Priority Full-day Pre-K & Expanded Half-day Pre-K Grant Program for High Need Students

Priority Full-day Pre-K & Expanded Half-day Pre-K Grant Programfor High Need Students GettingStarted

AGENDA • Review of Grant Purposes • Statutory Requirements • Overview of Applicable UPK Regulations • SIRS Coding • Budget Amendments • Moving from Half- to Full-day • Questions

Purposes of PPK Grant • Increase the availability of high quality prekindergarten placements for the highest need children and schools within New York State’s public school districts.

Purposes of PPK Grant • Create new full-day prekindergarten placements, convert existing half-day placements to full-day, or create a limited number of new half-day placements designated for higher need children in lower wealth school districts.

Purposes of PPK Grant • Enhance program quality by requiring grantees to adopt program quality standards including valid and reliable measures of environmental quality, the quality of teacher-student interactions, and student outcomes.

Statutory Requirements • Teacher & principal evaluations – Districts must have fully implemented new standards and procedures for APPR as required by Section 3012-c of Education Law.

Statutory Requirements • Length of school day --At least 5 hours per school day for full-day programs --Minimum 2.5 hours per school day for half-day programs

Statutory Requirements • Align curricula and instruction with NYS Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core within three years

Statutory Requirements • Adopt approved quality indicators within two years • Classroom Environment (3 standards) • Teaching Staff Qualifications (6 standards) • Curriculum Planning and Implementation (5 standards) • Child Screening and Assessment (5 standards) • Professional Development (6 standards) • Family Engagement and Supports (4 standards) • Transitions to Kindergarten (8 standards) Webinar: March 26, 2014 2:00-4:00 PM

Statutory Requirement • Collaboration with community-based organizations (CBOs): • Districts must use a minimum of 10% of grant used to contract with CBO for instructional program. • A variance may be granted based on evidence that the district is unable to develop a collaboration for reasons that are outside the control of the district.

Statutory Requirement • Evaluation Data: Any measurement of student outcomes cannot be used to make high-stakes, educational decisions for individual children.

Statutory Requirements • Programs must comply with all the same rules and requirements as Universal Prekindergarten programs --Apply to all Pre-K classrooms – public school operated and CBO operated

Applicable UPK Regulations Section 151-1.3(a):Curriculum & Instruction • Adopt and implement curricula aligned with State Learning Standards • Pre-K learning standards found in NYS Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core

NYS Pre-K Foundation to Common Core – 5 Domains • Approaches to Learning • Physical Development and Health • Social and Emotional Development • Communication, Language and Literacy • Cognition and Knowledge of the World

Section 151-1.3(a):Curriculum & Instruction • Ensure continuity of instruction in early elementary grades • Integrated with K-Grade 12 instructional program

Section 151-1.3(a):Curriculum & Instruction • Provide early literacy and emergent reading instruction • Vocabulary development • Background knowledge • Expressive and receptive language • Phonological awareness • Phonemic awareness

Section 151-1.3(a):Curriculum & Instruction • Activities must be learner-centered • Promote child’s overall growth and development • Balanced schedule of teacher-initiated and child-initiated activities • Learning centers • Intentional planning; differentiated

Section 151-1.3(b): Assessments, Monitoring and Reporting • Must have a process to establish developmental baseline and measure progress of children • Valid and reliable measure • Development of language, cognitive and social skills • Used to inform instruction and professional development, track program effectiveness

Section 151-1(c):Health and Nutrition • Screened as new entrants (Part 117 of Regulations) • Possibly gifted • Possibly a child with a disability • Possibly limited English proficient

Section 151-1(c):Health and Nutrition • Schools that are participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) must follow Federal Regulations • If Pre-K child is present during times meals are served must be provided meals

Section 151-1(c):Health and Nutrition • If district does not participate in the NSLP and/or SBP-- • If children present more than 3 hours - program must provide meals AND snacks • If children present less than 3 hours - program must provide a nutritional meal OR snack

Section 151-1(c):Health and Nutrition • Meals/Snacks – provided in environment conducive to staff/child interaction • At times appropriate to meet children’s needs • Sufficient time for eating and interaction

Section 151-1(d):Class Size • Maximum class size is 20 • Classes up to 18 require one teacher and one paraprofessional • Classes of 19 or 20 require one teacher and two paraprofessionals

Section 151-1(e):Staff Qualifications - Teachers must have: • NYS certification for early childhood grades (Birth-Grade 2; N, K-Grade 6) OR • NYS certification for students with disabilities in the early childhood grades OR • Uncertified CBO teachers must have a plan for obtaining NYS certification within 5 years

Section 151-1(e):Staff Qualifications • Until all Pre-K teachers at CBO site are certified, the CBO must have an education director with NYS certification on-site during the hours of Pre-K operation • Director certification can be in either Early Childhood or Childhood Education

Section 151-1.3(f):Fiscal & Program Oversight • District responsible for oversight of fiscal and program requirements in both district-operated and CBO-operated classrooms • Must ensure that identified deficiencies in both district and CBO sites are corrected

Section 151-1.3(g): Professional Development • Districts responsible for ensuring PD is provided to Pre-K teachers and staff in both district- and CBO-operated classrooms

Section 151-1.3(h)Parent Involvement • Must have procedures to encourage and ensure the active engagement of parents in education of their children

Section 151-1.3(i):Support Services • Districts must provide, either directly or through referral support services needed to support child’s participation in the classroom • In language of the parents • In collaboration with other community providers and in non-duplicative manner

Section 151-1.4:Program Design • Programs must be 5 days per week • Minimum of 180 days per year • Exception for 2013-2014 due to delayed award approvals – must operate a minimum of 60 days

Section 151-1.4:Program Design • Must use random selection when there are more eligible children than available placements

Section 151-1.4:Program Design • The environment and learning activities of the prekindergarten program must be designed to promote inclusion and integration of preschool children with disabilities.

Section 151-1.4:Program Design • The program must be designed to ensure that participating children with limited English proficiency are provided equal access to the program and opportunities to achieve the same program goals and standards as other participating children.

Section 151-1.6:Competitive Process • Must accept proposals from all interested eligible agencies • Must select collaborating agencies through a competitive process • Specific requirements and criteria to consider in making selections in regulations • At least one site visit prior to contracting • Announce results at regular meeting of BOE

Section 151-2.7:Space • Minimum of 30 square feet per child of usable classroom space • Adequate indoor and outdoor space for gross motor activities • On or close to the first floor • Bathroom in or in close proximity to the Pre-K classroom

Student Information Repository System (SIRS) • UPK Half-day to full-day conversions: Remain coded as UPK; change half- to full-day • New full-day and new half-day placements: Code as “Other” Pre-K; these are not UPK students

Budget Amendments: FS-10A -- Due by May 1st • Budget calculator – adjust budget amount based on days of operation and number of children being served • Child Count – use highest number of children enrolled between the district’s enrollment date and April 30th • Multiple sites with different start dates -Use earliest date

Moving from Half-day to Full-day • Relaxed, less hurried school day • More innovative curriculum • Less time in large group • More time in child-initiated activities • More individualized instruction • Greater creativity

Moving from Half-day to Full-day • Greater progress in social skills • More reinforcement of positive behaviors • Higher self-esteem and independence

Schedule Considerations: Center/Choice Time • Minimum of 110 minutes for center or child-selected activities • 1/3 of the day allotted for center/choice time • Can be split into two parts (ex. 90 min AM/30 min PM) • Include small group activities as a choice during this time

Schedule Considerations:Circle Time • AM Circle Time – Introduce day • PM Circle Time – Review day • Short duration – 10 to 15 minutes maximum

Schedule Considerations:Expanded Curriculum • Expanded day provides opportunity to include curricular areas that are often neglected or “pushed out” by shorter day • Science/discovery • Social studies • Child-directed reading and writing time

Schedule Considerations:Expanded Curriculum • More time to focus on physical development and health activities • Outdoor play • Indoor gross motor play • Music and movement • Small motor skills • Cooking activities • Self care –hygiene; tooth brushing; grooming • Appropriate rest period

Schedule Considerations: Meals • Opportunity to better meet nutritional needs of high need students • Breakfast, lunch, snacks • Minimum of 30 minutes provided for eating meals

Schedule Considerations:Nap/Rest Time • Appropriate in full-day classrooms • Length varies over course of year as children’s needs change • Individual cots/mats of appropriate size • Must maintain staffing at all times • Must provide choice of quiet activities • Rooms must be light enough to see and move about safely

Schedule Considerations:Transitions Longer day = more transitions • Plan transition activities to supplement instruction • Keep children actively engaged; reduce idle waiting • Songs • Fingerplays • Guessing Games • Movement Games • Chanting • Clapping Games • Reading Poems and short stories • Conversations

Questions??? Office of Early Learning oel@mail.nysed.gov (518) 474-5807

Priority Full-day Pre-K & Expanded Half-day Pre-K Grant Program for High Need Students