1. 0 Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) UPK Alignment with QRIS May 2011

2. Outline of Presentation 1. Review of UPK policy objectives implemented in FY11/FY12 to begin/continue alignment with QRIS; 2. Summary of the number of UPK programs that have submitted or started QRIS applications to date; 3. Overview of how the UPK criteria compares to QRIS, specifically level 3; and 4. Summary of general feedback that has been provided by the grantees at UPK renewal conferences; 5. Discussion about how to prioritize the ongoing discussions related to alignment and the potential evolution of the UPK program for future Committee meetings. 1

3. As a Reminder.. Advisory Feedback: Planning for FY12 UPK and Alignment with QRIS UPK planning for FY12 and alignment with QRIS was discussed at the October and December 2010 meetings of the Advisory subgroups. The major themes from Advisory group feedback to date include: Supportive of using QRIS to define the quality standard; Concern over what funding level is necessary to fund the existing group of UPK grantees (particularly the staff compensation issue) while expanding the group of providers that are considered “UPK”; Considered funding UPK as a grant versus an add-on and depending on provider size (and # of children receiving financial assistance) had mixed feedback; Suggested to allow a transition year if requiring UPK programs to be a certain level in QRIS (for instance, alert programs that in 2 years they must achieve a level 3 rating on QRIS); Consider a strategy for moving UPK scale that will utilize the political support around Universal Pre-Kindergarten as we move to align it with QRIS; and Continue to consider the question of funding quality versus access and what the strategy should be moving forward. 2

4. Policy Objectives Implemented in FY11 to Begin Alignment with QRIS Below is a summary of the major additions to the UPK grant for FY11, as approved by the EEC Board: Begin alignment of UPK with QRIS and the development of an early childhood data system, which requires: Participation in QRIS (anticipated January 2011); Programs shall use a portion of UPK funding to support progress on QRIS; An agreement to allow EEC staff to conduct on-site ECERS/FCCERS reviews; An agreement to provide staff information, including compensation and education level, through EEC’s registry or other designated mechanism; and An agreement to provide child level data, with parent consent, allowing children to be assigned a State Assigned Student Identification (SASID) number. Recognition that FY2011 is a planning year for the purpose of restructuring UPK in FY2012 and beyond. Highlighted requirements were implemented or are in process for FY11. Requirements above were carried into FY12 so that they may continue or be implemented when available (i.e. student identification numbers). 3

5. 4 FY12 UPK Implementation: Continuing to Align with QRIS Plan : Renew grants level-funded at FY11 grant award amounts. Take into consideration alignment with QRIS and prepare for possible transitions in funding structure and requirements in FY13. Update to Program Requirements: In the FY11 UPK grant renewal RFP programs were required to participate in QRIS when it becomes available. Grantees must have applications completed in the QRIS Program Manager (QPM) by June 1, 2011 (updated from May 15, 2011). Programs that are not participating in QRIS by June 1, 2011 may not be eligible for FY12 grant renewal. Communication to Grantees in RFP about Potential Changes: EEC’s Board will continue to utilize FY12 as a planning year for the purpose of restructuring UPK and aligning it with QRIS in future years. Consideration will be given to topics including, but not limited to: The UPK funding mechanism (i.e. grant versus alternative funding methods); Updates to the UPK focus, eligibility criteria and/or requirements; and How to expand “UPK” status to a wider set of early education and care programs statewide. Subject to Board approval programs may be required to be level 3 in QRIS by FY13.

6. QRIS Application Status Update for UPK Programs 5 Of the 252 total UPK programs, 111 have submitted final QRIS applications, and 35 have started QRIS applications. 146 total UPK programs (60%) have either submitted or started their QRIS application. UPK programs represent 10% of the total submitted QRIS applications as of March 28, 2011.

7. How UPK Compares to QRIS 6 UPK is based on six basic eligibility criteria: Licensed or license-exempt, Provides access to full-day full-year services, Serve or willing to serve children receiving financial assistance, NAEYC accredited for center-based and public school programs, and NAFCC accredited or a CDA or higher for family child care, Uses the Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences, Uses one of the EEC approved assessment systems. UPK funds allow programs to maintain and enhance quality criteria as they choose, without defined measurable criteria to assess and improve quality. QRIS offers a comprehensive way to assess, improve and communicate quality to the field. Quality criteria is organized into standards and exceeds the scope of UPK eligibility criteria. A few examples are: Curriculum and Learning: Assessment subcategory requires programs implement developmental screening within 45 days of children’s program entry, whereas only formative assessment is explicitly required by UPK, and Workforce standards require that directors are not only trained in the Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences, but also child development and Strengthening Families protective factors. QRIS requires measurement of quality through environmental ratings by an outside evaluator (ECERS, FCCERS, etc.)

8. UPK Eligibility Requirements Compared to Level 3 QRIS Below is a summary of how the UPK requirements align with the QRIS levels. Licensed or license-exempt Level 1 Provides access to full-day full-year services Not required in QRIS Serve or willing to serve children receiving financial assistance Not required in QRIS NAEYC accredited for center-based and public school programs, and NAFCC accredited or a CDA or higher for family child care Accreditation may be used for documentation for select standards in levels 2 through 4 Uses the Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences, At level 3, programs are required to receive training on the Guidelines and at level 4 they are required to align it with curricula, however UPK does not explicitly require either. Uses one of the EEC approved assessment systems. QRIS does not require specific formative assessment tools, but states that at level 2 programs must receive professional development related to assessment, at level 3 the data is used to set goals, and at level 4 to improve curriculum planning. Many level 3 QRIS standards can be documented with accreditation, which is a requirement of UPK), however some QRIS requires documentation in addition to accreditation for certain standards, and some standards cannot be met by accreditation at all. A main difference between QRIS and accreditation is use of the environmental rating scales (ERS tools). 7

9. Standards Beyond Which Accreditation Can be Used to Document Meeting a Level 3 Standard Category 1: Curriculum and Learning Curriculum, Assessment and Diversity 1A.3.2 Staff has received formal professional development in the curriculum; using the MA Guidelines for Preschool Learning Standards or Infant / Toddler Learning; documenting children’s progress; and working with children from diverse languages and cultures and second language acquisition. (documented with PQ Registry) 1A.3.4 Staff demonstrate language and literacy skills either in English or the child’s language that provide a model for children. (documented with ERS tools) Teacher Child Relationships and Interactions 1B.3.1 All staff engage children in meaningful conversations, use open-ended questions and provide opportunities throughout the day to scaffold their language to support the development of more complex receptive and expressive language, support children’s use of language to share ideas, problem solve and have positive peer interactions. (documented with ERS tools and other QRIS measurement tools) 1B.4.1 Staff utilize teaching strategies that ensure a positive classroom environment, engage children in learning and promote critical thinking skills. (documented with ERS tools and other QRIS measurement tools) Category 2: Safe Healthy Indoor and Outdoor Environments 2A.3.2 Staff are trained in how to work with children with special diets, allergies and specialized feeding issues. (documented with PQ Registry) 2A.3.3 Demonstrates healthy, safe and clean indoor and outdoor environments. (documented with ERS tools) 8

10. Standards Beyond Which Accreditation Can be Used to Document Meeting a Level 3 Standard Category 3: Workforce Qualifications and Professional Development Designated Program Administrator Qualifications and Professional Development 3A.3.1 Program administrator has at least a Bachelor’s degree. (as indicated in PQ Registry) 3A.3.2 Program administrator has at least 9 credit-bearing hours of specialized college-level course work in administration, leadership, and management. (as indicated in PQ Registry) 3A.3.3 Program administrator has at least 24 credit-bearing hours of specialized college-level course work in early childhood education, child development, elementary education, or early childhood special education OR Documents that a plan is in place to meet the above qualifications within five years. (as indicated in PQ Registry) Program Staff Qualifications and Professional Development 3B.3.1 75 percent of classrooms have Educator(s) with a Bachelor’s degree or higher who work for the full program day. (as indicated in PQ Registry) Category 4: Family and Community Engagement 4A.3.2 Families are encouraged to volunteer in the program, to assist in the classroom, and share cultural and language traditions or other interests such as their jobs, hobbies and other relevant information. (documented with ERS tools) 4A.3.4 Program representative(s) participate in local community group work that is related to early childhood, and the cultural groups served by the program and/or family support. (documented with Program Administration Scale (PAS)) 9

11. Standards Beyond Which Accreditation Can be Used to Document Meeting a Level 3 Standard Category 5: Leadership, Management and Administration Leadership, Management and Administration 5A.3.1 Program tracks and monitors absences of individual children and contacts families when children are absent more than 20% in a month. 5A.3.2 Program director, staff and family input is solicited on an annual basis through a survey to evaluate the program. (documented with PAS) 5A.3.3 Results of the annual survey are used to develop a comprehensive written program improvement plan. 5A.3.4 Program has an annual review conducted of the accounting records by an independent party who has accounting or bookkeeping expertise. 5A.3.5 Program tracks and monitors teacher turn over and has plan for addressing turn over. Supervision 5B.3.1 Program uses at least 3 types of internal communication on a monthly basis to inform staff of program activities, policies, etc. 5B.3.2 Staff receive at least one benefit (paid vacation time, sick time, health insurance, tuition/PD reimbursement or retirement plan option). (documented with PAS) 5B.3.3 Staff are given feedback that give examples of best practice at least twice a month. (documented with PAS) 5B.3.4 The program has a system to support the career development of staff through a career ladder (e.g., regularly scheduled time to meet with a supervisor or mentor to monitor progress towards career goals). (documented with PAS) 5B.3.5 Staff salary scales reflect the educational levels, experience and performance levels, as determined by the annual evaluation of the staff members, and is comparable with the current wage level of others in the community with the same levels of education. (documented by PAS) 10

12. Summary of Feedback Provided by UPK Programs Related to QRIS at Regional UPK Grantee Meetings Programs were appreciative of the process EEC went through to gather feedback from the field about the QRIS standards. Many programs voiced that UPK funding has become vital to their program (with some going into their sixth year of funding) and are concerned their funding may be reduced or taken away. Despite being able to use accreditation and Head Start to meet certain QRIS standards, some programs felt that it was still a burden to have multiple sets of quality standards. Programs felt that communication around QRIS has been difficult to follow and said it can be hard to know who to contact for answers. Programs questioned who will be doing on-site ERS ratings for validation and when this will happen. Some UPK programs felt they would be able to achieve level 3 in QRIS by FY13, however others foresee barriers that will prevent them from reaching that level. Programs expressed concern over standards related to staff and director qualifications and some felt that even with the opportunity to submit requests for exemption they may not be able to reach level 3. 11

13. Additional Questions Raised by UPK Grantees Since UPK programs are required to participate in QRIS, will the UPK accreditation requirement be removed? The accreditation requirement for UPK grantees may be removed if programs meet level 3 in QRIS. This will be discussed at future Policy and Fiscal Committee meetings. If EEC wants to align UPK with QRIS, does this mean that UPK funding will turn into QRIS grant funding? This item will be discussed at future Policy and Fiscal Committee meetings. How will EEC address that funding is allocated for specific UPK classrooms and there are some programs that do not receive funding for all of their preschool classrooms? How will this impact their participation in QRIS as it relates to UPK? Beginning in FY12 EEC will allow UPK programs to use UPK funding to benefit all preschool classrooms at the UPK site. Is UPK being phased out? It has been communicated to grantees that UPK is not being phased out but may evolve to align more with QRIS. How will UPK grantees be kept informed about developments related to potential changes to the UPK program for FY13? It was communicated to the grantees that presentations to the EEC Board are available to the field and they may provide feedback and testimony as appropriate should they choose to do so. EEC staff are available to answer questions and concerns raised by UPK programs. 12

14. Prioritizing Discussions About UPK Alignment with QRIS UPK alignment with QRIS will continue to be discussed at the Board Policy and Fiscal Committee. Potential topics for discussion: UPK programmatic requirements (i.e. level 3 requirement), Funding mechanism for UPK, How to move UPK to scale and broaden the number of programs considered “UPK,” UPK as a strategy for funding access and/or quality. Feedback: How should discussions be prioritized? What data or information would be helpful about the current grantees? 13