Winds of love

Spring is almost here! Let’s celebrate the season of rebirth, joy, and love and, for many the season of new beginnings. For us the following months bring so much enthusiasm, soon we will celebrate ten years of Kiddos Magazine and we can’t be more excited and fulfilled. Since its inception, Kiddos Magazine has been a source of inspiration for many parents and families providing an opportunity to learn about different topics, with engaging articles and educational content that will inspire children for generations to come.

It has been an absolute delight to inform, educate and entertain our community and to work with all of you for the past ten years. Great things come ahead, and its 10th anniversary is a milestone worth celebrating and we are going to celebrate with you!

If you have children between 3 and 4 years old, you can apply to participate in M-DCPS Early Childhood Programs, registration for VPK is now open and is available in more than 200 schools countywide. Learn more on page 8.

I am very traditional about family routines, and having dinner at the dinner table instead of on the go can be a valuable bonding experience. Sitting down together to enjoy a meal provides an opportunity for families to connect, communicate, and share their day. Our parenting topic features 6 ways to Protect Dinnertime as a Single Mom. Page 16.

Is that time of the year to think about camp experiences for your child, our special spring guide presented by Frost Science features a variety of options to choose from, such as science, cooking, sports, outdoors, and equestrian programs all in a safe and fun learning environment. See page 18.

It’s a new year and time for new adventures! Enjoy the month of love, happy spring!

Kiddos is a Florida based kids focused magazine, whose mission is to help strengthen the bonds between parents and their children by providing value-based content and quality journalism.

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Veronica Lepere

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Care Resource Family First ACA Camps Wilton

DESIGN

Kiddos Creative Department

Etta Walker

PHOTOGRAPHY

Tulips Photography

ADVERTISING SALES & MARKETING

Veronica Lepere vlepere@kiddosmagazine.com

KIDDOS MAGAZINE

P.O. Box 431492 Miami, Fl. 33243 786.260.8492 info@kiddosmagazine.com kiddosmagazine.com

Source: M-DCPS Early Childhood Programs

Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ (M-DCPS) Department of Early Childhood Programs, “where learning begins,” has launched its Ready, Set, Enroll! campaign with a variety of early childhood education and Voluntary Pre-kindergarten (VPK) programs for the 2023-2024 school year.

Florida’s VPK Education Program: VPK, a free program that prepares children for kindergarten and beyond, is available in more than 200 schools countywide. Children must be 4 years old on or before September 1st of any year, to enroll. A list of the participating schools is available at www.earlychildhood.dadeschools.net

M-DCPS’ VPK Program uses a lottery to select students. After submitting proof of birth and address to their home/neighborhood school before the February 23, 2023, deadline, families will be entered into the VPK lottery. The lottery will be held on Friday, February 24, 2023. Children, whose names are drawn from the lottery, will be selected to attend the program.

Head Start/Early Head Start Programs: Provided in partnership with Miami-Dade County Community Action and Human Services, the M-DCPS Head Start program is a federally funded, comprehensive, child-development program serving children birth to age 5 from incomeeligible families. Children with disabilities are included in the programs and receive a full range of developmental services.

Applications for enrollment for both programs are accepted year-round.

For more information, registration requirements, online applications, and a full listing of program sites, visit headstart.dadeschools.net/ or www. miamidade.gov/headstart.

Reverse Mainstream Program: General education role model students are needed for a limited number of slots in Pre-K Exceptional Student Education (ESE) programs across the district. This program offers a free, full-day, or halfday opportunity for qualifying students. Students are eligible beginning on their third birthday and must have ageappropriate language and social skills because they will serve as models for children with disabilities.

This Pre-K ESE curriculum is robust and offers students an opportunity to learn pre-reading, math, science, and social studies, as well as develop their social skills in a school setting. Parents should inquire at their home/neighborhood school or call the Pre-K ESE office at 305.271.5701 to identify programs near their homes. Role models in the Reverse Mainstream program are invited to attend school for a few days in the spring so that teachers may determine their readiness for this program.

For more information, please visit www.earlychildhood.dadeschools.net or call 305.995.7632.

Open seats will be available at select schools after the lottery date. Parents, whose children were not selected, should contact the Early Childhood Programs at 305-995-7632 for assistance in finding an opening A required VPK Program

Certificate of Eligibility may be obtained online at the Office of Early Learning website: www.vpkhelp.org.