Parrish growth boom leaves families struggling to find VPK and early learning centers

PARRISH, Fla. - It is becoming a familiar challenge in Manatee County — keeping pace with continued growth.

The backstory:

In the Parrish area, a development boom has left a significant gap in available services. As new rooftops go up, families are finding that options for Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) and early learning centers aren't expanding nearly as fast as the subdivisions around them.

Waitlists are long, forcing some parents to drive out of their way to secure childcare.

"Our community is growing so rapidly, not all businesses have come to meet all of those needs in our daycare, and early learning providers are one of those businesses that we are lacking right now," Dr. Sheila Halpin with the School District of Manatee County said.

By the numbers:

The school district has been moving to increase its footprint, but the demand continues to increase. 

"We have 112 pre-K classrooms, and we’re growing next year to have 119, and still… that doesn’t [fit] the needs for all of our communities," Halpin said.

To help bridge that gap, the district opened the SOAR Lab, an early learning center designed to reach children from infancy through third grade. School officials say providing these services is about more than just convenience for parents; it is a vital step in childhood development.

"For families to be able to have their kids in early learning programs is really important," School Board Member Heather Felton said. "Not only for working parents, but for kids to be able to grow and learn."

Why you should care:

Felton, a former high school teacher, is an advocate for expanding state legislation to increase VPK funding from four hours to eight. She said that the investment on the front end of a child's life is vital. 

"They need this when they're young," Felton said. "Trying to fix everything on the back end is so much harder for the kids. It’s way more expensive when it comes to all those programs, and it doesn’t help the kids."

The Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County says three new providers are currently in the process of bringing additional childcare to Parrish. 

"Childcare does need to catch up and expand that for the business owner, and they want to make sure it’s viable and that these are truly families with childcare needs moving into that area," Rachel Spivey with the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County said.

What's next:

The School District of Manatee County is working with community partners like the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County to expand options. They are aiming to add additional VPK and early learning centers before the next community goes up. 

"It adds another layer of concern to families because they move into a beautiful community, and they want to have all their needs met, and unfortunately, if we can’t provide that with early learning services, it makes it more difficult for them to be a working two-parent family," Halpin said. 

The district is preparing to open another SOAR Lab on the campus of Tillman Elementary School, which is expected to be operational within a year. In the meantime, the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County says getting on a waitlist early remains the best strategy for local families.

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