Transcript Planning for Pre-Kindergarten: A Toolkit for School Boards

Planning for Pre-Kindergarten: A
Toolkit for
School Boards
NSBA Annual Conference
San Diego, CA
April 6, 2009
Agenda
• Overview of Pre-K Initiative
• Jim Edwards, KS Vision
• Janice Esau, TX Pre-K Partnerships
• Sally Howell, AL Strategy
• Kerri Schelling, KY Strategy
• Chrisanne Gayl, Federal Funding and Resources
• Q&A
Thinking P-12:
Engaging school boards in support of pre-k
• A multi-year partnership between NSBA’s Center for
Public Education and state school board associations
with funding from the Pew Charitable Trusts
• Part 1, 2006-2008: Kansas, Ohio, and Texas
• Part 2, 2008-2010: Alabama and Kentucky plus
ongoing activities in Kansas and Texas.
Goals
• Making pre-kindergarten a public priority
– Increasing awareness of the short- and long-term
benefits of pre-k
• Adding the school board voice to the pre-k
discussion
– Collaborating with other early
education advocates
– Taking a leadership role –
school boards as value-added
Pre-K bridges child care and school
The Pre-K Tool Kit
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Establish a vision
Review the research
Engage the community
Take inventory
Design a program
Ensure quality
Secure funding
Be an advocate
From vision to reality
Establishing a Vision
Jim Edwards
Associate Executive Director, Board Development,
Kansas Association of School Boards
[email protected]
Establishing YOUR Vision
for Pre-K
When working in your district to help create,
or enhance an existing quality Pre-K program,
you must remember that …
1. Internally … “One Size Does Not Fit All
2. Globally … What has worked well in one
community won’t always work well in others
Establishing YOUR Vision
High-quality pre-k should be …
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Fun – “can I go to pre-K?”
Often in diverse settings
Welcoming to parents too
Absolutely voluntary
Essential but not sufficient
Concerned with children’s social,
emotional, and academic development
• For all, plus more for high-needs children
Establishing YOUR Vision
High-quality pre-k should NOT be…
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High pressure
Mandatory
Low-quality/concerned only with access
Academic only
One size fits all
Only in schools
Closed to parents
A silver bullet
Establishing YOUR Vision
What did this mean in Kansas?
VISION: All children in Kansas enter school prepared
to succeed.
1. Spotlight a core group of local school
who have successful programs.
districts
2. Build key partnerships with statewide
education organizations and parents.
3. Educate policy makers and their
constituents on the importance of pre-k.
Establishing YOUR Vision
1. Spotlight a core group of local school districts
who have successful pre-k programs.
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Articles stressing diversity of programs
Development of Kansas resource guide
Use core group as advocacy leaders
2. Build key partnerships with statewide education
organizations and parents.
Establishing YOUR Vision
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Continue our efforts in the coalition of early childhood
advocates
Provide information to others outside of this coalition
Continue to provide educational programs
3. Educate policy makers and their constituents on the
importance of pre-k.
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Ensure that policymakers understand the crucial impact
early childhood can have
Partner with other advocacy groups
Pre-Kindergarten Partnerships:
Collaborating for Young Texans
Janice Esau
Consultant, Texas Association
of School Boards
[email protected]
Pre-K Eligibility in Texas Public
Schools
• Limited English Language Learners
• Educationally Disadvantaged (eligible for free and
reduced lunch program)
• Homeless
• The child of a member of the armed forces of the
United States, including the state military forces or
a reserve component of the armed forces, who was
injured or killed during active duty. Includes
uniformed service members Missing in Action
(MIA)
• Children in the Foster Care System
Who Comes to Play in Texas?
Breakdown of
children
enrolled in
Texas public
school
pre-k programs
by ethnicity
• Hispanic: 126,702 (65.35%)
• African American: 30,500
(15.73%)
• White: 30,036 (15.49%)
• Asian: 6,111 (3.15%)
• Native American: 520 (.27%)
Copyright 2009, Texas Early Care and Education Coalition
Collaboration is Key in Texas
Texas Early Childhood Education Collaboration
(TECEC)
– Mission is to build a system of quality early care
and education that prepares children in Texas for
success in their education and life
– Created in 2003
– Diverse membership at the local, state, and national
levels
– 4000 Community Partners
– 275 Members
Copyright 2009, Texas Early Care and Education Coalition
Texas Pre-K Delivery System
Challenges
PUBLIC SCHOOL
PRE-K
No class size limits
CHILD CARE
HEAD START
Varying levels of
quality
Only serves 42% of
those
Eligible for Head Start
and
2% of those eligible for
Early Head Start
Limited eligibility
Varying education
levels of teachers
Most programs are
only half day
Waiting lists
Not all classrooms are
early childhood
certified
Cost
Copyright 2009, Texas Early Care and Education Coalition
Building Partnerships
Possible ISD Role:
• Provide financial
support
• Provide Certified
Teacher
• Share training and
professional
development
• Give
resources/materials/
supplies/equipment
Possible Partner Role:
• Provide space
• Provide “wrap
around care”
• Advertise to
community
• Allow access to
children’s
developmental
screenings
• Share resources
81st
Legislative
Session
SB81st Legislative
SB21
- Judith Zaffirini cont.
Session21/HB130
HB130 - Diane Patrick
• Authorizes the operation of half and/or full day
prekindergarten program
• Establishes criteria for class sizes, staffing, and
curriculum
• Authorizes the formation of partnerships between
school districts and community providers to
provide a percentage of the services offered by
the expanded pre K program and establishes
exceptions to the community partnerships
81st Legislative Session
SB21/HB130
cont…
SB21 – SS
HB130 – Diane Patrick
• Defines criteria for eligibility of community partners
• Requires a written contractual agreement between
the school district and community providers
• Delineates criteria for minimum funding for
community providers
• Establishes annual reporting standards
• Establishes a funded requirement for an annual
evaluation of the enhanced pre K program.
Alabama Association of School Boards
Strategy
Sally Howell, J.D.
AASB Executive Director
[email protected]
334-277-9700
AASB Pre-K Strategy: Spotlight
Pre-K and Disseminate Data
MESSAGE TO
SCHOOL
BOARDS:
A Quality
Pre-kindergarten
Education is a
fundamental part
of school
readiness.
AASB Pre-K Strategy: Spotlight
Pre-K and Disseminate Data
MESSAGE TO
SCHOOL
BOARDS:
A Quality
Pre-kindergarten
Education is a
fundamental part
of school
readiness.
AASB Pre-K Strategy:
Make the Case for Pre-K
MESSAGE TO
SCHOOL BOARDS:
Education funding is
limited, but we must
recognize the proven
link between quality
pre-kindergarten and
narrowing
achievement gaps.
AASB Pre-K Strategy: Build effective
partnerships, involve stakeholders
MESSAGE TO
SCHOOL
BOARDS:
Collaborative
partnerships between
K-12, child advocates
and other
stakeholders in your
community could
ultimately increase
the number of
children served by
high-quality pre-K
programs.
AASB Strategy: Mobilize boards,
influence policy & legislative action
AASB & THE NEW
PRE-K
COALITION:
The new Pre-K Coalition
inspired by the
Pew/Center grant will
host a forum soon
after the state Pre-K
conference in April.
School board
members, legislators,
child advocates and
child care and pre-K
professionals are
invited.
AASB Pre-K Strategy: “Connect the
Dots” Between Pre-K & K-12 Initiatives
"First Class Pre-K
and AMSTI are both
national models. This
partnership will
provide Alabama's
four-year-olds with
the strongest math
and science
foundation in the
nation."
-- Gov. Bob Riley
• Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative
Pre-K Pilot Program
• Southern Education Foundation: Connects
high-quality pre-K to lower dropout rates
• Unique student identification numbers for pre-K
Kentucky School Boards
Association: Pre-K Strategy
Kerri Shelling
Director, Board Team Development
[email protected]
KSBA Pre-K Strategy
• Member Relations/Communications
– Kentucky School Advocate
– Website
– Identification of existing resources
KSBA Pre-K Strategy
• Board Team Development
– Involvement with existing pre-k efforts
– Scripted Conversations
– Board Training
– Conferences
– Regional Meetings
KSBA Pre-K Strategy
• Governmental Relations
– KSBA representation on statewide P-16 Council
– Meetings with KY First Lady
– Development of advocacy toolkit
*Continue the focus on full funding of all-day
Kindergarten
Federal Funding & Resources
Chrisanne Gayl
Education Consultant, NSBA
[email protected]
Federal Funding
• Title I of the ESEA
– Part A funds may be used for preschool services for
at-risk children within Title I-funded schools and
districts
• Head Start
– districts are eligible grantees of this $6 billion dollar
program
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
– Part B, Sec 619 funds are set aside for 3 and 4 year
olds
American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act
• $13 billion in additional Title I grants
to states
• $400 million in new IDEA preschool grants
• $1 billion for Head Start and $1.1 billion for Early
Head Start
• $48.6 billion in State Fiscal Stabilization Fund - for
essential education reforms to benefit students from
early learning to postsecondary
What Does This Mean?
State
Title I
IDEA,
Preschool
State Fiscal
Stabilization*
Alabama
$81.5 million
$3 million
$488.5 million
California
$562.5 million
$20.5 million
$4 billion
Illinois
$210. 1
$9.2 million
$1.4 billion
*Based on initial estimates by the U.S. Dept of Education
Resources
NSBA Economic Stimulus Website
www.nsba.org/economicstimulus
NSBA Pre-k Legislative Committee Website
www.nsba.org/prekcommittee
Pre-K Newsletter
Pre-K Collaboration Report
• Features interviews with P-12 administrators
throughout the country
• Benefits and Challenges of working with community
partners in delivery of pre-k
• State and local models
• Lessons Learned
• Recommendations to Policymakers
Pre-K tool kit webinar
• April 28 at 1 pm ET
• Downloadable tool kits will be online one
week before
QUESTIONS?
THANK YOU
Patte Barth, [email protected]
Jim Edwards, [email protected]
Janice Esau, [email protected]
Sally Howell, [email protected]
Kerri Schelling, [email protected]
Chrisanne Gayl, [email protected]