Why Montessori / The State of Preschool Education

Vermont | Prekindergarten

General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
Vermont Prekindergarten Education – Act 62

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
Vermont Agency of Education; Agency of Human Services, Department for Children and Families;1

Availability of program:
228 out of 251 towns/communities (91%)

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

Hours of operation per day:
Determined locally4

Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
No4

Enrollment

Fall 2013, Total children:
6,843

Fall 2011, by age:
Breakdown not available2

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 6,8433

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
Determined locally, 6,843

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
3 by locally determined date

Maximum age for eligibility:
6 by locally determined date

Kindergarten eligibility age:
Locally determined

Does state policy allow any exceptions to the age requirement for prekindergarten or kindergarten eligibility?
Yes5

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-K; Kindergarten age-eligible children may enroll in pre-K at local program’s discretion; Kindergarten age-eligible children may enroll in pre-K and repeat the 4-year-old pre-K year5

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 enroll6

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- and 4-year-olds, 20

Staff-child ratio requirement:
3- and 4-year-olds, 1 to 10

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
BA (public); Meets child care requirements (nonpublic)10

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public: EC Educator (Birth-Grade 3); EC Special Educator (Birth through 5); ECE (limited); Nonpublic: AA, CDA, or Child Care post-secondary certificate (prek)10

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

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

Teacher in-service requirement:
9 credit hours per 7 years11

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
AA (public); HSD + 30 hours or 3-credit course in CD (nonpublic)12

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
Public: AA; Nonpublic: HSD + 30 hours or 3-credit course in CD

Services

Meal requirement:
No meals are required7

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 activities; Transition to K activities; Parent conferences and/or home visits

 

Regulations

Screening and referral requirements:
Screenings/referrals locally determined8

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
Vermont Early Learning Standards

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
http://education.vermont.gov/documents/vels_03.pd9

Funding

Days per week the state prekindergarten initiative is funded to operate using state funds:
Determined locally4

Annual operating schedule for this state-funded prekindergarten initiative:
Academic year4

Actual fiscal year 2014 spending for this state prekindergarten initiative:
$29,967,549

All funding sources:
State, $29,967,54913

State funding sources and amounts:
State Education Fund, $17,096,420; Essential Early Education Funds, $12,971,12913

Federal funding sources and amounts:
Title I, amount not reported13

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:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC, Family CC14

Is there a required local match for this program?
No

Select a state program to view details.


Vermont | Prekindergarten Footnotes

  1. The Agency of Education and the Department for Children and Families within the Agency of Human Services are required to jointly administer Prekindergarten Education (Act 62).
  2. Total pre-K enrollment includes the number of children ages 3 to 5 included in the October 1 census as Pre-K as well as an estimated 926 children who receive early childhood special education services in regular education settings (as per Child Count in December 2012). In Vermont’s October 1 census, all children on IEP are counted as EEE (Vermont’s term for Part B 619) and not included as pre-K although they are in a pre-K program.
  3. Act 62 PreK allows school districts to partner with community early learning and development programs as well as Head Start; hence the location of services varies but the administrative authority resides with the school district.
  4. Full-time pre-K is defined as 10 hours per week, but programs can provide anywhere from 6-40 hours per week. However, they do not get additional funds from the state for any hours beyond 10 per week. Most programs operate about 3 hours per day, 3 to 4 days per week. In all settings, programs must run for at least 35 weeks per year. If a child care program contracts with a school district to offer pre-K, the pre-K portion of the child’s program is 10 hours, but the child may attend the child care program 40 hours or more per week. Additionally, a few school districts offer public school based PreK programs that run the full school day (about 35 hours/week).
  5. Typically, the minimum age is two years prior to the kindergarten entry date. Kindergarten entry date is determined locally (and often set at September 1) but must be between August 31 and December 31. Act 62 allows districts to serve 3- and 4-year-olds or just 4-year-olds. While most children leave pre-K to enter kindergarten at age 5, Act 62 does allow families and districts to serve children who are age eligible for kindergarten in a pre-K program if that is found to better suit the child’s needs.
  6. Vermont’s Act 62 PreK program is universal. School districts have the option to offer pre-K to only 4-year-olds. Approximately a half dozen supervisory unions (LEAs) limit pre-K to 4-year-olds and do not serve 3-year-olds.
  7. Since pre-K is part-time and only defined as 6-10 hours/week, meals are not mentioned in the Act 62 law. There are snacks in part-day programs and meals in full-day programs.
  8. State regulations require immunizations. If children are suspected of having developmental delays or psychosocial/behavioral challenges, then they are required to refer (as per Child Find). Act 62 does not specify this requirement, but it is in other state laws.
  9. Work on revising and updating the Vermont Early Learning Standards began in January 2012. The new standards will be a birth through Grade 3 continuum that is aligned with the Common Core State Standards.
  10. BA (public); Meets child care requirements (nonpublic). In public school settings, teachers must have a bachelor’s degree and a license in Early Childhood Education or Early Childhood Special Education. Nonpublic school centers must have at least one person who is licensed in ECE or ECSE per center, rather than per classroom. In nonpublic center-based settings, the absolute minimum requirement for a lead teacher is meeting child care licensing requirements; the person must have an AA, or a CDA, or a Child Care post-secondary certificate (9 specific classes at the Community College of Vermont). Registered child care homes require 3 hours of supervision by a licensed ECE or ECSE teacher on weekly basis. The majority of lead teachers in all center-based settings have a BA and are certified.
  11. In public school settings, teachers must have a bachelor’s degree and a license in Early Childhood Education or Early Childhood Special Education. Nonpublic school centers must have at least one person who is licensed in ECE or ECSE per center, rather than per classroom. In nonpublic center-based settings, the absolute minimum requirement for a lead teacher is meeting child care licensing requirements; the person must have an AA, or a CDA, or a Child Care post-secondary certificate (9 specific classes at the Community College of Vermont). Registered child care homes require 3 hours of supervision by a licensed ECE or ECSE teacher on weekly basis. The majority of lead teachers in all center-based settings have a BA and are certified.
  12. Newly licensed teachers must complete 3 credits in the first 3 years of teaching (Level 1). Teachers with more than 3 years of experience must complete 9 credits in 7 years (Level 2).
  13. Assistant teachers must have an AA or equivalent and must meet highly qualified standards in public settings. In nonpublic settings, there are two types of assistant teachers, teaching associates and teaching assistants. Teaching assistants need to have a high school diploma and a 30-hour course in child development. Other training is not specified in Act 62 and depends on the type of pre-K provider.
  14. Districts reported their Pre-K expenditures as $16,600,000. Approximately 80 percent of children in IEPs in the state are served in inclusive Pre-K classes, so 80% of state funds for Essential Early Education (Part B 619 in Vermont), totaling $4,779,495, were added to this figure. The number above doesn’t include any of the additional $16 million of the federal and local dollars that districts reported as EEE expenditures. About 25 percent of all districts use some Title I dollars to support pre-K; however, districts are not asked to report expenditures by source, so the amount is unknown. The state’s Education Fund provides funding for pre-K–12 education spending. Budgets are determined and approved at the local level and then funded through the Education Fund.
  15. Districts are encouraged to contract with community early care and education programs. In most cases, the districts pay a negotiated per child tuition amount. In some cases, the districts provide the licensed teacher, space, and other supports in lieu of or in addition to child tuition payments.
  16. In order to offer pre-K, a center must have NAEYC accreditation or 4-5 STARS in Vermont’s quality rating system (or 3 STARS with an approved plan). As of the 2012-2013 school year, ECERS is now required for all programs applying for these upper STARS levels.
  17. Act 62 allows the Agency of Education and Department of Children & Families staff to conduct unannounced visits specifically for Pre-K; however few are conducted specifically for these purposes. Since all PreK programs must be licensed and meet Child Care Regulations, licensors monitor compliance with child care licensing regulations.
  18. Programs are required to conduct parent conferences twice a year to provide families with information on their child’s progress (data collected through Teaching Strategies GOLD). Using these data to inform practices is encouraged through professional development.
  19. Child assessment data are used to determine the efficacy of pre-K education; however, an evaluation has not yet been done.
  20. Teaching Strategies GOLD
  21. The state collects statewide kindergarten readiness data using the Vermont Kindergarten Readiness Survey for all children during the first 6-8 weeks of kindergarten. Schools collect additional ongoing progress data on kindergartners, but the use and frequency of these tools are locally determined. There is no requirement for a statewide assessment of progress in kindergarten.