FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAMS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAMS
Question / Answer / Citation/Link1. / Does a school district have to provide a School Readiness program? / A district or a group of districts may establish a school readiness program.
A district may establish a new program where no existing, reasonably accessible program meets the program requirements / M.S. 124D.15, Subdivision 1
M.S. 124D.15, Subdivision 5
2. / What is the purpose of a School Readiness program? / The purpose of a school readiness program is to prepare children to enter kindergarten. / M.S. 124D.15, Subdivision 1
3. / Who is eligible to participate in a School Readiness program? / A child is eligible to participate in a school readiness program if the child:
(1) is at least three years old on September 1;
(2) has completed health and developmental screening within 90 days of program enrollment under sections 121A.16 to 121A.19; and
(3) has one or more of the following risk factors:
(a) qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch;
(b) is an English language learningchild;
(c) is homeless;
(d) has an individualized education program (IEP) or an individual interagency intervention plan (IIIP);
(e) is identified, through health and developmental screenings under sections 121A.16 to 121A.19, with a potential risk factor that may influence learning; or
(f) is defined as at-risk by the school district. / M.S. 124D.15, Subdivision 15
4. / Can a child who does not meet the eligibility requirements participate in a School Readiness program? / Children who do not meet the eligibility requirements in subdivision 15 (those listed above) may participate on a fee-for-service basis.
School districts must use school readiness aid for eligible children. / M.S. 124D.15, Subdivision 12
5. / If a child meets the eligibility requirements, but resides in another school district, can he/she participate in our School Readiness program? / The district may not restrict participation to district residents. / M.S. 124D.15, Subdivision 5
6. / What are School Readiness programs required to provide? / A school readiness program provider must:
(1) assess each child's cognitive skills with a comprehensive child assessment instrument when the child enters and again before the child leaves the program to inform program planning and parents and promote kindergarten readiness;
(2) provide comprehensive program content and intentional instructional practice aligned with the state early childhood learning guidelines and kindergarten standards and based on early childhood research and professional practice that is focused on children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills and development and prepares children for the transition to kindergarten, including early literacy skills;
(3) coordinate appropriate kindergarten transition with parents and kindergarten teachers;
(4) involve parents in program planning and decision making;
(5) coordinate with relevant community-based services;
(6) cooperate with adult basic education programs and other adult literacy programs;
(7) ensure staff-child ratios of one-to-10 and maximum group size of 20 children with the first staff required to be a teacher; and
(8) have teachers knowledgeable in early childhood curriculum content, assessment and instruction. / M.S. 124D.15, Subdivision 3
7. / Our school district has a Community Education preschool. Do we have to have a separate School Readiness preschool? / No. A district may contract with a charter school or community-based organization to provide eligible children developmentally appropriate services that meet the program requirements in subdivision 3. (Question #6) / M.S. 124D.15, Subdivision 5
8. / We do not have any available slots remaining in our preschool, but we have children who qualify for School Readiness. How can we provide these children with services? / A district may pay tuition or fees to place an eligible child in an existing program.
Services may be provided in a site-based program or in the home of the child or a combination of both.
(Note: These programs also need to meet the requirements in subdivision 3, see Question 6) / M.S.124D.15, Subdivision 5
9. / How do we determine fees or tuition for our School Readiness program? / A district must adopt a sliding fee schedule based on a family's income but must waive a fee for a participant unable to pay.
Specific fees are established by the district. / M.S.124D.15, Subdivision 12
10. / How do I know the amount of aid a School Readiness program receives? / The School Readiness Aid Entitlement Calculation can be found in the Minnesota Funding Reports (MFR) System. Follow the links to the right and then search for your district. /
→ Accountability Programs
→ Program Finance
Click on Minnesota Funding Reports under Section Links
11. / How do I learn more about how budgeting works in my school district and with my School Readiness program? / A good place to start is to ask your program administrator or program finance director.
For understanding how financial activity is reported in Minnesota, you should refer to the Uniform Financial Accounting and Reporting Standards (UFARS). /
→ Accountability Programs
→ Program Finance
Click on UFARS under Section Links/ Financial Management
12. / How do I know what restrictions there are on School Readiness expenditures? / The Restricted Finance Grid can be found in Chapter 10 of the UFARS manual.
Currently, the restricted object codes are:
110-305, 320-330, 350-366, 370, 390-391, 394-395, 398-430, 470, 490, 520-530, 555, 820
13. / Can School Readiness aid be used to provide transportation? / Yes. M.S.124D.16 states that school readiness aid shall be used only to provide a school readiness program and may be used to provide transportation. / M.S.124D.16, Subdivision 3
14. / The statutes say not more than 5 percent of program revenue can be used for the cost of administering a program. Does this apply to School Readiness coordinators? / A new UFARS object code was created to distinguish ECFE and School Readiness coordinator salaries (120) from other administrator salaries (110). The 5 percent statutory limitation applies to object code 110. / M.S.124D.16, Subdivision 3
15. / According to M.S.124D.15, children need to complete health and developmental screening within 90 days of program enrollment to be eligible for School Readiness. Does enrollment begin the first day a child attends school or when the family registers /enrolls in preschool? / The 2010 statutes do not provide a definition for enrollment. At this point, the definition of enrollment is being determined by the district.
16. / What reports do I have to submit to MDE? Where are they located? / Every year, school readiness programs must submit an Annual Report and Participant Questionnaire Summary. Every other year, a Program Plan must be submitted. Follow the links to the right to find the documents.
(a)A school readiness program provider must submit a biennial plan for approval by the commissioner before receiving aid under section 124D.16.
(b)Programs receiving school readiness funds annually must submit a report to the department. /
→ Learning Support
→ Early Learning Services
→ Coordinator Resources
→ Annual Reports & Plans
M.S. 124D.15, Subdivision 3a
17. / Now that I have all of my data prepared, how do I submit it electronically? / If you do not already have it, a valuable resource is the Early Learning Services Data System User Guide. You will first need to set up an account.
To submit your data:
→ Go to the MDE website
→ Data → Data Submissions
→Scroll down and click on
Early Learning Services Data Reporting
→ Sign in to access your program
→ Make sure program information is accurate.
→ Scroll down and click “Proceed to Data Submission.” / Data System User Guide
Link to Data Submissions:
18. / Can I view previous School Readiness Program Plans or reports from other districts? / Yes. School Readiness Annual Reports, Participant Questionnaire Summaries, and Program Plans can be viewed on the “View Reports” page on the MDE website. The reports page is shared with the Program Directory page. The link is provided to the right. /
EarlyLearningServices/reports.do
19. / Is there a preschool curriculum that is recommended by MDE? / No. There is a range of curricula material being utilized. When selecting curricula, remember that a School Readiness program must provide comprehensive program content and intentional instructional practice aligned with the state early childhood learning guidelines and kindergarten standards and based on early childhood research and professional practice that is focused on children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills and development and prepares children for the transition to kindergarten, including early literacy skills (see #6 above).
Some resources are provided to the right. / Resources:
PS Curriculum Decision-Making: Dimensions to Consider (fromNIEER)
Effects of PS Curriculum Programs on School Readiness
20. / Is there a comprehensive child assessment instrument that is recommended by MDE? / No. Currently, there are a range of instruments being utilized, from the Child Observation Record (COR) to Work Sampling System.
Ideas from other programs include:
1)Engage in conversations with other School Readiness programs.
2)Research and explore potential assessment tools (some helpful links are provided to the right).
3)Create a working group of vested individuals in the program/district to help determine the best method of providing comprehensive assessment.
4)Consider how this aligns with your district’s K-3 assessment procedures and instruments. / Resources:
National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center
Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, and How
Vendors:
Creative Curriculum
Preschool Child Observation Record (COR)
The Work Sampling System
Wright Group DLM Express
21. / What are some tools we could use to assess our teachers and/or preschool classrooms? / There are numerous tools from which to choose. The Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities provides training on the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). Of course, School Readiness programs have to choose an assessment that best fits their needs, resources and objectives. / Resources:
Measuring Quality in Early Childhood Environments
Quality in Early Childhood Care and Education Settings(lists numerous resources, many unpublished)
The Assessment Profile
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
- CEED
Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale – Revised Edition (ECERS-R)
Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation Tool (ELLCO)
The Preschool Program Quality Assessment (PQA)
Ready Schools
22. / Do we have to have licensed teachers in our school readiness program? / Minnesota Statute 124D.15, Subdivision 10, only addresses supervision. It states:
Aprogram provided by a board must be supervised by a licensed early childhood teacher, a certified early childhood educator, or a licensed parent educator.
With regard to licensed teachers, there is no provision. However, School Readiness programs must have teachers knowledgeable in early childhood curriculum content, assessment, and instruction(see #6 above).
Some programs, following the 10 essential elements of effective early childhood programs, choose to only staff their classrooms with licensed teachers. / M.S. 124D.15, Subdivision 10
10 Essential Elements of Effective Early Childhood Programs
Element #6:
Highly trained professionals and ongoing professional development.
3/4/2011M.S. – Minnesota Statutes