At the July 29, 2020 Commission meeting, a Prekindergarten Pilot Program was approved for the 2021-22 school year.   The program will expand hourly access to high quality PreK providers by providing up to $2,700 to eligible Miami Beach families.   The pilot program funding in the amount of $250,000 was approved for inclusion in the FY22 Fiscal Year.   Selected and approved providers will begin submitting invoices to the City of Miami Beach October 1, 2021.

The Office of Organizational Development Performance Initiatives provided several informational sessions for interested Miami Beach families and PreK providers from September through December 2020.  Miami Beach providers were also contacted directly to inform them of this opportunity.   Staff also developed a PreK website located at www.miamibeachfl.gov/prek that provides an overview of the program, applications for both families and providers, and provider agreement information. 

After several months of community outreach, staff held a computerized lottery on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 to place all resident applicants in a numerical order for stipend receipt.  Results of the lottery were posted on the City's website including family name, confirmation number, and lottery number.   There were 106 Miami Beach residents who submitted applications to receive the PreK stipend of which approximately 92 would be eligible for funding.  At the time, there were eighteen (18) PreK provider partners who registered to join the City in its efforts to expand access to quality early childhood education.

As of April 9, 2021, the Office of Organizational Development Performance Initiatives has executed agreements with the below fifteen (15) Prekindergarten providers to partner with the City to expand PreK access to Miami Beach families:

     Gan Katan (Miami Hebrew)

     Temple Beth Sholom Innovative School

     Rainbow Intergenerational Learning Center (Little Havana Activities)

     Yeshiva Elementary, Inc.

     Toras Emes Academy

     Lehrman Community Day School

     MDCPS Miami Beach South Pointe Elementary

     MDCPS North Beach Elementary

     Landow Yeshiva School (Lubavitch)

     Vivi's Child Care

     Muss Family Montessori School at Temple Emanu-El (Lev Montessori)

     Miami Children's Museum Early Childhood Institute

     Kinderland 4 Kidz

     Biscayne Park Elementary

     Super Y Academy

Additionally, the number of family applications was adjusted to 104 total applicants due to two duplicate applications.  Of the original 104 applicants, seventeen (17) have opted out or not participating for various reasons including their preferred school is not a partner provider, their child is not age eligible, or their selected public school does not require a parental fee contribution.   The remaining 87 applicants have been cleared to participate with 75 having signed confirmatory letters of participation.   The remaining twelve (12) are still pending PreK provider selection due to their child's wait list status at their preferred school or other reasons.

Based on the number of eligible applicants, it is anticipated the City will utilize approximately $234,900 of the original budget allocation of $250,000 during the 2021-22 school year.

Administration seeks direction on the extension of the Prekindergarten Pilot Program for the 2022-23 school year to include an enhancement request in the FY22 budget to provide for recruitment of providers, informational sessions to families and computerized lottery between September 2021 through December 2021 to align to PreK provider application openings and public school PreK application deadlines.    Additionally, further automation of the program is needed during the summer 2021 months to support the anticipated increase in community and provider participation in year two.