General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
Office of Curriculum and Instruction

Availability of program:
135 out of 135 school districts (100%)

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

Hours of operation per day:
School day, 5.5 hours/day3

Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
No3

Enrollment

Fall 2013, Total children:
18,609

Fall 2011, by age:
601 3-year-olds; 17,893 4-year-olds; 115 5-year-olds1

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 18,6093

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
School day, 18,6093

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
4 by August 31

Maximum age for eligibility:
5 by August 31

Kindergarten eligibility age:
5 by August 31

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:
Kindergarten age-eligible children with documented disabilities may enroll in pre-K4

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% FPL

To whom, or to what percentage of children, does the income requirement apply?
All children as first priority for enrollment.

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:
Child disability or developmental delay; Low parental education level; History of abuse, neglect, or family violence; Homelessness or unstable housing; Non-English speaking family members; Parental substance abuse; Teen parent; Low birth weight or other child health risk; Child history of foster care; Parental active military duty; Locally determined risk factors5

How many of the specified risk factors must be present for eligibility?
1 or more determined locally5

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 factors5

Class Sizes

Maximum class size:
3-year-olds, 16; 4-year-olds, 206

Staff-child ratio requirement:
3-year-olds, 1 to 8; 4-year-olds, 1 to10

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
BA (public and nonpublic)

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public and nonpublic: Pre-K-Grade 3 (Birth-3rd Grade); PreK- 4th Grade (Birth-4th Grade); Pre-K-K (Birth to K, General and SpEd); EC SpEd Pre-K-1 (Birth-1st Grade (SpEd)); SpEd Pre-K-3 (B-3rd(SpEd))9

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
BA, 51%; MA, 44%; Other, 5%

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 totals:
BA, 483; MA, 417; Other, 4810

Teacher in-service requirement:
18 clock hours per year11

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
None (public and nonpublic)12

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
None12

Services

Meal requirement:
Lunch and either Breakfast or Snack

Support services for English Language Learners and families:
State policy does not regulate services for English Language Learners7

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

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
Revised Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards for 4 year olds

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
http://www.tennessee.gov/education/standards/early_learning/TNELDS_4yearolds.pdf8

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:
$109,692,829

All funding sources:
State, $85,807,267; Required local, $23,885,562

State funding sources and amounts:
General Revenue funds, $85,807,267

Federal funding sources and amounts:
Head Start, Title I, IDEA (619), amounts not reported

Is funding for this state prekindergarten initiative determined by a school funding or state aid formula?
Yes13

Agencies eligible to receive funding directly:
Public schools

Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers, Other settings: Institutions of Higher Education, Housing Authorities, Adult Learning Centers14

Is there a required local match for this program?
Yes13

Select a state program to view details.


Tennessee Footnotes

  1. Accurate figures for 2013-14 are unavailable. Figures reported are based on 2011-12 enrollment. Figures are reflective of the program since there was no increase in program slots.
  2. Children with IEPs are considered for enrollment in the VPK program after ensuring all income-eligible students are enrolled as a priority. All special education students are enrolled in VPK and participate 5 days a week, 5.5 hours a day. All 3-year-olds with IEPs are enrolled in PILOT VPK classes, which are allowed to serve both 3- and 4-yearold students. Five-year-olds can enroll if their IEPs indicate the pre-K setting is the most appropriate program to meet IEP goals.
  3. Enrollment figures for 2013-14 are unavailable; reported figures used for analysis based on 2011 – 2012 data. All classrooms are funded through the LEA and are the responsibility of the LEA to ensure each classroom meets the requirements of the program regardless of location. While the LEA has administrative responsibility for all children, there are several children served in non public school facilities.
  4. Naptime cannot be counted in the 5.5 hour minimum
  5. Enrollment figures for 2013 – 2014 are unavailable; reported figures used for analysis based on 2011 – 2012 data. All classrooms are funded through the LEA and are the responsibility of the LEA to ensure each classroom meets the requirements of the program regardless of location. Naptime cannot be counted in the 5.5 hour minimum
  6. Tennessee passed legislation in 2012 that changes the birthdate requirement for pre-K and kindergarten from turning 4 or 5 on September 30 to August 31 for the 2013-14 school year. Pilot pre-K programs may also serve children who are 3 years old by August 31. Five-year-olds may participate if they have an IEP which identifies placement in a pre-K setting as the most appropriate program to meet the goals set out in the IEP. Request for enrollment is made to the Department of Education for approval before the child is enrolled in VPK program.
  7. Tennessee has a three-tier eligibility system. Tier 1 includes children whose income would qualify them for free or reduced-price lunch as well as children who are homeless or in foster care. The second tier includes students with an IEP, a history of abuse or neglect, or who are English Language Learners. The third tier includes locally determined factors, which include (among other possibilities) parents with low education levels, parental substance abuse, risk that child will not be ready for kindergarten, teen parent, low birth weight or other health risk, or a parent on active military duty.
  8. In mixed-age groups, a maximum of eight 3-year-olds can be in the class with 12 4-year-olds. If there are nine or more 3-year-olds, the classroom capacity is 16 students.
  9. The state regulates ELL services for K–12 students but because pre-K is not mandatory, LEAs are not required to provide ELL services. However, all programs include pre-K children in ELL screening and do provide some level of service as appropriate. Although no policy requires services for pre-K, there are opportunities for professional development afforded to pre-K teachers, information is presented to families in primary language, and translators are made available when needed.
  10. The revised standards are aligned with the Kindergarten Common Core State Standards in both Math and English Language Arts. Other developmental and content areas align with state standards for kindergarten. Creative Arts are also part of state early learning standards in addition to the subject areas listed.
  11. The transitional license is for teachers with a BA but no license. Waivers are available for teachers with a license but not in pre-K. Teachers with a transitional license or waiver must complete requirements in two years. Interim B teachers have completed required coursework for license but have not passed all required Praxis tests. The Pre-K–4 and Pre-K–1 endorsements are no longer issued but are still accepted for pre-K teachers in public and nonpublic settings. Currently, 14 teachers are on transitional license or waiver; 34 teachers have doctorate.
  12. 14 teachers are on transitional license or waiver; 34 teachers have doctorate.
  13. All lead teachers working in schools must meet the state requirement of 30 hours of in-service credit per year. The 18 hours required in early childhood may be included in the 30 hours. For assistant teachers, 18 clock hours are required the first year of employment and 12 clock hours are required in the following years.
  14. State law passed in 2005-2006 requires at least one educational assistant per classroom to hold a CDA, or AA, or actively work toward such credentials. If no person with such credentials is available, state law allows a person with a high school degree and relevant experience working with pre-K children or other early childhood programs to be employed. Assistants must demonstrate progress toward completion of a CDA to be rehired. Fifty-three percent of all assistant teachers have a CDA credential or higher level of education. There is no degree requirement for assistant teachers but they are required to receive a minimum of 12 hours of state approved professional development on ECERS, ELLCO, Personal Safety, Tennessee Early Learning Development Standards, Child care rules and regulations, and Social Emotional Learning Foundations. Training may occur prior to or during employment.
  15. The LEA is required to provide a local match; however, the local match does not have to be in actual dollars but can be in-kind (facilities, utilities, staffing, etc.). The Basic Education Plan (BEP) formula is used to determine state share and local match based on the county’s tax base. The average local match is approximately 21 percent of the cost of the classroom.
  16. State statute mandates that an LEA may contract only with those agencies that have received the highest star rating (three stars) from the Quality Rating System (QRS) administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS), the licensing agency for all child care programs. LEA classrooms are not required to participate in the QRS; however, all community-based and Head Start child care facilities monitored by DHS must have received the highest star rating in order to partner with the LEA.
  17. The LEA is required to provide a local match; however, the local match does not have to be in actual dollars and can be in-kind (facilities, utilities, staffing, etc.). The Basic Education Plan (BEP) formula is used to determine state share and local match based on the county’s tax base. The average local match is approximately 21 percent of the cost of the classroom.
  18. Program level outcomes are incorporated into a Plan of Action, which identifies areas of weakness found as a result of the ECERS-R and ELLCO. State statute mandates that an LEA may contract only with those agencies that have received the highest star rating (three stars) from the Quality Rating System (QRS) administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS), the licensing agency for all child care programs. LEA classrooms are not required to participate in the QRS; however, all community based and Head Start child care facilities monitored by DHS must have received the highest star rating in order to partner with the LEA.
  19. Program evaluators conduct a minimum of two visits per year to each classroom for compliance with health and safety rules. All education consultant positions were eliminated in May 2013. All self assessment documentation is submitted to the Director of Early Childhood programs.
  20. Peabody Research Institute at Vanderbilt University is involved in the fifth year of an ongoing study on the Effectiveness of the Voluntary Pre-K Program examining the impact of program characteristics on child outcomes to identify essential classroom qualities and resources and identify those with little or no impact on child outcomes that can be eliminated.
  21. Reports released last year revealed no differences in academic success between treatment and control group after kindergarten. There were some significant differences with retention and attendance. Peabody Research Institute secured a NIH grant which will allow them to continue following students in pre-K through middle school. Students in first cohort took the 3rd grade state comprehensive test along with all students in third grade. Results will be available in late winter or early spring 2015.
  22. Tool not specified
  23. Student achievement scores count as 15% of a teacher’s evaluation. 60% of evaluation is based on classroom observation and the remaining 25% is based on student growth which comes from either school wide growth scores or district wide growth scores from third grade.