Nicole Rose and Juliet Morrison September 9 th, Creating a Vision for Preschool in Washington

A Convergence of Opportunities Entitlement: Implement current statute which sets a goal to make voluntary preschool an entitlement for eligible children (<110% of FPL) by Federal Application: Federal preschool expansion opportunity that increases opportunities to serve children up to 200% FPL - for states that implement key quality elements Washington Preschool: Build upon the Washington Preschool vision that was developed in 2011 but was not funded – stakeholders and advocates created a framework for expanded preschool opportunities ECEAP Expansion Phase I: Enhanced ECEAP by providing resources to incorporate key quality elements such as more full day options (Funded 1350 new full day slots, and converted an additional 576 part day ECEAP slots to full day; exceeded goal of 15% to rural/tribal communities

Key Features of Washington Preschool 3 A Single High-Quality Preschool Program: clear quality elements that are supported by research and are apparent in every preschool classroom Rationale: ensure that all public resources are being used to support a level of quality that is associated with improved child outcomes; ensure leverage between early learning systems elements Increased Intensity: provide more hours of high quality preschool, through longer day and up to two years of participation Rationale: Duration matters. Even students who are far behind at kindergarten entry can develop vocabulary, math and literacy skills that approach national norms if provided with extended duration preschool that maintains reasonable quality standards. Mixed Income: public funds targeted toward free preschool for the lowest income children, but available to all children on a sliding fee scale Rationale: Research shows that children of all abilities and family incomes benefit from high-quality Preschool. In addition, children benefit from being with peers from diverse backgrounds Mixed Delivery: available through multiple program types including child care, FCC, stand alone Preschool, school districts, nonprofits, etc. Rationale: reach children where they are and allow for community flexibility and ensure that all children have access to a high-quality program

New Evidence and Growing Consensus About Essential PreK Quality Elements Full Day Highly Trained & Supported Teachers with professional qualifications and compensation Evidence-based curriculum Access to comprehensive services Rich learning environments & adult-child interactions

Preschool Expansion Phase II Quality Enhancements Build upon and enhance the existing ECEAP program by: Serving more children Adding more full day opportunities Increasing access and tuition support to quality BA program Supporting training and implementation of evidence-based curricula Providing ongoing instructional supports and professional development opportunities Providing a professional development track for practice-based coaching Increasing access to comprehensive services for more children Increasing opportunities to provide preschool services in mixed income/mixed delivery settings

Overview of Grant Program  Jointly administered by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services  Provides $250 million for a new competition to support efforts to build, develop, and expand voluntary, high- quality preschool programs  Prepare States to become ready to participate in the proposed “Preschool for All” program in the Department of Education’s FY2015 budget request  Two Grant Categories  Development Grants: small or no State-funded preschool programs  Expansion Grants: States that have more robust State- funded preschool programs or that have been awarded a Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge grant Federal PreK Expansion Opportunity 6

Washington is Eligible to apply for: Expansion grant of $70M/four years Implement and sustain High-Quality Preschool Programs to reach and serve additional Eligible Children; and Enhance preschool program infrastructure and make quality improvements to deliver High-Quality Preschool Programs. WA compete against 35 other states 95% - to Subgrantees Fund new slots with all essential elements Enhance the quality of existing programs where kids are already served ECEAP & Head Start: Enhance to Full Day, BA degrees, curriculum Preschool Child Care programs – enhance subsidized slots, BA degrees, curriculum, comp. services 5% - to Infrastructure BA’s Curriculum State T&TA System Federal PreK Expansion Opportunity 7

Vision for PreK at Scale 8 Washington’s Preschool A High-Quality Preschool program for 3-4 year olds in WA Essential Quality Elements Dosage to ensure outcomes Research based curriculum Comprehensive services based on need Well trained and supported teachers Shared Data Structural Supports Quality assurance through participation in Early Achievers Connected to Schools through WaKIDS Professional Development, coaching, training and support through a state Training and Technical Assistance Network Sustainable Braided state and federal funding (ECEAP, Federal Expansion, CCDF) Mixed Delivery Mixed Income Includes tuition- based services

Combining state and federal opportunities to implement Preschool Expansion Phase II 9 Goal: Attaining Access to Quality with Preschool Expansion Ensure all programs have access to full day funding Relieve pressure on WCCC cap – only use funds already being accessed Maximize the number of children served with new funds Capitalize on mixed delivery model Honor legislative commitment to achieving entitlement Draft for Discussion only

Four Years (FY16-19) 19,000 Full Day Prek Slots Leverage Combined Resources for Prek Fed start-up $$ to support new quality enhancements

Preschool Expansion Comparison Current ECEAP ECEAP Expansion Plan with State Entitlement Funding Potential Combining State & Fed PreK Funding Expansion slots N/A12,716 new part day slots in 4 years 13,000 new full day slots in 4 years Total slots 10,091 slots 8,165 part-day 1,926 full-day 22,807 total slots 20,881 part-day 1,926 full-day 25,091 total slots* 4,165 part day 20,926 full day Full DayCurrently no strategy to provide additional full day 6,000 part day HS & ECEAP slots converted to full day EligibilityProgram limited to children 110% of FPL Up to 22% of kids up to 200% FPL (state funds restricted to only 110%) Quality Enhancement Plans Existing quality improvement efforts; no additional funding Federal start-up $$ for quality enhancements (curriculum, tuition support, PD, etc) *Includes up to 2,000 children in “enhanced” Head Start (note that numbers may be subject to change) Draft for Discussion only

Next Steps Soliciting Feedback on the Vision Please send ideas, comments, feedback to DEL is modeling ways to combine state and federal resources Presenting draft for feedback September 24th during the Webinar Letters of Support Federal Application requires demonstrated support

Q & A