Nearly half of Florida children are not ready for Kindergarten

Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking action to get your little ones prepared for school after a report finds 42 percent preschoolers were not ready for kindergarten.

DeSantis directed the Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to come up with a plan for improvements in response to the findings of the Florida Department of Education.

“A 42 percent failure rate is simply not defendable and certainly not good enough for Florida’s youngest learners,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement.

“I have asked Commissioner Corcoran to prioritize this issue and direct available funding to make enhancements,” DeSantis said.

A news release from DeSantis’ office did not detail steps that might be taken.

“We must have a real accountability measure for all our school readiness programs,” Corcoran said in a prepared statement.

“We are highlighting this data to serve as a rallying cry going forward that we will improve our early learning opportunities for students.”

Florida voters in 2002 passed a constitutional amendment requiring that all 4-year-old children be offered a free “high-quality pre-kindergarten learning opportunity by the state.” The program is offered through public and private schools.