New School Readiness Liaisons

1. New School Readiness Liaisons Introduction to School Readiness - 2016

2. Overview • Grant program established in 1997 Provide spaces in high-quality* preK programs for eligible children in priority school districts or competitive grant communities *NAEYC Accredited or Head Start Approved

3. Purpose • Provide access to high-quality preK • Encourage parental choice • Coordinate programs and services • Provide flexibility to meet local needs • Minimize developmental delays

4. Purpose (cont.) • Enhance federally funded programs • Strengthen family engagement • Reduce need for special services • Include children with disabilities • Improve availability and quality of programs

5. Grant Types Priority All current and former priority school districts Competitive At least one priority school & in the 50 lowest wealth ranked

6. Important Facts • Awarded bi-annually • Chief elected official and superintendent both sign off • At least 60% of children must be at or below 75% SMI (waiver available) • Must have a School Readiness Council

7. Quality ComponentsRequired by Legislation • Plan for collaboration • Parent outreach and involvement • Record keeping • Referrals for health services • Plan for pre-literacy practices and training

8. Quality Components (cont.) • Nutrition services • Referrals to family literacy programs • Admission policies • Transition to kindergarten • Professional development • Sliding fee for families • Inclusion of children with special needs • Annual evaluation

9. School Readiness Councils (SRCs)GP C-01 • Convened jointly by the chief elected official and superintendent (or their designees) • Responsible for shared decision making • Establish local policy (consistent with OEC GPs and guidance)

10. SRC Membership • Chief elected official (or designee) • Superintendent (or designee) • Parents • Local programs (e.g., Head Start, FRC, private centers, family day care) • McKinney-Vento (homelessness) liaison • Health care provider(s)

11. SRC Responsibilities • Make recommendations on issues relating to SR (e.g., local grant awards) • Foster partnerships • Evaluate local programs • Identify resources • Coordinate delivery of services

12. SRC Responsibilities (cont.) • Share information • Make recommendations to school officials regarding transition to kindergarten • Encourage public participation

13. Space Types

14. Eligibility • Three- and four-year-olds • Five-year-olds if not eligible for K • 60% must be at or below 75% SMI • Residency options (GP C-06)

15. Accreditation/Approval GP B-05 • Newly funded programs must • achieve NAEYC Accreditation or Head Start approval within three years. • meet interim quality measure requirement (ECERS-3) • Loss of Accreditation or approval impacts funding

16. Fees • Must charge a family fee* based on sliding fee scale (GP B-02) • Sliding fee schedule provided by OEC (GP B-01) *part-day fees at the discretion of the SRC

17. Staff Qualifications*GP A-01 *Other qualifying options are listed in GP A-01

18. Early Childhood Professional Registry • All School Readiness liaisons must have an account • Register at www.ctcharts.org • Request liaison access from Alissa.Marotta@ct.gov

19. Liaison ResponsibilitiesGP C-01 Responsible for the coordination, evaluation, and administration of the grant. Roles include: • Staffing the SRC • Coordinating grant application process • Providing technical assistance to programs • Working with fiscal agent • Developing sub-grantee contracts

20. Liaison Responsibilities (cont.)GP C-01 • Assisting families with enrollment • Conducting community outreach • Meeting with SR providers regularly • Conducting regular site visits • Monitoring • Collaborating with LEA • Recruiting eligible programs

21. Liaison Responsibilities (cont.)GP C-01 • Managing and archiving records • Attending OEC liaison meetings • Responding to OEC requests for information • Supporting development and implementation of communities EC plan • Representing the SRC • Monitoring Professional Registry • Completing all reports on time

22. Early Childhood Professional Registry • School Readiness-funded programs are required to include in the Registry: • Every classroom serving infants, toddlers and/or preschool children, not only the classrooms with school readiness children. • Allpart-time and full-time teaching and administrative staff members in the program. Failure to comply may result in a reduction of funding or impact future funding decisions.

23. Conflict of Interest To ensure bias-free implementation of the grant, it is necessary that the Liaison remain impartial. Liaisons cannot be • employed by a School Readiness-funded program; • supervised by a School Readiness funder; or • a SRC co-chair.

24. Support to Liaisons • Mentors • Liaison meetings • Telephone support • Email support

25. OEC Contacts School Readiness Main Line 860-713-6452 Andrea Brinnel, Program Manager Andrea.Brinnel@ct.gov 860-713-6771 Alissa Marotta, Slots & Fiscal Alissa.Marotta@ct.gov 860-713-6742 Margaret Gustafson, Professional Registry Margaret.Gustafson@ct.gov 860-713-6983