DeSantis announces VPK–Florida Prepaid partnership to seed college savings accounts

Governor DeSantis announced a new partnership between Florida’s voluntary prekindergarten program (VPK) and the Florida Prepaid College Savings Plan that lets families complete VPK enrollment and open a 529 account in a single application, with a $100 seed contribution and eligibility for $1,000 raffle prizes.

The announcement, made at a campus event with Education Commissioner Stasi Kamutsis and Florida Prepaid Executive Director Kevin Thompson, is intended to simplify access to long‑term college savings and promote early financial planning. Officials said the voluntary pilot reached more than 13,000 families within four months of launching.

"When Florida families take advantage of opportunities like this, its strength is not just the individual futures, but the futures of our entire state," Commissioner Stasi Kamutsis said, adding that Florida has run VPK for about 20 years and more than 3,100,000 students have gone through the program. "This partnership is more than just a program. It is about building a continuum of opportunity for Florida students from early learning to post‑secondary success."

Kevin Thompson, who the governor introduced as executive director of the Florida Prepaid College Board, described the offer to families: those who enroll in VPK and open a 529 investment account receive a $100 starter contribution and can enter monthly drawings for $1,000 scholarships. Thompson said the program offers multiple saving options, including investment plans and prepaid plans that lock in future tuition at today's prices, and emphasized that participation is optional.

The governor framed the new effort alongside the state’s existing college‑access tools. He said Florida Prepaid has been available for roughly 30 years, that more than 1,200,000 families participate, and that more than 646,000 students have attended college using Florida Prepaid benefits. He also described past policy actions returning excess prepaid funds to families and lowering rates, saying in his remarks that the state returned "over $1,000,000,000" in rebates and that rate adjustments reduced costs by an additional "$2,600,000,000" relative to earlier projections.

Officials and education leaders framed the initiative as voluntary and designed to expand access to college savings automatically at an early decision point for parents. The presentation closed with officials encouraging families to consider the option when they enroll children in VPK.