0 Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Program Overview May 2010

FY11 UPK Planning and Discussions The Board is in the process of reviewing UPK to determine how to further develop the program. Discussion of the role of UPK within the context of current initiatives (i.e. QRIS) Attention is being given to how to increase high quality programming for preschoolers beyond the currently designated pilot group of UPK grantees QRIS as a means to help transition UPK from a Pilot to a statewide system where all eligible programs have the opportunity to participate Expand UPK through alignment with QRIS Options for FY11 include: 1.Reallocate 25% of UPK grant funds and any new FY11 UPK dollars to support QRIS Program Quality Improvement Grants 2.Seek federal approval to provide continued care to preschoolers with federal funds if their families lose eligibility 3.Maintain current (FY10) grant structure Collecting waitlist, access, and continuity of care data on preschool children 1

2 Current Approach to UPK Build on strengths of existing mixed system Private center-based programs Head Start Public and private school preschools System-affiliated and independent family child care Address challenges in quality first, given research supporting the relationship of high-quality early learning environments to school success and later life outcomes Define measurable quality standard for participating programs Support programs in reaching UPK quality standard in future years FY07 to FY09, Assessment Planning grants: Agencies awarded funds to implement assessment systems in selected programs Designed as one-time one-year start up funds Funds spent on training and professional development, tools and materials, technology, and staff compensation Approximately 100 agencies representing 400 programs benefitted from the Assessment Planning grant FY10, Assessment Grant for statewide trainings Associated Early Care and Education will provide training, technical assistance, and assessment and screening tools and materials to programs in the mixed delivery system statewide Approximately 450 educators statewide will benefit from trainings (introductory, intermediate and advanced) on EEC’s three approved assessment systems

3 UPK Funding Background FY07: $4.6 million Pilot implementation grants for Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) FY08: $7.1 million Budget provided increase of $2.5M FY09: $10.9 million (post 9c) Budget initially provided an increase of $5M for UPK; reduced by $1.25M in mid-year budget reductions FY10: $8.0 million Budget reduced funding by $2.9M All grant awards were reduced by 37% from FY09 Grants are awarded for specific classrooms in a programs and have been renewed yearly to date (with additional new grants being awarded in FY08 and FY09). A portion of each years funds were allocated to evaluation and planning activities, as well as in FY07, FY08 and FY09 funding for Assessment Planning grants to help programs move towards UPK eligibility. Funding is determined by the number of children and portion of subsidized children in each classroom, and operating hours and full or part-time/year status. Total classroom enrollment x $500 + total subsidized enrollment x $1500 = total grant award [total is then prorated based on full or part-time/year status]

4 UPK Grant Program Eligibility *The four EEC-selected assessment tools include: Work Sampling, High Scope Child Observation Record (COR), Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum, and Ages and Stages. **NEASC included in FY08 accreditation options; CDA or “higher” included as FY09 and FY10 accreditation alternatives for family child care. CriteriaFY07FY08, FY09, & FY10 EEC Licensed or License-Exempt Use one of four EEC-selected assessment tools for at least one year* Use Early Childhood Program Standards For Three and Four Year Olds and Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences Have teacher/provider with BA in each UPK classroom/setting Or Used as selection priority Have National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation or New England Association of Schools and Colleges or for family child care, National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) accreditation or a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or higher ** Serve or willing to serve children receiving financial assistance Provide access to full-day full-year services

5 UPK Grantee Overview *At FY10 renewal, 14 programs/providers were unable to renew funding due to reasons such as closing care, transferring classrooms to other UPK site and lapse in accreditation; during FY10 two additional programs lost funding.

6 UPK Classroom Quality Grants Map of Current Sites 97 cities and towns

Breakdown of Current Grantees Current grants are awarded to 277 UPK programs, with 464 classrooms/homes, across all settings (originally funded in FY07, FY08 or FY09) including: 138 center-based programs; Approximately 45% are Head Start 114 system-affiliated family child care providers; 6 independent family child care providers; 18 public school programs; and 1 private school program. 6,400 children in UPK classrooms; ~80% of whom receive EEC subsidies, Head Start, private scholarship, or are free/reduced lunch qualifying in public schools 185 out of the 277 UPK programs are fully funded (all preschool classrooms in the program are designated as UPK) 92 programs (33%) have preschool classrooms at their UPK site that are not yet UPK funded 250 total classrooms in current sites are not UPK funded 7

Objectives of Current Grant Funding UPK Pilot Classroom Quality Grant funds must be used to: increase staff compensation; lower staff/child ratios and/or decrease class/group size; enhance the program’s ability to interpret and use assessment data to improve program quality; purchase hardware, software, or training to fully implement the electronic component of the curriculum and/or assessment tool currently in use; enhance developmentally appropriate practice and instructional support; provide new staff professional development opportunities and/or support staff attainment of credentials or degrees; incorporate additional comprehensive services into the program to meet the diverse learning needs of children and their social-emotional, behavioral, and/or physical health needs; support ongoing accreditation or reaccreditation activities; enhance current or provide new family engagement opportunities; enhance current or provide new transitional supports to children moving to/from other programs or to kindergarten; and/or provide or facilitate access to full-day, full-year services for working families. 8

9 UPK Grant Expenditure Categories Staff compensation Comprehensive services for children Assessment supports and online licenses Assessment Trainings Professional Development Full day full year services Curricula and enrichment activities Educational materials and technological supports (limited to 15% of budget) Accreditation support Transition to kindergarten supports Family support Administrative costs (limited to 8% of total budget)

Aggregate Report of FY10 Grantee Spending 10

11 UPK Evaluation Overview Beginning in FY08, a portion of UPK funds has been set aside for evaluation activities. FY08 evaluation focused on program implementation and how grantees used their grant funding to improve the quality of their programs. FY09 evaluation focused on: Examining current level of quality in sample of early childhood settings (UPK and non-UPK) that serving at-risk children in the Commonwealth Getting feedback about future statewide assessment of preschool child outcomes and school readiness from various stakeholder groups and the public FY10 evaluation activities include: Funding NIEER to generate a report laying out potential strategies for evaluation of programs serving 3 and 4 year old children Funding Public Consulting Group (PCG) to conduct a Waitlist Analysis, Program Access & Continuity of Services Study with regard to preschool children on EEC’s waitlist and in the broader universe of families statewide

Board Subcommittee Feedback The further development of UPK, including refinement to the structure, purpose, funding mechanism and alignment with QRIS is a priority of the Board and should be discussed in detail during FY11, with FY12 as a transition year for the program. Support for renewing current UPK grants level-funded in FY11. Opportunity for Board to provide direction on the development of full implementation UPK and Opportunity for EEC to prepare UPK grantees for possible changes to the program. It is important to acknowledge the value of moving UPK statewide and away from the Pilot model. Consider alignment with QRIS given its system-level structure to support program quality. 12

Recommendation for Board Vote Renew current UPK grants level-funded for FY11. To begin alignment with QRIS and the development of an early education data system refine FY11 UPK grant requirements to include: A portion of program grant funds must be used to support upward movement on the QRIS; Participation in the QRIS when available (projected January); Agreement to an on-site ECERS/FCCERS review by EEC staff; Agreement to provide staff information (i.e. compensation and education level) through EEC’s Registry or other means; Agreement to provide child-level data with parent consent to allow children to be assigned SASIDs. Use FY11 as a planning year, with additional changes to be made in FY12. 13