- July 27, 2026
Dear Editor:
In 2025-2026, only 37% of children in Flagler County arrived at kindergarten ready to learn. Read that again. Nearly two out of every three of our 5-year-olds walked through their classroom door already behind.
Here is what makes that number even more troubling. A free solution already exists. Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten program is available at no cost to every 4-year-old in Flagler County. Yet data from the 2024-2025 school year shows that 35% of our kindergartners never attended. The difference in outcomes between those who did and those who did not is stark. Of children who completed VPK, 65% tested kindergarten ready. Of those who did not attend, only 36% tested ready.
These are not abstract statistics. These are our neighbors' children. These are the children returning to classrooms across Flagler County in a few weeks, already working to overcome a gap that research tells us most will never fully close.
Children who are not kindergarten ready are significantly more likely to struggle with third grade reading scores. Those early skills gaps compound quietly over time, closing doors of opportunity before a child ever realizes it. The human cost is immeasurable.
The financial cost to our school system, which must invest additional intervention and remediation resources across 13 years of schooling for each unprepared child, is enormous. Multiply that investment across hundreds of children every single year and the urgency of solving this becomes impossible to ignore.
So why are so many families not accessing a program that is completely free?
The barriers are real, layered, and importantly, solvable. Transportation is the most frequently cited obstacle. Our VPK program operates only half a day, and while after care is available, the $80 weekly fee is simply out of reach for some families. Assistance programs exist for qualifying low-income families, but awareness and access to those programs remains inconsistent.
Awareness is equally critical. More than a third of families currently enrolled in Flagler County schools moved here within the last four years. In most states, VPK is not free for all eligible students. These families may simply not know what is available to them here.
We must reach new residents the moment they arrive in our community, not after kindergarten registration has already opened. And some parents, both longtime residents and newcomers alike, may not fully appreciate the profound difference between VPK and daycare, or understand the lasting impact that kindergarten readiness has on their child's entire educational journey.
I approached Teresa Rizzo of the Flagler Education Foundation about seeking a grant to provide VPK transportation to Bunnell Elementary. This is particularly critical to families living 20-25 minutes from the school. We are planning further discussions.
This is not a problem that one school board member can solve alone. It will require a true village, including school district leaders, transportation officials, community organizations, faith communities, pediatricians, local businesses and engaged and informed voters who demand that their elected officials treat this issue with the urgency it deserves.
I am running for Flagler County School Board because I believe every child in this community deserves to walk through their kindergarten door ready to learn, ready to grow and ready to succeed. This issue can be tackled strategically and in phases, with creative solutions and fiscal discipline guiding every step.
Cathy Moon is a Flagler County School Board candidate in District 1.
Editor's Note: We asked the school district to verify the above percentages. This was their response:
In fall 2025, our overall kindergarten readiness rate was 37%. For students who were VPK completers here in Flagler or at a private provider, the rate was 46%, while students who did not complete VPK anywhere was 23%. We do not have any data on students who were enrolled but did not "complete" VPK.
