Our Journey in Funding Inclusive Early Childhood Programs

1. Our Journey in Funding Inclusive Early Childhood Programs Sandy Smith, M.Ed. ESE Supervisor, Prekindergarten Pinellas County Schools, FL February 8, 2011

2. What we have accomplished • Current Models: • Blended 3 y/o classes with Fee pay and/or Title I • Blended 4 y/o classes with VPK • Community Inclusion Teachers • Community Speech/Language Pathologists • Head Start Inclusion program • 2005-2006 • 103 Classrooms: all self contained, except 2 reverse mainstream • Serving 1294 students with 10.43% served in Inclusion (community) • 2009-2010 • 116 Classrooms: most Blended, 17 self contained • Serving 1198 students with 73.48% served in Inclusion and 85% of students transition to general education kindergarten

4. What Constitutes Inclusion? DEC/NAEYC IDEA/FL DOE • “The desired results of inclusive experiences for children with and without disabilities and their families include a sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships and friendships, and development and learning to reach their full potential. The defining features of inclusion that can be used to identify high quality early childhood programs and services are access, participation, and supports.” • IDEA on LRE-No mandatory schooling for children under 5, therefore need to use early childhood programs. General education ECE is a setting where typically developing children are found during the day in the community. • FL DOE- EC setting is where 50% or greater are children without an IEP.

5. How we made it happen • Collaboration with other departments within district - buy in for need of program, benefits to our community • Talk and visit with other districts to see what they have designed or attempted • Research available space, regulations and funding • Program design, materials, curriculum, professional development

6. Road Blocks • No FTE for non IEP students • Space in schools • PreK is not viewed as part of the Educational K-12 system • Administrators, teachers and community perceptions • Transportation • $$$$$$

7. Collaboration • Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK) Department • Office of Early Learning/Early Learning Coalition • Title I • Head Start • Community Preschools • Budget personnel • MIS Department • Other Districts and State Support • Our own schools, including teachers and administration

8. Research into financing programs • Funding of PreK ESE classrooms in our district • State of Florida funding of VPK and regulations attached to the dollars • Title I dollars and rules governing expenditure • Head Start and use of contracting to support their mandate of 10% students with IEP/IFSP’s and increase inclusive opportunities within Head Start • Use of operating dollars to support PreK Teachers and Speech/Language Pathologists providing services in community preschools

9. Tools • Budget- How is your unit paid for (operating, IDEA)? How much will additional support cost? How many students in class? Who will pay for what portions? • Example- Fee paying 3 year old class 14-15 students, 7 ESE students, 7-8 fee paying $75 a week 1 ESE Teacher, paid for out of operating dollars 1 ESE Associate, paid for out of operating dollars 1 Associate(hired after reach total of 12) paid for by dollars collected from fee pay students

10. Our other examples • 4-5 year old class blended with VPK 18 students (VPK regulation) 9 ESE & 9 VPK 1 ESE Teacher, paid out of operating dollars 1 ESE Associate, paid out of operating dollars 1 Child Development Associate, paid out of VPK dollars • 3 year old class blended with Title I funds ** Only available at designated Title I sites 14 students 7 ESE and 7 Title I 1 ESE(ECE) Teacher, paid for 50% operating & 50% Title I 1 ESE associate, paid for by operating dollars 1 ESE associate, paid for by IDEA dollars

11. Head Start Collaboration • Needed to make it a Win-Win • Shared position to support their goals and ours • In-Kind services 5 Speech/Language Pathologists • HS provides the OT/PT services • 7 ESE Teachers and 5 SLP’s provide support to ESE students within their Head Start classroom • All screening, evaluations and eligibility meetings are held on HS site, allows for HS teacher input and families to attend and be a part of child’s evaluation process

12. State Support • Statewide District PreK Coordinators meeting/training provided resources and models • Websites http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pdf/PreK-disabALL.pdf Expanding Opportunities for Providing Services A GUIDE FOR MAKING SYSTEM AND PROGRAM LEVEL DECISIONS http://www.tats.ucf.edu/resources/TAPs.html Using the Contracting Rule to Expand Opportunities for Inclusion for Prekindergarten Children with Disabilities (May 2006) TAP #07-03 - Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Programs and Programs for Children with Disabilities (July 2007)

13. Go For It!! • Don’t over think it • There will always be issues • You have to start somewhere/sometime • First program was Blended with VPK, we originally planned to start with 4, we ended up starting with 27! • Plan to review and change as you go along

14. Next Steps • Finding ways to move toward natural proportion • Developing greater partnerships with Early Learning Coalition and Community Preschools • Work with Research and Accountability Department to create comparison data on Kindergarten readiness scores • Gaining buy-in from Secondary level Administrators with Title 1 dollars