions specified information, etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 512

By
Senator Osgood

32-00292B-26 2026512__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to funding for the Voluntary
3 Prekindergarten Education Program; amending s.
4 1002.71, F.S.; revising the calculation of the base
5 student allocation for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
6 Education Program; requiring the Division of Early
7 Learning to annually publish and provide to early
8 learning coalitions specified information; authorizing
9 the Legislature to provide additional funding for the
10 program; providing an effective date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section
15 1002.71, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
16 1002.71 Funding; financial and attendance reporting.—
17 (3)(a)
Each private prekindergarten provider and public

18
school delivering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education

19
Program shall be paid
a
separate
base student allocation per
20 full-time equivalent student
as

in the Voluntary Prekindergarten

21
Education Program shall be
provided in the General
22 Appropriations Act
.

23
1.

Beginning with the 2026-2027 program year, the base

24
student allocation
for a school-year prekindergarten program and
25 for a summer prekindergarten program
may not be less than the

26
amount appropriated for the previous program year, adjusted

27
annually on July 1 by the percentage change in the Consumer

28
Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the most recent calendar

29
year, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United

30
States Department of Labor, not to exceed 5 percent each year
.
31 The base student allocation for a school-year program shall be
32 equal for each student, regardless of whether the student is
33 enrolled in a school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a
34 public school or a private prekindergarten provider. The base
35 student allocation for a summer prekindergarten program shall be
36 equal for each student, regardless of whether the student is
37 enrolled in a summer prekindergarten program delivered by a
38 public school or private prekindergarten provider.
39
2.

The Division of Early Learning shall annually publish on

40
its website the adjusted base student allocation and provide the

41
amount of the allocation to each early learning coalition no

42
later than May 1 for use in the following program year.

43
3.

The Legislature may provide a greater base student

44
allocation than calculated under subparagraph 1. or additional

45
supplements for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program

46
in the General Appropriations Act.

47 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.