Credit: Shannon Nickinson.

Voluntary prekindergarten isn't the only part of the state's early education budget Gov. Rick Scott proposes boosting.

The Scott budget also includes $20.3 million for the School Readiness program, which provides subsidized childcare for children ages 0 to 13, as long as the parent works at least 20 hours a week and makes less than 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

For example, a family of four with an income of $36,375 is eligible for the program.

Last year, Escambia County got $13.6 million for School Readiness.

While the waiting list for that program in Escambia County has fluctuated over the years, Bruce Watson, executive director of the Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County, says here are 550 children on the list. School Readiness costs about $4,000 per child.

The governor’s budget also includes $15.5 million for a voluntary program in its second year that gives providers a higher reimbursement rate for meeting certain staff development goals.

“We’ve had a reluctance among providers locally to make the financial investment,” Watson says. “I think as the program matures, more providers will get interested in it.”

That is feedback Watson says he has heard from Escambia to Walton County.

“Some of the things they’re asking folks to do haven’t been done in this part of the state,” he says.

That would include 20 hours of staff development in areas such as curriculum, classroom management and more — time centers must pay their staffs for. It can be an investment that varies from center to center, but can be between $3,000 to $5,000, Watson says.

“The more responsible providers would have to pay their staff for the time they’re doing the coursework,” he said.

You can research the readiness rates of providers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties here.