Federal Programs

1. Federal Programs Yolonda Averett and Joslyn Reddick Thursday, May 15, 2014

2. Agenda • Welcome • Introductions • Video Clip • PowerPoint • Live Questions

3. “Top Ten Signs You’re An Early Childhood Educator”

4. Serving Preschool Children Through Title I Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as Amended NON-REGULATORY GUIDANCE

5. Objective • Participants will identify a Title I Preschool Program • Participants will identify multiple criteria and eligible students to participate in a Title 1 Preschool Program • Participants will identify ways to use Title 1 funds only or Title I funds with other fund sources to support a preschool • Participants will identify Title I requirements

6. Three types of Title I school-operated preschool programs? • District Wide Program • Schoolwide Program School • Targeted Assistance Program School

7. District Wide Preschool Program The district as a whole • An LEA may serve preschool children who reside throughout the LEA and whom the LEA identifies as eligible because they are at risk of failing to meet the State’s academic achievement standards when they reach school age. • An LEA may not use Title I funds to implement a district wide preschool program to benefit all preschool students in the LEA unless all the schools in the LEA are Title I schools operating schoolwide programs.

8. District Wide Preschool Program A portion of the district: • An LEA may serve preschool children who reside in specific Title I school attendance areas.

9. Who is eligible to participate in a Title I District Wide preschool program? • An LEA may reserve a portion of funds off the top of the LEA’s Title I allocation to operate a preschool program for eligible children in the district as a whole or in a portion of the district. (See A-5 and G-4.) In general, when an LEA reserves funds to operate a district wide Title I preschool program, it must select children who are eligible to participate in accordance with ESEA section 1115(b)(1)(B) (targeted assistance program)

10. Who is eligible to participate in a Title I District Wide preschool program? • An LEA may also reserve funds to operate a preschool program for eligible children in a portion of the district — i.e., attendance areas served by some or all of its Title I schools. Under this approach, the LEA would select specific Title I school attendance areas in which to provide preschool programs with Title I funds — e.g., its highest-poverty school attendance areas.

11. Eligibility Multiple, educationally-related, objective criteria established by the LEA and must consist of two or more of the following: • Teacher judgment • Interviews with parents • Developmentally appropriate measures • Income of the family is allowable for the purposes of prioritizing when Title I funds are insufficient to serve all eligible preschool children

12. Multiple Criteria Weighted Scale Example • Teacher Judgment-10% • Parent Interview-30% • Developmentally Appropriate Measure- 60% • Total-100%

13. What is a schoolwide operated Title I preschool program? • It is a Title I school that is operating a schoolwide program, which means a minimum of 40% of the students enrolled in the school, or residing in the attendance area served by the school, are from low-income families.

14. Schoolwide Title 1 Preschool If a school operates a schoolwide program all preschool children who reside in the school’s attendance area would also be eligible to be served.

15. Who is eligible to participate in a SchoolwideTitleI preschool program? A preschool that is part of a Title I school operating a schoolwide program (seeA-4) is not required to identify particular children as eligible to participate in the Title I preschool. Rather, all preschool-age children residing in the attendance area of the school are eligible to participate in the Title I preschool program (ESEA section 1114(a)(2)(A)(i)).

16. Cont. If a schoolwide program cannot serve all preschool-age children residing in the school attendance area, it must establish and apply selection criteria to ensure that those children who are most at risk of failing to meet the State’s academic achievement standards are served.

17. What is a targeted assisted operated Title I preschool program? • It is a Title I school that is ineligible to operate, or has chosen not to operate, a schoolwide program. This program only provides supplemental educational services to students with the greatest need for assistance— i.e., those identified as failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet the State’s academic achievement standards (ESEA section 1115(b)(1)(B)).

18. Targeted Assistance Program If a targeted assistance school operates a preschool program, it may only serve preschool children who reside in its attendance area and whom the school identifies as at risk of failing to meet the State’s academic achievement standards when they reach school age.

19. Who is eligible to participate in a Title I Targeted Assistance preschool program? Preschool-age children residing in the attendance area of a school operating a targeted assistance program (see A-4) who are identified as most at risk of failing to meet the State’s academic achievement standards are eligible to participate in a Title I preschool program (ESEA section 1115(b)(1)(B))

20. AutomaticallyEligible • Homeless • Migrant • EL • Neglected or Delinquent • children who participated in Head Start or a Title I preschool program at any time in the prior two years(Guidance B-3) *Does not mean automatically enrolled!

21. Something to think about???? • What type of Title I program does the school operate? • Can we serve all the children in our attendance zone? • What multiple criteria will we establish and apply to select children into the program? • What developmentally appropriate measure will we select?

22. Allowable uses of Title I funds Title 1 funds can be used for: • Teacher salaries • Professional development • Counseling services • Minor remodeling, leasing or renting space in private facilities , if no other appropriate space is available and if the costs are reasonable • Screening to identify children at-risk • Fund Pre-K programs both in buildings and communities • Increase alignment between early care and education by connecting existing early learning programs birth through age eight • Blended funds to develop or expand services to additional students • Add comprehensive services targeting children birth through age eight • Home visiting • Summer kindergarten prep programs • *Health and nutrition, and other social services

23. Title I Preschool Title 1 Pre-K • Use Title I dollars only • Use of Title I funds is based on the needs of the eligible students and the most effective use of funds • Must follow all federal requirements • Use of Title I funds is a local decision

24. “Title I Funds” Example: Cost of Preschool Unit:$125,000 Class size: 18 students Amount of Title 1 Funding:$6,944 cost per child Formula Cost of unit($125,000) = amount of Title I funding per student($6,944) # of students(18) *Figures chosen for example purposes only

25. Funding Options • Title I funds can be used for preschool or supplement or expand other early childhood education programs, such as state-funded prekindergarten, Head Start, Even Start, or Early Reading First. • Title I funds may be used in conjunction with existing programs Blended Pre-K • Uses Title dollars with other Pre-K dollars (Ex: local, Head Start, , etc.) • Title I contribution determined by % of Title I children in each Pre-K class

26. Examples using other fund sources • Title I funds combined with State funds (ex. OSR) • Title I funds combined with other Federal funds (ex. Headstart) • Title I funds combined with local funds

27. Title I Funds combined with State Funds • Funds must be used to serve educationally disadvantaged children • LEA must comply with applicable Title I requirements • Title I funds must pay no more than the fair share of costs commensurate with the number of educationally at-risk (Title I eligible) children. USDOE Guidance Letter April 22, 2014

28. Random Selection & Use of Title I Funds Example If demand exceeds the number of available slots and Title I monies are used to add students to the preschool program… • Can use random selection but educationally at risk students must have the same opportunity to be included in the selection pool. • Following their selection, all children would participate in the same preschool program • Parents of at risk children must have equal opportunity to enroll their children in the preschool funded through the state grant • The LEA must reach out to parents of all Title I eligible children in a way that ensures they receive information in a form that they understand about the availability of the preschool program and how to enroll their children. USDOE Guidance Letter April 22, 2014

29. Fair Share Commensurate with At Risk Children Example: Random Selection Used Cost of Unit-$125,000.00 Class Size- 18 students Number Randomly Selected-12 students Number selected by Multiple Criteria-6 students Application of Funding Formula $125,000=$6,944.45 per child $6,944.45 x 6 Title I students =$41,666.70 18

30. Are Title I preschool teachers required to meet the same qualifications as K-12 Title I teachers? • The Highly Qualified Teacher requirements that are specific to Title I teachers, do not apply to preschool teachers unless a state considers preschool to be a part of its public elementary and secondary school system, which Alabama does not.

31. What are the required qualifications for paraprofessionals working in a Title I preschool program? All paraprofessionals paid with Title I funds must have earned a secondary school diploma or equivalent. Additionally, any paraprofessional paid with Title I funds and hired after January 8, 2002, must have: (1) completed at least two years of study at an institution of higher education; (2) obtained an associate’s or higher degree; or (3) met a rigorous standard of quality, and demonstrate – through a formal state or local academic assessment – knowledge of, and the ability to assist in instructing, reading readiness, writing readiness, and mathematics readiness. Paraprofessionals should not provide direct instruction or introduce new content or skills, but rather they should provide instructional support under the direct supervision of a qualified teacher. Therefore, a Title I preschool program staffed entirely by paraprofessionals is not permitted.

32. What is required of Title I preschool programs regarding parental involvement? • All the same parental involvement provisions in section 1118 of Title I that apply to K-12 Title I programs, also apply to preschool programs, except the discussion of the school-parent compact at parent-teacher conferences in elementary schools. • Therefore, Title I preschool programs must develop or revise an existing parental involvement policy, host an annual parent meeting on the Title I preschool program, provide opportunities for training parents to support the student at home, assess parents regarding their opportunity for involvement in the program, inform parents of their children’s progress, and inform parents of the results of the Annual Review meeting. • Where appropriate, parents of children in a Title I preschool program may participate in relevant professional development activities along with teachers.(Guidance Section D)

33. What transition activities should take place between a Title I preschool and the local elementary school? • A Schoolwide program is required to include plans for assisting preschool children in the transition from early childhood programs, such as Title I preschool, Head Start, or Even Start, to local elementary school programs. • Targeted Assistance programs must coordinate with and support the school’s regular education programs, which may include services to assist preschool children in the transition to elementary school.

34. Transition to Kindergarten Some recommended actions that preschool programs can take to effectively transition children from preschool to kindergarten include: • coordinating professional development activities for preschool and kindergarten teachers in order to align preschool and kindergarten curricula and goals; • arranging for kindergarten and preschool teachers to visit each other’s classrooms; and • having preschool teachers provide the future kindergarten teachers with children’s portfolios or a written record of their learning during preschool.

35. US Department of Education-April 22, 2014 Guidance

37. Educational Standards • Head Start standards applicable to Title I preschool programs are in regulations at 45 CFR 1304.21 –Education and Early Childhood • Alabama Development Standards for Preschool Children

38. Evaluation

39. How are children assessed in a Title I preschool program? • Under Title I, third grade is the earliest grade at which children must be tested. However, when teachers know more about the individual development and progress of the children, they are better able to meet their needs in the classroom.

40. Assessment Periodic assessments are recommended. Appropriate assessments for preschool children include: • individually administered standardized assessments • observational checklists completed by teachers • analysis of student work

41. Next Steps: • Survey Monkey • Technical Assistance • Compliance Monitoring • Questions

42. Available Resources • National Association for the Education of Young Children(NAEYC) • U.S. Department of Education Title 1 Preschool Guidance, Servicing Preschool Children Under Title 1 • Preschool Powerpoint • US Department of Education-April 22, 2014 Guidance

43. Contact Information • Yolonda Averettyaverett@aldse.edu/334-242-9759 • Joslyn Reddick jreddick@alsde.edu/334-242-8199