Why Montessori / The State of Preschool Education

New Jersey | Former Early Launch to Learning Initiative

General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
New Jersey Former Early Launch to Learning Initiative

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
Division of Early Childhood Education; Division of Family Development; Department of Children and Families, Office of Licensing1

Availability of program:
24 out of 590 school districts (4%)2

Are districts, counties, or towns in New Jersey required to offer this pre-kindergarten initiative?
No, competitive

Hours of operation per day:
School day, 6 hours/day; Part day, 2.5 hours/day or more5

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:
602

Fall 2011, by age:
602 4-year-olds3

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 602

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
School day, 297; Part day, 3053

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
3 by locally determined date

Maximum age for eligibility:
4 by locally determined date

Kindergarten eligibility age:
5 by locally determined date

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:
Kindergarten age-eligible children with documented disabilities may enroll in pre-K6

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 age7

What was the state-specified income requirement during the 2013-14 program year?
Eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or 185% FPL7

To whom, or to what percentage of children, does the income requirement apply?
All children, unless an exception is granted by district

Is there a sliding payment scale based on income?
No7

Is child eligibility for this state prekindergarten initiative ever reassessed after a child has been enrolled in the program?
Yes8

Risk Factors

Risk factors besides income that can be used to determine eligibility:
Locally determined risk factors7

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 requirement7

Class Sizes

Maximum class size:
4-year-olds, 20

Staff-child ratio requirement:
3- and 4-year-olds, 1 to 9

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
BA (public and nonpublic)

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public and nonpublic: P-3 certificate (P-3); KÐ5 certificate (K-5); Teacher of Students with Disabilities (P-12); Teacher of the Deaf or Hard of Hearing; Handicapped; or Blind/Partially Sighted (P-12); Nursery school (P-K)12

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
BA, 74%; MA, 26%

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 totals:
BA, 40; MA, 14

Teacher in-service requirement:
100 clock hours per 5 years

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
HSD or Equivalent (public and nonpublic)13

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
None

Services

Meal requirement:
Depends on length of program day9

Support services for English Language Learners and families:
Bilingual non-English classes are permitted in pre-K; Monolingual 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 language; A systematic, written plan must be in place on how to work with English Language Learners; Translators or bilingual staff are available if children do not speak English;10

Support services required for all programs:
Parent involvement activities; Child health services; Nutrition information; Transition to K activities; Parent conferences and/or home visits

 

Regulations

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

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/ece/guide/11

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 year5

Actual fiscal year 2014 spending for this state prekindergarten initiative:
$2,280,300

All funding sources:
State, $2,280,300

State funding sources and amounts:
State Preschool Education Aid Funds, $2,280,300

Federal funding sources and amounts:
TANF, IDEA, Title I, CACFP/NSLP/NSBP, Head Start, amounts not reported

Is funding for this state prekindergarten initiative determined by a school funding or state aid formula?
Yes14

Agencies eligible to receive funding directly:
Public schools

Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers15

Is there a required local match for this program?
Yes16

Select a state program to view details.


New Jersey | Former Early Launch to Learning Initiative Footnotes

  1. Primary oversight for the preschool education program is through the state Department of Education’s (DOE) Division of Early Childhood Education. The Department of Children and Families oversees licensing of private preschool providers. The Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development oversees the before- and after-school portion of the preschool program. Coordination occurs with the Head Start State Collaboration Office, which is housed in DOE.
  2. Nine of the 24 districts also receive funding as former ECPA districts.
  3. Enrollment figures represent general education students only. These districts also reported serving 117 3-year-olds who are not funded with state dollars and were not included in the total enrollment. This also reflects only the districts that do not receive funding through the former ECPA program, so as not to double count any students.
  4. Children who receive special education services must be included in classrooms with the above counted children; however, those special education children are funded separately and are not included in the reported count.
  5. Some programs are part-day, some programs are school-day, and some programs offer a combination of both. Some programs participate in DHS’s wraparound programs for before- and after-care.
  6. Some programs are part-day, some programs are school-day, and some programs offer a combination of both. Some programs participate in DHS’s wraparound programs for before- and after-care. The DOE funds the program for the school calendar year. If the district/provider runs a wrap-around program through DHS, the program would then extend services for the full calendar year.
  7. An additional 117 3-year-olds were served in ELLI classrooms but were funded through local or private sources and are not included in the total count.
  8. Some programs are part-day, some programs are school-day, and some programs offer a combination of both. Some programs participate in DHS’s wraparound programs for before- and after-care. The DOE funds the program for the school calendar year. If the district/provider runs a wrap-around program through DHS, the program would then extend services for the full calendar year.
  9. Kindergarten-age eligible children with an IEP that requires enrollment in a preschool program may enroll in the program but are funded through special education.
  10. In addition to children needing to qualify for free and reduced-price lunch and being a resident of the district, districts may allow for other students in unusual circumstances to be eligible for the program. A district may make a case for establishing eligibility based on extenuating circumstances when submitting its annual plan.
  11. Only district residents are eligible for the program. Children who move outside of the district would no longer be eligible to attend the program. Districts continually monitor to ensure that children are still district residents and therefore still eligible for the program.
  12. Breakfast, lunch, and snack are required for at-risk students in school- and extended-day programs. Although not specified in the Early Childhood Administrative Code, meals provided in school programs have to meet USDA guidelines. Provision of meals is not addressed for part-day programs.
  13. Bilingual classes are encouraged.
  14. Alignment with Common Core State Standards was completed in 2013
  15. Teachers with a Standard Elementary School Endorsement (Preschool through grade 8) may teach preschool if they have an equivalent of two academic years of full-time experience teaching 3- and 4-year-olds or demonstrate content knowledge in line with a district’s established documentation requirement. Additionally, teachers with the following certifications may apply for preschool licensure, take the Praxis exam, and begin the process of obtaining a P–3 certificate: K–5 certificate, out-of-state certificate that includes preschool, Teacher of the Blind or Partially Sighted, Teacher of the Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Teacher of the Handicapped certificate, or Teacher of Students with Disabilities certificate. Nursery school (P–K) is no longer granted but still recognized for current holders.
  16. In districts or schools supported by Title I funding, assistant teachers are required to meet the education/degree requirements specified.
  17. All state funding is technically run from the state aid formula. However, for the 2013-2014 school year, funding for these districts was kept the same as in prior years, which was not according to the funding formula.
  18. School districts are permitted to subcontract with faith-based programs without religious content.
  19. Districts must use local funds or charge tuition to serve regular income general education students and must also use special education funding to serve children with IEPs.
  20. Districts are required to do an annual self-assessment and are also required to use a curriculum that includes performance-based assessment measures. However, the results of these assessments are not collected by the state.
  21. Performance-based assessment; district-needs assessment; annual program evaluation
  22. TS GOLD was used with pilot districts in 2013 – 2014. The first cohort began in 2014 – 2015 with statewide implementation anticipated to be complete within 5 – 6 years.