General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
Connecticut School Readiness

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood1

Availability of program:
67 out of 169 towns/communities (40%)2

Are districts, counties, or towns in Connecticut required to offer this pre-kindergarten initiative?
No, optional2

Hours of operation per day:
Determined locally4

Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
Yes, partnerships through state grants and contracts4

Enrollment

Fall 2013, Total children:
9,291

Fall 2011, by age:
2,347 3-year-olds; 5,381 4-year-olds; 1,563 5-year-olds3

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 3,028; Nonpublic schools, 6,2633

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
Extended day, 7,246; School day, 1,657; Part day, 1,9474

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
2 years, 9 months by September 1

Maximum age for eligibility:
5 by January 1

Kindergarten eligibility age:
5 by January 1

Does state policy allow any exceptions to the age requirement for prekindergarten or kindergarten eligibility?
Yes5

State policy on enrolling children in state pre-K when they are eligible for kindergarten:
Kindergarten age-eligible children may enroll in pre-K at local program’s discretion5

Aside from age, how is eligibility determined for individual children for this state prekindergarten initiative?
All age-eligible children in districts offering the program, or in the entire state, may enroll6

What was the state-specified income requirement during the 2013-14 program year?
No income requirement

To whom, or to what percentage of children, does the income requirement apply?

Is there a sliding payment scale based on income?
Yes

Is child eligibility for this state prekindergarten initiative ever reassessed after a child has been enrolled in the program?
Yes7

Risk Factors

Risk factors besides income that can be used to determine eligibility:
Not applicable

How many of the specified risk factors must be present for eligibility?
NA

How do these risk factors relate to the income cutoff for the state pre-K program?
No income requirement

Class Sizes

Maximum class size:
3- and 4-year-olds, 208

Staff-child ratio requirement:
3- and 4-year-olds, 1 to 10

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
CDA (public and nonpublic)12

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public and nonpublic: CDA plus 12 EC credits (PreK 3- and 4-year olds)12

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
HSD, 18%; CDA, 7%; AA, 21%; BA, 33%; MA, 11%; EC CT State Certification Data, 9%; 1-year certificate in ECE, 1%

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 totals:
HSD, 291; CDA, 110; AA, 344; BA, 534; MA, 171; EC CT State Certification Data, 142; 1-year certificate in ECE, 1913

Teacher in-service requirement:
9 clock hours per year14

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
No minimum degree required (public and nonpublic)

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
None

Services

Meal requirement:
Depends on length of program day9

Support services for English Language Learners and families:
State policy does not regulate services for English Language Learners10

Support services required for all programs:
Parent education or job training; Parenting support or training; Parent involvement activities; Parent health services; Child health services; Nutrition information; Referral for social services; Transition to K activities; Parent conferences and/or home visits; Other support services locally determined; Other; Family literacy and support of dual language learners

Regulations

Screening and referral requirements:
Required: Vision; Hearing; Height/Weight/BMI; Blood pressure; Immunizations; Psychological/Behavioral; Full physical exam; Developmental; Dental

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS)

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
http://ct.gov/oec/cwp/view.asp?a=4541&q=53672611

Funding

Days per week the state prekindergarten initiative is funded to operate using state funds:
5 days per week4

Annual operating schedule for this state-funded prekindergarten initiative:
Determined locally4

Actual fiscal year 2014 spending for this state prekindergarten initiative:
$106,300,555

All funding sources:
State, $82,742,716; Non-required local, $23,557,83915

State funding sources and amounts:
General fund, $81,642,118; Quality Counts, $1,100,59815

Federal funding sources and amounts:
USDA CACFP, amount not reported15

Is funding for this state prekindergarten initiative determined by a school funding or state aid formula?
Yes16

Agencies eligible to receive funding directly:
Other settings: Municipalities, Towns, School Districts17

Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers, Other settings: Regional Education Service Centers (RESCs)17

Is there a required local match for this program?
No

Select a state program to view details.


Connecticut Footnotes

  1. As of July 1, 2013, the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) was the new agency exercising administrative authority over this state prekindergarten initiative.
  2. Of the 67 communities, 19 are priority school districts as defined by legislation and 48 are competitive municipalities. The 19 priority school districts are not required to participate, but funds are available to all eligible districts. Competitive grants are available to municipalities that have one or more schools in which 40 percent or more of the children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch or are one of the communities identified within the 50 lowest wealth ranked towns in the state.
  3. Enrollment figures were collected in October 2013 before enrollment had reached capacity. Any birth date entered for a child under 3 or over 5 years of age is not collected in the age category. Enrollment totals reflect children who are primarily funded by state pre-K dollars. Children can have a secondary source of pre-K funding. Totals include children in Care4Kids, a state subsidy. All enrollment figures are a self-reported system and not all programs participate. This system has been used in past years.
  4. The database used to report enrollment by operating schedule is not the same as used to report total enrollment figures. Hours vary by program. Extended-day programs operate 10 hours, 50 weeks per year, while school-day programs are 6 hours, 180 days per year. Children must be in need of at least 6 hours of care to qualify for an extended-day space and 5 hours of care to be eligible for a school-day space. Part-day programs operate 2.5 to 5.5 hours, 180 days per year. Funding from another source can be used to extend existing programs into extended-day programs. The minimum requirement is 2.5 hours per day for 450 hours per year.
  5. Communities may allow a small number of kindergarten-eligible children to remain in the program (up to 5 percent of the total served) if the child has been enrolled in the School Readiness program for one year and if the parent or guardian, School Readiness provider, and the local or regional school district agree that the child will not enter kindergarten.
  6. All families regardless of income levels can apply for School Readiness spaces in competitive and priority municipalities; however, 60 percent of children enrolled in each municipality must meet the income guideline of at or below 75 percent SMI.
  7. All children remain eligible for the program but the fee is reassessed annually and residency is verified. Parent fees can change mid-year depending on change in income and family size, though programs work with families to keep the child in the program. Children may no longer be eligible for the program if they no longer reside in the town that offers School Readiness or are over age.
  8. The School Readiness program encourages a class size of 18.
  9. Programs are required to serve one snack to children who attend fewer than 5 hours per day and one snack plus one meal to children in class for 5 to 8 hours per day. Children attending more than 8 hours per day must be provided one snack and two meals or two snacks and one meal. Either the program or the parent may provide the food.
  10. It is strongly suggested that programs provide a staff member or volunteer who speaks the child’s home language.
  11. The new CT Early Learning & Development Standards 0-5, aligned with the Common Core, are in effect as of Fall 2013 and also include Creative Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and supplemental Dual Language Development framework.
  12. Lead teachers in public and nonpublic schools under the School Readiness grant must have at least a CDA and 12 early childhood credits. By 2015, 50 percent of lead teachers must hold a BA and 50 percent must hold an AA specific to early childhood. By 2020, 100 percent of lead teachers must hold a BA. It is not mandatory for public schools to apply for or offer the School Readiness program; therefore the public schools only need to follow grant requirements if they are grant-funded.
  13. Some programs may have reported a teaching staff member as “classroom teacher” in the Registry despite them not being the qualified teacher, leading to a potential overcount. Additionally, teachers with higher credentials may be reported at a lower degree level (ie, HSD) if they have not yet submitted all credential paperwork for the Registry.
  14. All School Readiness staff must complete two 3-hour annual trainings in early childhood education and one 3-or-more-hours annual training in serving children with disabilities. They must also document training in emerging literacy and in diversity in the classroom. Most centers are licensed by the Office of Early Childhood, which requires annual training in medical administration, First Aid, and nutrition.
  15. State sources include appropriation for slot dollars, parent fee subsidies, and quality enhancement funds. Non-required local sources include parent fees, Care4Kids, and community contribution toward administrative costs. Individual sites may receive federal CACFP funding but that information is not collected.
  16. For priority districts, the funding level is based on previous year’s slot capacity and local requests for proposals addressing ability to increase capacity. The appropriation is set by the state. Competitive School Readiness communities receive a legislated flat rate.
  17. Municipalities, Regional Education Service Centers (RESCs), and school districts have fiduciary responsibility but may contract with a variety of other agencies to provide the program including Head Start, Private agencies, RESCs, public schools and faith-based centers.