General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
West Virginia Universal Pre-K

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
Office of Early Learning; Division of Early Care and Education1

Availability of program:
55 out of 55 school districts (100%)

Are districts, counties, or towns in West Virginia required to offer this pre-kindergarten initiative?
Required for all

Hours of operation per day:
Determined locally, minimum of 14 hours/week4

Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
Yes, Head Start providers and child care centers4

Enrollment

Fall 2013, Total children:
16,834

Fall 2011, by age:
62 under age 3; 2,306 3-year-olds; 14,043 4-year-olds; 423 5-year-olds2

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 16,8343

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
School day, 14,140; Part day, 2,694

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
4 by September 1

Maximum age for eligibility:
5 by September 1

Kindergarten eligibility age:
5 by September 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 discretion

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 enroll

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?
No

Is child eligibility for this state prekindergarten initiative ever reassessed after a child has been enrolled in the program?
No

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, 206

Staff-child ratio requirement:
3- and 4-year-olds, 1 to 106

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
BA (public and nonpublic)9

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public: EC Endorsement (PK/K) (PK and K); Preschool Special Needs (PSN) (PreK); Nonpublic: Community Program Permanent Authorization (PreK)

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
Breakdown not available

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 totals:
Breakdown not available

Teacher in-service requirement:
15 clock hours per year

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
HSD or Equivalent (public and nonpublic)10

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
None10

Services

Meal requirement:
At least one meal7

Support services for English Language Learners and families:
Professional development or coaching is provided for teachers; Programs are required to screen and assess all children; A home language survey is sent home at the beginning of the school year; Information must be presented to parents in their primary language; A systematic, written plan must be in place on how to work with English Language Learners

Support services required for all programs:
Transition to K activities; Parent conferences and/or home visits

Regulations

Screening and referral requirements:
Required: Vision; Hearing; Height/Weight/BMI; Blood pressure; Immunizations; Psychological/Behavioral; Full physical exam; Developmental; Dental; Locally determined: Other8

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
WVBE Policy 2520.15 – West Virginia Early Learning Standards Framework

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
http://wvde.state.wv.us/policies/

Funding

Days per week the state prekindergarten initiative is funded to operate using state funds:
Determined locally, 4 or 5 days/week is permissible4

Annual operating schedule for this state-funded prekindergarten initiative:
Academic year4

Actual fiscal year 2014 spending for this state prekindergarten initiative:
$148,123,624

All funding sources:
State, $91,001,199; Federal, $55,660,352; Non-required local, $1,462,073

State funding sources and amounts:
State Aid Formula, $91,001,199

Federal funding sources and amounts:
Title 1, $105,128; IDEA, $3,203,672; Head Start, $46,283,025; TANF/Child Care, $6,068,527

Is funding for this state prekindergarten initiative determined by a school funding or state aid formula?
Yes11

Agencies eligible to receive funding directly:
Public schools

Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers

Is there a required local match for this program?
No

Select a state program to view details.


West Virginia Footnotes

  1. West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) is responsible for the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) Policy 2525 overseeing universal pre-K; however the WVDE Office of Early Learning works collaboratively with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) and the West Virginia Head Start State Collaboration Office to implement WVBE Policy 2525.
  2. The West Virginia Education Information System (WVEIS) made adjustments to 2nd month head count calculations for SY14, resulting in a cleaner data set. The adjustments did not impact total enrollment, but made it possible to more clearly calculate 4 yr. olds and 3 yr. olds in the WV Pre-K System, in particular those in community partnerships. Additionally, the WVEIS system allows us to determine and exclude three-year-old Head Start enrollees present in the pre-k, but only federally funded.
  3. In West Virginia’s collaborative pre-K model, all students are considered enrolled in public settings.
  4. Programs must operate for at least 14 hours per week, and at least 128 instructional days. Beginning 2016 – 2017 all programs must operate full-day, five days per week. Full-day is defined as 25 or more hours per week (300 mins per day). Program length is determined by the county early childhood collaborative team and approved by the WVDE and WVDHHR annually. In the 2013 – 2014 school year, 85 percent operated 4 days per week and 15 percent operated 5 days per week; 84 percent of classrooms operated a school-day and 16 percent operated a part-day. WV Universal Pre-K allows collaboration with Head Start and child care centers in order for pre-K to be offered and options for extended day for families.
  5. Three-year-olds with special needs may attend state pre-K. Some special exceptions are made for kindergarten age-eligible children with documented need.
  6. The maximum class size is 20 children as long as a minimum of 35 square feet per child is available. The maximum staff-child ratio is 1:10; however, 2 adults must be present with children regardless of group size.
  7. Breakfast and/or lunch are required regardless of the number of hours a program operates per day, but which one is served depends on the time of day for the program. Part-day programs must offer one, and school-day programs typically offer both. Snacks are provided depending on the meal pattern.
  8. Full physical exam must examine neurological, head, eyes, nose, lungs, abdomen, back, strabismus, ears, heart, skin, reflexes, neck, throat, and pulse.
  9. Beginning August 2013, all newly hired teachers in nonpublic settings must have a minimum of a BA in early childhood or a related field.
  10. Beginning July 1, 2014 all assistant teachers must have a CDA or equivalent determined by the WVBE.
  11. Children enrolled in West Virginia Pre-K generate state aid funding the same as K–12, depending on instructional hours.
  12. County collaborative early childhood teams submit comprehensive information on fiscal data, ECERS-R data, professional development, standards, curriculum implementation, and changes to the approved county program structure annually. Documentation of children’s learning and/or child outcomes was revised during the 2010-2011 school year and, as of the 2011-2012 school year, all programs now use the Early Learning Scale as well as health data for children’s learning and/or child outcomes.
  13. Early Learning Scale
  14. Beginning in 2011, policy revisions established a new comprehensive child assessment system using the Early Learning Scale, health data, and additional formative assessment of the state’s early learning standards.
  15. Beginning 2014-15, all kindergarten programs will begin Kindergarten reporting system, similar to pre-k, to assess children’s learning and development during the kindergarten year.