1. NDE Early Childhood 101
Bringing Together Title I, Head Start, and Other Early Childhood Partners

2. What is an Early Childhood Program?
Federal Title I - For the purposes of Title I, children from birth to the age that the LEA provides a free public elementary education may receive preschool services

3. Early Childhood Education : Defined by State Statute
Rule 11, § (3)(b) “…any prekindergarten part-day or full-day program or in-home family support program with a stated purpose of promoting social, emotional, intellectual, language, physical, and aesthetic development and learning for children from birth to kindergarten entrance age and family development and support.”

4. Rules and Regulations State Federal Rule 11 Rule 51 Rule 10
Title I, Part A
McKinney-Vento
Head Start Performance Standards
IDEA

5. Resources & Funding
Funds from various sources may be blended in the development and operation of an early childhood program or service
Title I funds may be used in the operation of a preschool or any early childhood program
An LEA may reserve an amount from LEA’s total allocation to operate a Title I preschool program for eligible children in the district as a whole or for a portion of the district.

6. Resources & Funding
An LEA that uses Title I funds to provide early childhood development services to low-income children below the compulsory school attendance age must ensure services comply at a minimum with achievement standards established under Section 641A(a) of Head Start Act. [§1112(c)(1)(G), ESEA.] Such as:
Purposeful learning activities and play
A balanced schedule and coherent curriculum
Aligned content standards & ongoing assessment
Parent informed program planning

7. Title I and Even Start
A district may choose an Even Start Family Literacy model as their early childhood program approach which includes early childhood education, adult literacy or adult basic education and parenting education into a unified family literacy program [§1231, ESEA.]
Note: Although specific Even Start (Title I, Part B) funds are no longer available, LEA’s may still choose this model using Title I, Part A or other ESEA funds. .

8. Nebraska Head Start Facts Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, American Indian Head Start, Early Head Start
19 Programs
394 Classes
plus: 945 Home Based children
30 Combination children
296 School classrooms with Head Start programs
245 School districts partnered with Head Start
6,685 Nebraska children enrolled in HS 4,839 HS/MSHS children
1,608 EHS/MSHS children
2,534 HS children transitioned to kindergarten

9. Head Start and School Readiness
Federal Head Start Act of 2007*:
Requires that each agency establish program goals for improving the school readiness of children participating in its program that align with the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework (formerly The Head Start Child Outcomes Framework),
State early learning standards,
Requirements and expectations of the schools, to the extent that they apply to the ages of children participating in the program.
[*Head Start Act -Section 641A(g)(2)(A)]

10. 1
Adopt and align established Office of Head Start child goals from the Early Learning Framework 2
Create and implement a plan of action for achieving goals 3
Assess child progress on an ongoing basis and aggregate and analyze data 3 times per year 4
Examine data for patterns of progress for groups of children in order to develop and implement a plan for program improvement
ACF-PI-HS-11-04

11. Nebraska Early Learning Domains

12. ALIGNMENT

13. Head Start Curricula Standards
Section 640(o) of the Act requires all curricula:
Be based on scientifically valid research
Be age and developmentally appropriate
Reflect all areas of child development and learning
Be aligned with the Head Start Framework
Parents shall have the opportunity to examine any such curricula or instructional materials…
45 CFR (b) (1) (iii) requires that
each agency consult with parents in
establishing school readiness goals.

14. Rule 11 Curriculum requirements
Developmentally and Culturally Appropriate Curriculum, Practices and Assessment.
Well rounded curriculum that addresses all areas of child development and learning through play based learning.
Links the district early childhood with the district kindergarten/primary program…

15. Head Start Assessment Requirements Assess child progress on an ongoing basis and aggregate and analyze data 3 to 4 times per year*
Maintain ongoing assessment information to inform individualized strategies for children’s continued development and learning
Collect child level data that can be aggregated at the program level (whether in house or external)
Aggregate and analyze child assessment data to demonstrate child progress at or beyond developmental norms
*2 times per year for programs operating less than 90 days
ACF-PI-HS-11-04, NCQTL, Dr. Joseph, 9/11

16. Head Start Assessment Requirements Examine data for patterns of progress for groups of children to inform continuous program improvement
Looking at the patterns of progress and outcomes for groups of children by
age
rate of attendance
language groups
program settings and/or options
child, family, or community risk factors
Responding through program improvement plans
Professional Development
(intensity, frequency, and type of training)
Work with partners
Family engagement
Curriculum supports or enhancements
ACF-PI-HS-11-04, NCQTL, Dr. Joseph, 9/11

17. Rule 11 Assessment Requirements
Use child assessment (evaluation) practices based on documentation gathered through an established system of ongoing observation and assessment to provide objective measures of each child’s performance and progress in development and learning.

18. Rule 11 Assessment Requirements
The assessment data are used to plan activities to meet the individual needs of children.
Any formal assessment tools used must meet accepted standards of reliability and validity. ( Results Matter )

19. Rule 11 Staff Qualifications for Early Childhood
Program Coordinator - certificated teacher with at least 9 college credit hours in EC
Teachers -Bachelors’ degree with one of the early childhood endorsements
Para educators- 12 early childhood credits or equivalency (i.e., Project Para = 3 hrs.)
Title I funding of staff must meet the criteria in Rule 11

20. Reporting Systems State Federal
NDE Nebraska Staff & Student Record System (NSSRS)
NDE Consolidated Data Collection (CDC)
NDE Results Matter Online Child & Program Environment Assessment System
NDE Annual Program Report/Approval
DHHS Child Care Licensing (LIS)
USDA – Child and Adult Food Program
Federal Head Start/Early Head Start
Taryn Mae

21. Monitoring Processes Title I Monitoring Checklist
Title I ESEA Application
Title I Schoolwide Plan
Annual Self-Review of Title I Schoolwide and Targeted Programs
McKinney-Vento Requirements
Federal Head Start Monitoring
NDE Office of Early Childhood

22. Other Considerations Eligibility for Title I preschool “targeted”
children in foster care
experiencing homelessness
neglected
verified with a disability or developmental delay
Eligibility for Title I “schoolwide”
All children in attendance area are eligible for preschool services

23. Other Considerations
Head Start must reserve 10% of federal funded enrollment, “by grantee” to serve children with a disability or developmental delay
Head Start Income eligibility - Household Income verification is required for enrollment
Head Start staff must be cleared through child abuse registry/background checks of staff
Transportation needs and regulations

24. Important Links http://www.ed.gov
“Serving Preschool…Under Title I”
Homeless Education
NDE Office of Early Childhood
NE Head Start-State Collaboration Office
US DHHS - Head Start (search, Head Start Performance Standards, staff qualifications, etc.)
Para educator link

25. Contact Information
Federal Programs - Staff
Office of Early Childhood – Staff
Head Start-State Collaboration Office
Eleanor
Diane
McKinney-Vento
Roger

26. Contact Information
Federal Head Start Technical Assistance – Nebraska state-based:
Bethanie Grass;
Mary Finney-Afrank;

27. Questions Please contact us if specific questions
Thank you for your participation!