Strong Start by Florida Pre-K Effort Surprises Skeptics

Legislative Delays, Logistical Concerns Prove Manageable

It’s still the beginning of the school year in Florida, but predictions that the state’s voter-approved prekindergarten program would get off to a disastrous start have not come to pass.

The initial confusion by parents and potential providers of pre-K classes prompted last spring by legislative delays seems to have been replaced by the more reassuring news that sites are up and running.

More than 90,000 children are already attending pre-K programs this first year, making Florida’s one of the largest state preschool programs in the country almost overnight. Supporters of the program predicted as many as 150,000 preschoolers...