Five things you need to know about the district's new VPK lottery process

Nov. 7, 2019 – Forget the long lines and camping overnight at schools.

Beginning this school year, applications for Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) with Duval County Public Schools will now be online through a lottery system.

Below are five things you need to know about the new VPK lottery process if you want your child to be considered for admission in the fall.

1. Applications for the VPK lottery are online - Like the district’s process for Magnet and Special Transfer Option schools, all applications for the VPK lottery will be online. To apply online, you will need a Parent/Guardian OneView account to access FOCUS so that you can submit your application. If you do not already have an account, click here to create one.
   

2. Applications open Jan. 1, 2020 – Applications​ will be available in FOCUS through your Parent/Guardian OneView account beginning Jan. 1.
   

3. Application deadline is Feb. 29, 2020 – Parents will need to apply online no later than 11:59 p.m. on February 29, 2020 to be considered for admission in the fall.
   

4. Notifications will be sent out in Spring – Parents will receive electronic notification of the results of the application from the School Choice Department. If accepted into one of their choices, the parent will be asked to accept or decline the seat. If not accepted into one of their choices, the parent will be waitlisted. Waitlisted students may be contacted for admission into one of the requested schools by waitlist order if any openings occur during the summer.
   

5. After acceptance, parents have until May 31 to visit the school to register – Parents will need to visit the school and provide copies of the following: Certificate of Eligibility from the Early Learning Coalition; Proof of Age (Birth Certificate); Proof of Residency; State of Florida Health Exam form; Florida Certificate of Immunization, and a signed fee schedule for Non-Title 1 sites. *Parents who do not complete the enrollment process and/or lack required documents by May 31 will lose their seat.

More information is available by clicking on the attached PowerPoint, which provides an overview of the VPK lottery process.

As an additional resource, the district’s Parent Academy class is hosting a series of informational sessions about the new VPK Lottery.

The next Parent Academy class is scheduled for Nov. 13 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. in the DCPS Administration Building in room 307. Please click here to register in advance as seats for this course are limited.

Additional Parent Academy classes will also be offered in January. Those dates will be in the Spring 2020 Parent Academy catalog, which becomes available in December.