1. Priority Full-day Pre-K & Expanded Half-day Pre-K Grant Program for High Need Students
Getting Started

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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

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

9. 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

10. 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.

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

12. 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

13. Applicable UPK Regulations Section 151-1
Applicable UPK Regulations Section (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

14. 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

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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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
Uncertified CBO teachers must have a plan for obtaining NYS certification within 5 years

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

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

29. 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

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

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

32. 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.

33. 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.

34. 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

35. Section : 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

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

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

40. 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

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

42. 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

43. 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

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

45. 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

46. 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

47. Office of Early Learning
Questions???
Office of Early Learning
(518)