General
Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
Ohio Early Childhood Education
State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
Office of Early Learning and School Readiness
Availability of program:
273 out of 611 school districts (45%)1
Are districts, counties, or towns in Ohio required to offer this pre-kindergarten initiative?
No, competitive grant program1
Hours of operation per day:
Determined locally, 12.5 hours minimum/ week3
Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
No
Enrollment
Fall 2013, Total children:
8,150
Fall 2011, by age:
162 under age 3; 2,199 3-year-olds; 4,772 4-year-olds; 1,017 5-year-olds2
Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 5,664; Nonpublic schools, 2,4862
Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
Breakdown not available
Eligibility
Minimum age for eligibility:
3 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?
Yes4
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 age5
What was the state-specified income requirement during the 2013-14 program year?
200% FPL5
To whom, or to what percentage of children, does the income requirement apply?
All children except those with IEPs. Family income is the determining factor for this program. The program is free for families up to 100 percent FPL. Families between 101 and 200 percent FPL may pay a fee based on the districtÕs sliding fee scale. Programs may offer services to children over 200 percent FPL, but those families pay full tuition.
Is there a sliding payment scale based on income?
Yes5
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:
3-year-olds, 24; 4-year-olds, 28
Staff-child ratio requirement:
3-year-olds, 1 to:12; 4-year-olds, 1 to 146
Teachers
Minimum teacher degree requirement:
AA (public and nonpublic)
Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public and nonpublic: PreK-3 (Prek-3); PreK; EC Intervention Specialist PK-3 (PK-3); K-3 or K-8 Certificate plus 4 courses in ECE or CD from accredited college (PK); PreK Associate (PK)8
Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
AA, 10%; BA, 42%; MA, 47%; Educational specialist, 1%
Education level of teachers during 2011-12 totals:
AA, 101; BA, 411; MA, 464; Educational specialist, 11
Teacher in-service requirement:
20 clock hours per 2 years9
Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
HSD or Equivalent (public and nonpublic)
Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
None
Services
Meal requirement:
Depends on length of program day7
Support services for English Language Learners and families:
State policy does not regulate services for English Language Learners
Support services required for all programs:
Parent involvement activitiesChild health services; Nutrition information; Referral for social services; Transition to K activities; Parent conferences and/or home visits;
Regulations
Screening and referral requirements:
Required: Vision; Hearing; Height/Weight/BMI; Immunizations; Psychological/Behavioral; Full physical exam; Developmental; Dental; Other, hemoglobin and lead; Locally determined: Blood pressure
State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
Ohio’s Early Learning and Development Standards; Ohio’s Early Learning Program Standards
For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Early-Learning/Early-Learning-Content-Standards http://earlychildhoodohio.org/sutq.php
Funding
Days per week the state prekindergarten initiative is funded to operate using state funds:
Determined locally, 12.5 hours/week
Annual operating schedule for this state-funded prekindergarten initiative:
Academic year
Actual fiscal year 2014 spending for this state prekindergarten initiative:
$32,602,974
All funding sources:
State, $32,602,974
State funding sources and amounts:
General revenue funds, $32,602,974
Federal funding sources and amounts:
Title I, amount not reported10
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, Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers12
Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers
Is there a required local match for this program?
No