Florida Universal Pre-Kindergarten, Amendment 8 (2002)

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The Florida Universal Pre-Kindergarten Amendment, also known as Amendment 8, was an initiated constitutional amendment on the November 5, 2002 election ballot in Florida, where it was approved.

• The amendment amended Article IX, Section 1 of the Florida Constitution to require the establishment of free voluntary universal pre-kindergarten.

Election results

Florida Amendment 8 (2002)
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		2,868,500	59.23%
No		1,974,408	40.77%

Results via: The Florida Department of State, Division of Elections

Text of measure

The ballot title read:

“

Voluntary Universal Pre-Kindergarten Education

”

The ballot summary read:

“

Every four-year-old child in Florida shall be offered a high quality pre-kindergarten learning opportunity by the state no later than the 2005 school year. This voluntary early childhood development and education program shall be established according to high quality standards and shall be free for all Florida four-year-olds without taking away funds used for existing education, health and development programs.

”

Constitutional changes

The text of the amendment read:

(b) Every four-year old child in Florida shall be provided by the Stat e a high quality pre-kindergarten learning opportunity in the form of an early childhood development and education program which shall be voluntary, high quality, free, and delivered according to professionally accepted standards. An early childhood development and education program means an organized program designed to address and enhance each child's ability to make age appropriate progress in an appropriate range of settings in the development of language and cognitive capabilities and emotional, social, regulatory and moral capacities through education in basic skills and such other skills as the Legislature may determine to be appropriate. (c) The early childhood education and development programs provided by reason of subparagraph (b) shall be implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005 school year through funds generated in addition to those used for existing education, health, and development programs. Existing education, health, and development programs are those funded by the State as of January 1, 2002 that provided for child or adult education, health care, or development.

Path to the ballot

• The initiative was sponsored by Pre-K Committee (Parents for Readiness Edu. for our Kids).
• The initiative petition required 488,722 signatures and 514,667 were found valid.

See also

Suggest a link

• List of Florida ballot measures
• 2002 ballot measures
• Florida 2002 ballot measures

External links

• Text and vote results
• Full text of the ballot