General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
D.C. Public Pre-K

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)1

Availability of program:
1 out of 1 school districts (100%)2

Are districts, counties, or towns in the District of Columbia required to offer this pre-kindergarten initiative?
No, optional

Hours of operation per day:
School day, 8 hours/day5

Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
Yes5

Enrollment

Fall 2013, Total children:
12,426

Fall 2011, by age:
286 under age 3; 5,364 3-year-olds; 6,616 4-year-olds; 160 5-year-olds3

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 11,855; Nonpublic schools, 5714

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
School day, 12,426

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
3 by September 20

Maximum age for eligibility:
4 by September 30

Kindergarten eligibility age:
5 by September 30

Does state policy allow any exceptions to the age requirement for prekindergarten or kindergarten eligibility?
Yes6

State policy on enrolling children in state pre-K when they are eligible for kindergarten:
State policy does not regulate the enrollment of kindergarten age-eligible children in pre-K

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-year-olds, 16; 4-year-olds, 207

Staff-child ratio requirement:
3-year-olds, 2 to 16; 4-year-olds, 2 to 207

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
BA (public and nonpublic)

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public: EC (Pre-K – 3); Montessori Primary (Pre-K – 3); EC SpEd (Pre-K – 3)

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
BA, 100%

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

Teacher in-service requirement:
40 clock hours per year

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
CDA (public and nonpublic)11

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
Public and nonpublic: CDA11

Services

Meal requirement:
Breakfast; Lunch8

Support services for English Language Learners and families:
Bilingual non-English classes are permitted in pre-K; 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 language10

Support services required for all programs:
Parent involvement activities; Transition to K activities; Parent conferences and/or home visits; Other support services locally determined

Regulations

Screening and referral requirements:
Required: Vision; Hearing; Height/Weight/BMI; Blood pressure; Immunizations; Psychological/Behavioral; Full physical exam; Developmental; Dental9

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
District of Columbia Early Learning Standards 2012

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
http://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/DC%20Early%20Learning%20Standards2013.pdf

Funding

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

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

Actual fiscal year 2014 spending for this state prekindergarten initiative:
$217,422,643

All funding sources:
State, $191,016,442; Federal, $26,406,20112

State funding sources and amounts:
District funds, $191,016,442

Federal funding sources and amounts:
Head Start, $26,406,201; CCDF, TANF, amounts not reported

Is funding for this state prekindergarten initiative determined by a school funding or state aid formula?
Yes12

Agencies eligible to receive funding directly:
Public schoolsPrivate CC, Faith-based centers

Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers, Family CC13

Is there a required local match for this program?
No

Select a state program to view details.


District of Columbia Footnotes

  1. While the Office of the State Superintendent maintains administrative control over the program in all sectors, the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the D.C. Public Charter School Board (PCSB) bears some responsibility in administering the programs in their respective settings
  2. All elementary schools in DCPS and PCS offer pre-K for age eligible students. Additionally, the pre-K grant is available to highly qualified community-based organizations that are awarded funds through a competitive grant process. The Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2008 established a 5-year strategic expansion plan to make prekindergarten universally available and to establish eligibility and priority criteria for enrollment in prekindergarten. DC Public Charter Schools that are approved by way of their charters to provide pre-K may offer it to all age-eligible students who are D.C. residents.
  3. While the program is intended for 3- and 4-year-olds, many children under age 3 are served by charter schools opting for a December cutoff date; these children would be counted as under age 3 during the October census.
  4. The 11,855 is for DC Public Schools and Public Charter Schools. There were 571 students in the Pre-K Incentive CBOs, totaling the 12,426.
  5. In 2013-14, before- and after-school services are provided by a mixed delivery system, consisting of CCDF funds covering this service in the public schools, as well as public Pre-K students attending this service at childcare centers and homes.
  6. A small number of LEAs and CBOs use the age cut off date of December 31, 2013.
  7. For mixed-age groups, the maximum is 16 for class size and 2:16 for staff-child ratio.
  8. The DC Healthy Schools Act requires the provision of both breakfast and lunch. Childcare licensing mandates two meals and a snack for a school-day program, defined as 7 hours.
  9. Health exams are provided directly in some, but not all, programs. All students must have a completed DC Universal Health Certificate, completed by the health provider, and must verify screenings for vision, hearing, health, dental, language/speech, developmental/behavioral, height/weight/BMI, and completion of immunizations.
  10. All public Pre-K students are assessed using DC’s ELL assessment, ACCESS.
  11. In public settings, an assistant teacher must have an AA, 48 college credit hours, or have passed the paraprofessional exam, which is a basic skills test. It is not required that the degree be in ECE. For nonpublic assistant teachers, they must be enrolled at the time of employment in an early education degree program.
  12. District-level funding for the D.C. Pre-K Program totaled $175,096,000 across all DCPS, Charters, and CBOs. Programs receive the same per-pupil amount regardless of the setting where children are served. Spending is based on the per-pupil funding formula of $12,470 per 3-year-old and $12,098 per 4-year-old with adjustments for special education and limited English proficiency students, as well as the Charter school facilities allowance.
  13. Charter schools can contract with public schools, Head Start, private agencies, faith-based settings, and private child care centers.