Prekindergarten Early Start Program PKES Formerly known as Prekindergarten Expansion Grant

1
Prekindergarten Early Start Program
(PKES)(Formerly known as Prekindergarten
Expansion Grant)
Request for Application

• Texas Education Agency
• Department of State Initiatives
• Division of School Readiness and Partnerships
• January 15, 2009
• 315 515 pm

2
PKES TETN Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions
• Overview of Program Purpose and Goals
• Discussion of PKES Components 1 2
• Tier 1 Grant requirements
• Tier 2 Grant Requirements
• Discussion of PKES Components 3 4
• Tier 3 Grant Requirements
• Fiscal and Budgetary Discussion
• Question and Answer Session
• Closing

3
Program Purpose and Goals

• Implement a cohesive service model to
  dramatically improve early literacy, language,
  math and social development for preschool
  eligible children
• Provide high quality early childhood education
  programs that coordinate prek resources between
  public school districts, Head Start programs, and
  child care providers.
• Assist preschool children to achieve school
  readiness and successful transition into
  kindergarten.
• The emphasis has changed to implementing a high
  quality program.

4
Program Authority and Statutes

• Texas Education Code (TEC) 29.1533, established
  in 2003, requires that before establishing a new
  prekindergarten program, a school district shall
  consider the possibility of sharing use of an
  existing federally funded Head Start or other
  licensed child care program site as a
  prekindergarten site.

5
Program Authority and Statutes

• Senate Bill 23 in 2005, the 78th Texas
  Legislature prioritized the resource coordination
  capabilities of school districts, local
  governments, and other community organizations
  with respect to early childhood programs.
• In 2006-2007, in accordance with TEC 29.158,
  districts receiving Prekindergarten Expansion
  funding were required to provide coordinated
  services and develop an integrated school
  readiness model among public school
  prekindergarten programs, federally funded Head
  Start or similar government-funded public and
  private nonprofit organizations or agencies
  operating early childhood care and education
  programs

6
Student Eligibility TEC 29.153

• A child is eligible for enrollment in prek under
  this section if at least three years of age and
• unable to speak and comprehend English
• educationally disadvantaged
• homeless
• child of an active duty military
• child of military member injured/killed on active
  duty
• child in foster care or has been in the
  conservatorship of DFPS

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Required Component 1 School Readiness
Components

• Identifying eligible prekindergarten children and
  communicating the availability of services to
  their families and caregivers.
• Assessing the needs of those children and
  providing them with quality prekindergarten
  services based on proven school readiness
  components that include high quality,
  developmentally appropriate, and rigorous
  curriculum aligned with Texas Prekindergarten
  Guidelines continuous monitoring of student
  progress in the classroom and professional
  development, including mentoring, to promote
  student achievement with the goal of dramatically
  improving early literacy, language, mathematics,
  and social development skills.

8
Required Component 2 School Readiness
Integration (SRI) Partnership

• Creating and implementing a School Readiness
  Integration Partnership that outlines the means
  by which the grantee will coordinate efforts,
  services, resources, program administration, and
  curriculum and instruction among local
  public-school prekindergarten programs, licensed
  child-care providers, and Head Start programs.

9
Required Component 3 School Readiness
Certification System (SRCS)

• Participating in the School Readiness
  Certification System, a valid, researched-based
  automated system through which an early childhood
  education program submits an application
  demonstrating the programs record of cognitive,
  social, and emotional development of young
  children to be certified as a school-ready
  program.

10
Required Component 4 Sustainability Plan

• Designing and developing a prekindergarten
  service program that is sustainable after the end
  of the Prekindergarten Early Start Grant Program,
  with sufficient funding from sources other than
  grant funds.

11
Eligible Applicants

• School districts
• Open-enrollment charter schools
• ESCs acting as fiscal agents of a SSA of eligible
  districts and/or open-enrollment charter schools.

12
Tiered Funding Structure

• The new commissioners rule, 19 TAC 102.1002,
• proposes to create a funding structure for three
  categories, or tiers, of applicants.
• A three-tier structure was created to assist
  grantees in making their programs self-sustaining
  (i.e., able to be supported after the end of the
  grant period by other sources of funds).
• Prekindergarten Early Start Grant Program funds
  will be made available to eligible applicants who
  fall into one of the three tiers

13
Eligible Applicants Tier 1

• Tier 1 comprises those applicants that meet the
• following criteria
• The applicant did not participate in Cycle 14 of
  the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant Program
  (i.e., did not receive grant funding during the
  2008-2009 school year).
• The average of the applicants last three
  consecutive years of grade 3 TAKS scores (i.e.,
  2005-2006, 2006-2007, and 2007-2008) in either
  reading or mathematics is below the state
  average.

14
Eligible Applicants Tier 2

• Tier 2 comprises those applicants that meet the
• following criteria
• The applicant participated in Cycle 14 of the
  Prekindergarten Expansion Grant Program (i.e.,
  did receive grant funding during the 2008-2009
  school year).
• The applicant has demonstrated successful
  implementation of a prekindergarten program that
  includes proven school readiness components.
  Evidence of successful implementation will be
  demonstrated if the average of the applicants
  last three consecutive years of Grade 3 TAKS
  scores (i.e., 2005-2006, 2006-2007, and
  2007-2008) has been above the state average in
  reading and mathematics.

15
Eligible Applicants Tier 3

• Tier 3 comprises those applicants that meet the
• following criteria
• The applicant participated in Cycle 14 of the
  Prekindergarten Expansion Grant Program (i.e.,
  did receive grant funding during the 2008-2009
  school year).
• The average of the applicants last three
  consecutive years of grade 3 TAKS scores (i.e.,
  2005-2006, 2006-2007, and 2007-2008) has been at
  or below the state average in reading or
  mathematics.

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1 - School Readiness Components

• Curriculum
• a high-quality, developmentally appropriate,
  rigorous program of curriculum and instruction
  aligned with the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
  
• Continuous Progress Monitoring
• valid and reliable to enable educators to make
  informed decisions about individual student
  instruction.
• Professional Development
• continuous training and mentoring to prepare
  students for entry into public kindergarten at or
  above grade level

17
2 SRI Partnership Component

• All applicants for Prekindergarten Early Start
  Grant Program funds are required to develop an
  SRI partnership
• Partnership describes and defines the
  collaboration among public prekindergarten
  programs, local workforce development boards,
  Head Start providers, college or university early
  childhood programs, and/or providers of private
  for-profit or nonprofit licensed child-care
  services that provide a school readiness
  component to eligible prekindergarten students.

18
Goals of SRI Partnership

• Preparedness of all children in a community to
  enter kindergarten on or above grade level and
  ready to benefit from the full array of public
  education services to keep them on grade level in
  kindergarten and beyond
• Development and implementation of a
  community-based, individualized collaboration
  among local entities serving prekindergarten
  students in order that the community is served in
  the most effective and efficient ways to meet its
  needs.

19
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

• Selected applicants will be required to submit a
  signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with
  partnering agencies for all commitments needed
  for success in the project.
• The MOU is not required to be submitted with this
  grant application however, selected applicants
  must submit the signed MOU before funds will be
  made available.
• Submit signed MOU to Lilie Elizondo-Limas,
  Division of School Readiness and Partnerships,
  TEA, by August 1, 2009.

20
Exemptions

• District may request exemption from SRI
  partnership if Head Start and/or child care
  providers are unavailable in a local community
• Open enrollment charter school may request
  exemption based on limitations of approved
  charter
• All requests for exemptions from program
  requirements must be submitted as part of the
  application and are subject to approval by TEA.

21
3 SRCS Component

• Free to grantees
• Can budget for data collection support
• Grantees not administering TPRI/TEJAS LEE may
  obtain waiver
• Must not have administered prior to adopted
  Commissioner rules
• Must submit alternative assessment data
• Fulfills portions of evaluation and performance
  measure requirements

22
3 SRCS Component

• Elements of the SRCS (not exhaustive)
• Student data
• Attendance
• Student performance
• Teacher self-reports
• Best practices
• Classroom set-up
• Facility reports
• Teaching staff
• Curriculum/assessments

23
4 Sustainability Component

• Sustainability Plan must include
• How program components will be developed/implement
  ed to continue beyond grant period
• How SRI partners will be included in all phases
  of the sustainability plan
• How SRI partnerships activities will be
  advantageous for all

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4 Sustainability Component (cont.)

• How changes in SRI partnership will be managed to
  ensure flexibility and function
• What type of enhancements will be made to ensure
  sustainability
• How will grantee continue the evaluation of
  effectiveness during and at grant end to ensure
  continued success

25
Allowable Activities

• Outreach and recruitment to make students and
  parents aware of the program and to advertise the
  availability of services
• Operating an existing half-day prekindergarten
  program on a full-day basis or implementing a
  prekindergarten program at a public or non-public
  school classroom site that does not have a
  prekindergarten program as a result of a previous
  SRI partnership
• Implementing a prekindergarten program at a site
  that does not have a public prekindergarten
  program, including SRI partner sites
• Employing teachers and other personnel for a
  prekindergarten program, including personnel
  costs associated with teaching staff deployed at
  community SRI partner sites
• Professional development and staff training
  activities on proven school readiness components
  and the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines

26
Allowable Expenditures

• continuation of existing full-day prek programs
• personnel costs to expand prek programs to meet
  the requirements of at least 6 hours of
  instruction by a certified teacher each day
• curriculum and instructional materials consistent
  with Prek Guidelines
• equipment, including computers and other
  technology
• lease or rental of building space for prek
  student instruction
• costs associated with SRI partnerships

27
Allowable Expenditures (cont.)

• trainings on proven school readiness components
• costs associated with data collection to support
  program evaluation, including technology and
  equipment needs
• indirect costs

28
Unallowable Activities

• Religious instruction or provision of sectarian
  materials
• Expenditures related to students not served by
  the program
• Graduation-related costs and activities, such as
  printed certificates, banquets, celebrations
• Employing teachers and personnel to implement a
  prekindergarten program in a public or non-public
  school classroom site that currently has a
  teacher or personnel as a result of a previous
  SRI partnership

29
Disallowed Expenditures

• Portable buildings
• Construction of classroom space
• Renovation or remodeling of existing space
• Debt services
• Expenditures related to non-eligible students

30
TEA, Statutory and Program Requirements

• A description of proven school readiness
  components the
• district is employing in its implementation of
• prekindergarten program. The description should
  address
• the components of proven school readiness
  including
• a high-quality, developmentally appropriate, and
  rigorous curriculum
• continuous monitoring of student progress in the
  classroom and
• professional development, including mentoring, to
  promote student achievement.

31
TEA, Statutory and Program Requirements

• A description of the school readiness integration
  (SRI) partnership in which the district
  demonstrates entering into a partnership with
  public and non-public program delivery
  organizations in a community to implement a
  prekindergarten program.
• An agreement to participate in the school
  readiness certification system to meet evaluation
  requirement of the grant.
• A sustainability plan each year of the districts
  participation in the grant to demonstrate how it
  will continue to implement the programmatic and
  partnership requirements beyond the grant period
  and cycle.
• Each application must address each of the
  requirements identified below (on the appropriate
  schedule) in order to be considered for funding.

32
Program Evaluation

• Applicant must describe plan to evaluate
  implementation of program on an ongoing basis
• Grantee must enter and maintain required data
  into the SRCS
• TEA will collect and analyze PEIMS data

33
Performance Measures

• Grantees required to report student progress in
  both prekindergarten and kindergarten
• Student knowledge gains must be measured using a
  valid, reliable, research-based prekindergarten
  progress monitoring instrument
• Report grantees progress toward increased student
  achievement
• Inability to increase student achievement could
  result in participation in prescriptive technical
  assistance program

34
Performance Measures

• Application agrees to collect (not exhaustive)
• Number of prek students receiving services or
  benefits as a result of partnership
• Number of students served by licensed child-care
  and partnership education program
• Demonstrate method(s) used to provide potential
  partnerships

35
Performance Measures

• Funds may be used to acquire a contracted
  evaluator
• Evaluator must be Independent and objective
• Evaluator should not be the districts grant
  writer

36
Application Funding

• Contingent upon appropriations by the 81st Texas
  State Legislature, the project period for the
  Prekindergarten Early Start Program, Tiers 1-3,
  Cycle 1, Year 1, grants is September 1, 2009,
  through August 31, 2010.
• The number of projects funded will depend on the
  number of eligible applicants that apply through
  competitive process under Tiers 1 and 3

37
Use of Funds

• Expenditures related to the continuation of
  existing full-day prekindergarten programs, where
  the full-day program was funded from the previous
  TEA Prekindergarten Expansion Grant
• Personnel costs related to the teaching personnel
  needed to expand prekindergarten programs to meet
  the requirements of at least three hours of
  instruction by a certified teacher each day
• Teacher salaries for teachers located at partner
  site in order to carry out the educational
  component of the grant

38
Use of Funds

• Curriculum materials based on scientific research
  that are consistent with the Texas
  Prekindergarten Guidelines and designed to
  improve the school readiness of preschool
  children
• Contracts with a private entity for the operation
  of the prekindergarten program
• Costs associated with providing meals to
  students, where meals are not reimbursed by the
  federal school breakfast and lunch program

39
Use of Funds

• Costs associated with providing before- and after
  school care for participating children
• Costs associated with expanding existing half-day
  programs to full-day programs
• Costs associated with screening, progress
  monitoring, and assessment of student achievement

40
Unallowable Uses of Funds

• Subgrants to private entities for the provision
  of instructional services
• Debt service (i.e., lease-purchase agreements)
• Purchase of portable buildings
• Construction of classroom space
• Renovation or remodeling of existing classroom
  space
• Expenditures related to students who are not
  eligible for the program
• Purchase of buildings
• Religious instruction, including books, supplies,
  and materials used to provide religious
  instruction

41
Subsequent Year Funding

• Continuation funding will be available to
  grantees and
• for each tier will be based on annual
  accomplishment
• of grant objectives and requirements set forth in
  the
• application in subsequent years of the cycle.
• Grantees will be able to apply for the same
  amount
• based on 2008 allocation each year of the cycle.
• Tier 1 will operate on a 5-year cycle
• Tier 2 on a 3-year cycle and
• Tier 3 on a 2-year cycle

42
Limitation of Administrative Funds

• TEA limits the amount of funds that may be
  budgeted to administer the program to no more
  than 5 of the total grant awarded for any fiscal
  year.
• Funds requested for administrative use must be
  requested in the application on the appropriate
  budget schedules.

43
Supplement Not Supplant

• Funds for this program must be used to supplement
  (increase the level of services) and not supplant
  (replace) funds from federal, state, and local
  funds for similar activities. Any program
  activity required by state law, State Board of
  Education (SBOE) rules, or local board policy may
  not be paid with these funds.
• State or local funds may not be decreased or
  diverted for other uses merely because of the
  availability of these funds. Grantees must
  maintain documentation which clearly demonstrates
  the supplementary nature of these funds.

44
Supplement Not Supplant

• For Tier 1  If a district has been implementing
  SRI partnership activities in preparation for
  this grant such as providing a teacher for a
  half-day at Head Start or licensed child care
  site, if awarded district will be able to use
  PKES funding in 2009-10 and throughout grant
  cycle.
• For Tier 2 and Tier 3  If the district has been
  implementing SRI partnership activities using PK
  Expansion funds such as providing a teacher for
  a half-day at Head Start or licensed child care
  site, district may continue to fund that position
  (same amount of time) from PKES funding in
  2009-10 and throughout grant cycle.
•  

45
Report Due Dates

• The grantee agrees to comply with any reporting
  and evaluation requirements that may be
  established by TEA, as agreed upon by the project
  participants, and to submit the reports in the
  format requested by TEA.

46
Critical Dates for Competitive Applications

• Tier 1 PKES RFA
• TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2009
• DUE DATE FOR THE APPLICATION IN THE
• TEA DOCUMENT CONTROL CENTER
• 500 P.M., CENTRAL TIME
• Tier 3 PKES RFA
• TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009
• DUE DATE FOR THE APPLICATION IN THE
• TEA DOCUMENT CONTROL CENTER
• 500 P.M., CENTRAL TIME

47
Priorities for Funding

• In addition to the factors considered in awarding
• competitive grants as outlined in Part 1 General
  and
• Fiscal Guidelines, Selection of Competitive
• Applications for Funding, TEA will award grants
• according to the following priorities
• Fifteen (15) priority points will be given to
  applicants whose average Grade 3 TAKS performance
  over the last three consecutive years is below
  the state average in both reading and mathematics.

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Appendices

• Appendix 1 Guidelines Related to Specific Costs
• Appendix 2 Basic Guidelines for Allowable Costs
  and Cost Principles
• Appendix 3 Resources
• State Center for Early Childhood Development
  (SCECD)
• Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office
  (THSSCO)
• Texas Licensed Child Care Programs
• 2-1-1 Texas Finding Help in Texas

49
Notice of Intent to Apply

• Applicants are requested to submit their Notice
  of Intent to Apply. Send the Notice of Intent to
  the Document Control Center, Texas Education
  Agency, 1701 North Congress Avenue, William B.
  Travis Building, Room 6-108, Austin, Texas
  78701-1494
• (Fax [phone]).
• Failure to notify TEA of the intent to apply will
  not disqualify you from submitting an application.

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Contact Information

• TEA School Readiness and Partnerships
• 512-936-6060
• - Lilie Elizondo-Limas, Director
• Lilie.Elizondo-Limas_at_tea.state.tx.us
• - Gina Salazar, Program Manager
• Gina.Salazar_at_tea.state.tx.us
• State Center for Early Childhood Development
• 713-500-3730
• - Layne Waxley
• Thomas.L.Waxley_at_uth.tmc.edu