Why Montessori / The State of Preschool Education

Louisiana | Non-Public Early Childhood

General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
Louisiana Non-Public Schools Early Childhood Development Program

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
Louisiana Department of Education1

Availability of program:
15 out of 64 counties/parishes (23%)2

Are districts, counties, or towns in Louisiana required to offer this pre-kindergarten initiative?
No, competitive2

Hours of operation per day:
Extended day, 10 hours/day5

Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
No5

Enrollment

Fall 2013, Total children:
1,283

Fall 2011, by age:
1,283 4-year-olds3

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 0; Nonpublic schools, 1,2834

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
Extended day, 1,283

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
4 by September 30

Maximum age for eligibility:
5 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?
No

State policy on enrolling children in state pre-K when they are eligible for kindergarten:
Children may not enroll in pre-K if they are age-eligible for kindergarten

Aside from age, how is eligibility determined for individual children for this state prekindergarten initiative?
Eligibility is determined by individual child or family characteristics in addition to age

What was the state-specified income requirement during the 2013-14 program year?
Eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or 185% FPL6

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

Is there a sliding payment scale based on income?
No6

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?
Meeting the income cutoff can count as one of the risk factors

Class Sizes

Maximum class size:
4-year-olds, 207

Staff-child ratio requirement:
4-year-olds, 1 to 107

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
BA (nonpublic)11

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Nonpublic: Early Interventionist (3 years-K); Nursery School (3-5 years); Kindergarten (5 years); PK-3 (4 Years – 3rd grade); Noncategorical preschool handicapped (3-5 years)11

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
BA, 72.5%; MA, 26.25%; Other, 1.25%

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 totals:
BA, 58; MA, 21; Other, 112

Teacher in-service requirement:
18 clock hours per year

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
CDA (nonpublic)13

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
Public: CDA or AA (Preschool)13

Services

Meal requirement:
Breakfast; Lunch; Snack

Support services for English Language Learners and families:
Bilingual non-English classes are permitted in pre-K; A home language survey is sent home at the beginning of the school year; Other; School programs with large ELL populations perform screenings and assessment on a local level and address each childÕs needs individually

Support services required for all programs:
Parenting support or training; Parent involvement activities; Child health services; Referral for social services; Transition to K activities; Parent conferences and/or home visits; Other support services locally determined9

 

Regulations

Screening and referral requirements:
Required: Vision; Hearing; Height/Weight/BMI; Immunizations; Psychological/Behavioral; Other; Locally determined: Blood pressure; Full physical exam; Developmental; Dental8

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
LouisianaÕs Birth to Five Early Learning & Development Standards (ELDS)

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
http://www.louisianabelieves.com/docs/academic-standards/early-childhood—birth-to-five-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=710

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:
$7,184,800

All funding sources:
State, $7,184,800

State funding sources and amounts:
State General Funds, $7,184,800

Federal funding sources and amounts:
None

Is funding for this state prekindergarten initiative determined by a school funding or state aid formula?
No

Agencies eligible to receive funding directly:
Private CC, Faith-based centers, Other settings: BESE Approved Nonpublic Schools14

Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers14

Is there a required local match for this program?
No

Select a state program to view details.


Louisiana | Non-Public Early Childhood Footnotes

  1. In accordance with Act 3 of 2012, the NSECD Program was transferred from the Governor’s Office to the Louisiana Department of Education.
  2. The NSECD Provider Application period is open to all state-approved nonpublic schools and quality rated child care centers statewide. Due to funding limitations, the Department priortizes slot allocation to schools and centers located in parishes found to be in greatest need based upon the Early Childhood Risk and Reach Report, the most recent copy of which can be found here: http://www.lsutuearlychildhood.org/EarlyChildhoodRiskLA_Fall2012.pdf. In addition, a scoring mechanism is used that prioritizes incumbent providers with a history of compliance, new programs in parishes of need participating in the Louisiana Community Network Pilot Program, new programs in non-pilot parishes of need with no existing NSECD providers.
  3. The reported figure represents funded slots.
  4. The Louisiana Department of Education is responsible for administering the program and partnered with nonpublic schools, parochial schools, private schools, and quality-rated Class A child care programs to provide services.
  5. The 10-hour day is structured with 6 hours of instruction and 4 hours of enrichment (i.e., before and after care).
  6. With the implementation of Act 3, all state-funded early childhood programs have adopted common income requirements.
  7. Each class of 20 students is required to have a teacher and teacher assistant. The program approval process mandates providers to follow either NAEYC criteria or NIEER’s quality benchmarks for staff-child ratio and maximum class size.
  8. Although speech screenings are locally determined, all providers have independently provided these for all the NSECD students during the 2013-2014 school year. In 2011-2012 the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals conducted a study related to childhood obesity in state pre-K programs requiring enrolled children to receive height and weight or BMI screening and referral.
  9. The NSECD has implemented a “Parental Involvement” report which allows providers to track parental engagement on a local level
  10. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved the new Birth to Five Early Learning and Development Standards in April 2013. Creative Arts Standards are also contained in the Louisiana standards. English Language Arts and Math standards were aligned in 2011 with the Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten; Science and Social Studies standards were also revised.
  11. All NSECD administrators, teachers and teacher assistants are required to complete the NSECD Foundation/Curriculum Development training in addition to completing 18 clock hours of professional development. Trainings are conducted through webinars or on-site as needed or requested by each provider.
  12. Of the 80 total lead teachers, 63 were Early Childhood certified, including 18 with Master’s or above. 10 were Elementary grade certified, one of whom held a Ph.D. Seven lead teachers had a Bachelor’s degree and satisfactory Praxis score, including three with Master’s Degrees.
  13. New NSECD teacher assistants must be certified with at least a CDA or AA or higher in Early Childhood, Education, or Family Studies. Incumbent NSECD teacher assistants who are not state-certified must be enrolled in a CDA Program or Early Childhood associate degree program, be continually enrolled, and complete the certification within three years of hire date. In the 2013-2014 school year, assistant teacher degree breakdown was: 26 percent incumbent staff pursuing certification; 46 percent CDA; 18 percent AA; 9 percent BA; 3 percent MA or above.
  14. In 2012, Act 3 was enacted to promote and support collaborative mixed model delivery to assist programs in rural communities. Nonpublic and parochial schools must be licensed by the Louisiana Department of Education and adhere to the NSECD standards. Agencies are not allowed to combine funds with other funding streams (i.e., Title I, Head Start, or LA4) for NSECD students; however agencies are allowed to serve multiple populations within a site.