State Preschool Program

Overview

Connecticut has established the School Readiness Program, which provides grants to existing public and private school readiness programs to provide preschool education and services to eligible low-income children ages three to five. Grants are available in priority school districts and other schools with severe need based on the rate of poverty. According to the National Institute for Early Education Research, Connecticut served 14% of its four-year-olds in the School Readiness Program in 2005-2006 with state funding of $52.3 million. For 2006-2007, the maximum reimbursement rate is $8,025 for a full-day, full year program with wraparound childcare. The programs range from part-time to full-day, full-year and may be provided by public schools, private providers or Head Start centers. Families pay on a sliding scale basis.

To further the goals of the School Readiness Program, in 2005 the state created a cross-agency Early Childhood Education Cabinet to advise the Commissioner of Education and evaluate the delivery of services.

Connecticut also has a Head Start state supplement program that provides funding to enhance services and expand slots in Head Start programs. State Head Start spending of $4.5 million in 2005-2006 provided slots for an additional 939 three- and four-year-olds.

State Policy

The Connecticut legislature has adopted legislation that explicitly recognizes the value of high quality preschool education in preparing all children for school and
reducing special education services and grade retention. A Connecticut State Board of Education report on preschool education notes the growing body of research on the importance of preschool and supports universal preschool: "The Connecticut State Board of Education believes that all children should have the experiences and opportunities that are necessary for them to achieve in school, and therefore supports the goal of providing all of Connecticut's children with a preschool experience."

Eligibility Criteria

Children ages three and four are eligible if they live in a priority school district or go to a school that has 40% or more children eligible for the federal free or reduced price lunch program. Priority school districts, which are automatically eligible to receive School Readiness funding, are determined based on population and percentage of children receiving federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits. Funding for high poverty schools that are not in priority school districts is awarded on a competitive grant basis and is much more limited. The Connecticut Department of Education requires that at least 60% of children enrolled in a School Readiness program have family incomes at or below 75% of the state median income.  A program may also reserve 5% of its slots for children who are five and have been in the program for a year but are determined not to be ready for kindergarten. 

Program Length/Duration

School Readiness programs may be full time, full year; part-time, part-year; or school day, school year. Full day, full year programs provide early care and education services for children 10 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 50 weeks per year.  Part-time, part-year programs provide early care and education services for 2.5 hours per day, 5 days a week for a minimum of 180 days per year.  Part-time programs operate with the public school calendar. Priority school districts may offer school day, school year programs for 7 hours per day, 5 days per week, for a minimum of 180 days per year. In addition, priority school districts may use funding to support wrap-around services to extend the care being provided to children who are in an existing part-time program not funded by the School Readiness Grant Program, in order to provide the equivalent of full-time services for these children.

There are two separate funding streams for the School Readiness Program. First, "priority school districts" receive funding through a grant program that allocates funds based on the number of children enrolled in the district’s kindergarten program and the percentage of children eligible for free or reduced lunch. Second, "severe need" schools that are not in a priority school district but have 40% or more of their student body eligible for free or reduced lunch may apply under a competitive grant program. For school years 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, approximately 92% of School Readiness funding goes to the priority school districts and about 8% is available under the competitive grant program for other schools. The legislature allocated approximately $53 million for the School Readiness Program in school year 2005-2006 and $61.2 million in school year 2006-2007—$56.3 million to the priority school districts and $4.9 million to the competitive grant program. Grants under the competitive grant program are limited to $107,000 each, although towns with two or more eligible schools may receive more. School Readiness programs charge a "family share" fee to families based on a sliding scale. 

The reimbursement rate for non-childcare readiness services for the 2006-2007 school year is $6,000 per child, although the legislation permits up to $6,925. A center providing a full-day, full-year program in 2006-2007 can be reimbursed $8,025.

Connecticut also has a state supplement for Head Start programs and a quality enhancement grant available to priority school districts to improve the quality or comprehensiveness of their preschool programs.

Quality Standards

Connecticut's School Readiness Program scores a six out of ten on the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) quality standards checklist. The state has developed comprehensive early learning standards. Connecticut's teacher qualification standard does not meet the NIEER benchmark because it does not currently require a bachelor's degree. (A bachelor’s degree will be required after July 1, 2015.) Instead it requires a CDA credential combined with 12 credits in early childhood education or child development, or either a bachelor's or associate degree in early childhood education or child development. Connecticut also requires vision, health and hearing screenings, as recommended by NIEER. The state requires programs to provide family support services, and site visits and other monitoring are also mandated. Connecticut's preschool quality standards require a maximum class size of 20 students and a staff/child ratio of 1:10. These standards also address such areas as physical environment, health and safety, and nutrition. Each preschool program must meet nationally recognized accreditation standards within three years of becoming a Readiness Program provider.

Delivery of Preschool Services

The Connecticut Department of Education distributes funds to priority school districts and awards competitive grants to other schools with severe need. The chief elected municipal official and the superintendent of schools convene a School Readiness Council, which makes recommendations on issues relating to the School Readiness Program, including the application for school readiness grants. (Priority School Districts must convene a School Readiness Council in order to receive a grant; the Councils are optional for Non-Priority District schools competing for grants.) The council consists of the chief elected official, the superintendent, parents, representatives from local childcare and preschool programs, including Head Start, private programs and home childcare, and other programs that provide services to children. School Readiness Programs can be provided by public, nonprofit or for-profit providers. Each School Readiness Program must develop a plan for collaboration with other community programs and services and for coordination of resources.

The Governor, the Commissioners of Education and Social Services, and other Commissioners, agency heads, and legislators, serve on the Early Childhood Education Cabinet, which advises the Commissioner of Education, evaluates the School Readiness Program, develops budget requests for the early childhood program, and promotes consistency of quality and comprehensiveness of early childhood services.

Requirements for Student Assessment and Program Evaluation

Connecticut requires annual evaluation of all School Readiness Programs.

Legal Framework

Education Clause in State Constitution

Connecticut's constitution provides "There shall always be free public elementary and secondary schools in the state. The general assembly shall implement this principle by appropriate legislation."

In the 1996 Sheff case, the Connecticut Supreme Court found that the state's school districting scheme resulted in racial and ethnic isolation and deprived Hartford children of their right to substantially equal educational opportunity in violation of the state equal protection clause. The Court did not reach the merits of plaintiffs' claim that the districting scheme violated their right to a minimally adequate education under the education clause. In January 2003, plaintiffs and Governor Rowland reached a settlement that would require the state to spend $45 million over four years to establish eight additional magnet schools in Hartford. The settlement was approved by the General Assembly and the trial court. Also in 2003, plaintiffs withdrew without prejudice a school funding "adequacy" suit that had been filed in State Superior Court (Johnson v. Rowland). In August 2004, the Sheff plaintiffs announced that they were returning to court because the state had failed to comply with the settlement order. The Commissioner of Education acknowledged that the state had not met the timetable set out in the settlement order and stated that the state would probably not open the requisite number of magnet schools until 2010 or 2011, instead of 2007 as required in the order.

The case law in Connecticut has focused on "substantially equal" educational opportunities not adequacy. Therefore, no state standard for a constitutionally adequate education has been determined.

In November 2005, a class action suit was filed in state court by a coalition of dozens of school districts and their schoolchildren, including 16 low performing districts, challenging the constitutionality of the state’s educational funding system. The plaintiffs want the court to order the state to implement a new, constitutional funding scheme, and it is anticipated that they will ask the court to require the state to make full-day kindergarten and voluntary pre-k available to all children.

Summary of Case Law on Preschool

There have not been any cases to address the issue of state-funded preschool. Access to full day kindergarten and high quality preschool has been raised as an issue in the pending school funding case.

Constitutional Provisions on Public Education

Conn. Const. Art. VIII, § 1

There shall always be free public elementary and secondary schools in the state. The general assembly shall implement this principle by appropriate legislation.

Case Law on the Right to Public Education and Preschool

Is Education a Fundamental Right under the State Constitution?

"We find our thinking to be substantially in accord with the decisions of the New Jersey Supreme Court in Robinson v. Cahill, 62 N.J. 473, 303 A.2d 273, and the California Supreme Court in Serrano v. Priest, 18 Cal.3d 728, 135 Cal.Rptr. 345, 557 P.2d 929 (Serrano II ), and whether we apply the "fundamentality" test adopted by Rodriguez or the pre-Rodriguez test under our state constitution (as the California Supreme Court did in Serrano II ) or the "arbitrary" test applied by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Robinson v. Cahill, supra, 62 N.J. 492, 303 A.2d 273, we must conclude that in Connecticut the right to education is so basic and fundamental that any infringement of that right must be strictly scrutinized."  Horton v. Meskill, 172 Conn. 615, 646, 376 A.2d 359, 374 (1977).

"We conclude that without doubt the trial court correctly held that, in Connecticut, elementary and secondary education is a fundamental right [and that] pupils in the public schools are entitled to the equal enjoyment of that right. . . ."  Id. at 648-49, 376 A.2d at 374.

School Finance Cases in Favor of Plaintiffs:

Sheff v. O'Neill, 238 Conn. 1, 678 A.2d 1267 (1996)

Plaintiffs, children in the school district of the City of Hartford, claimed that the state's school districting scheme, which placed district lines at town boundaries, resulted in racial and ethnic isolation and failed to provide them with the resources necessary to obtain a minimally adequate education, and therefore violated their rights under the equal protection and education clauses of the state constitution.  The Supreme Court of Connecticut ruled that the state's system deprived those children of their rights to substantially equal educational opportunity, and that the state legislature was required to take affirmative responsibility to remedy segregation in the public schools, regardless of whether that segregation had occurred de jure or de facto.  The Court also determined that the claim regarding a minimally adequate education did not implicate the constitutional right to a substantially equal educational opportunity, and found it unnecessary to reach the merits of this claim under the education clause of the constitution. 

In January 2003, plaintiffs and Governor Rowland reached a settlement that would require the state to spend $45 million over four years to establish eight additional magnet schools in Hartford. The settlement was approved by the General Assembly and the trial court. Also in 2003, plaintiffs withdrew without prejudice a school funding "adequacy" suit that had been filed in State Superior Court (Johnson v. Rowland).

In August 2004, the Sheff plaintiffs announced that they were returning to court because the state had failed to comply with the settlement order. The Commissioner of Education acknowledged that the state had not met the timetable set out in the order and stated that it would probably not open the requisite number of magnet schools until 2010 or 2011, instead of 2007 as required in the order.

Horton v. Meskill, 172 Conn. 615, 376 A.2d 359 (1977)

The Connecticut Supreme Court held that the state's school finance system, which was dependent primarily on the local tax base without regard to disparity in districts' financial ability to finance an educational program and with no significant equalizing state support, violated the state constitution, as it was not "appropriate legislation" implementing the constitutional requirement that the state provide a substantially equal educational opportunity to its youth in its free public elementary and secondary schools.

Standard for a Constitutionally Adequate Education:

None.

School Finance Cases against Plaintiffs:

None.

Decisions Ruling School Finance Issues Were Non-Justiciable:

None.

Cases Related to State-Funded Preschool:

There are no court decisions relating to state-funded pre-k. However, in the pending CCJEF school funding case, filed in November 2005, the plaintiffs allege that Connecticut schoolchildren are being denied suitable and substantially equal educational opportunities under the State Constitution. The complaint asserts that full-day kindergarten and high quality preschool are educational inputs that are "essential components of a suitable educational opportunity." It is anticipated that the plaintiffs will ask the court to require the state to make full-day kindergarten and voluntary pre-k available to all children.

Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding, Inc. v. Rell

In November 2005, the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding (CCJEF) filed a class action complaint in state court against the governor and other state officials, alleging that Connecticut schoolchildren are being denied suitable and substantially equal educational opportunities under the State Constitution as a result of the state’s flawed educational funding system. The suit was brought on behalf of dozens of school districts and their schoolchildren, including children in the sixteen lowest performing districts. The complaint asserts that students in these districts are being denied access to a number of educational inputs that are "essential components of a suitable educational opportunity," including full-day kindergarten and high quality preschool, programs and services for at-risk students, highly qualified teachers, and a rigorous curriculum.

Among other deficiencies in the school funding system, plaintiffs point to the state’s per pupil foundation amount, which was frozen at $4,800 in 1992, and then subsequently adjusted only a minor amount on two occasions.

In its request for relief, the plaintiffs ask the court to order the state to create a new educational funding system that will pass constitutional muster. They also want the court to appoint a special master to make recommendations regarding any such funding proposal. Because plaintiffs deem high quality early childhood education to be an essential component of suitable educational opportunity, it is anticipated that they will ask the court to require the state to make full-day kindergarten and voluntary pre-k available to all children.

Statutes, Regulations and Guidance Documents on State Preschool Program

Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) § 10-16n, Head Start Grant Program

Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) § 10-16o et seq., School Readiness Programs

Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) § 10-266p, Priority School District Grant Program

Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) § 17b-749c, Supplemental Quality Enhancement Grant Program

See also:

Connecticut Department of Education, Overview of the School Readiness Program (cited below as DOE Overview).

Department of Education Alert Number SR-04-03:  Definition of School Readiness Slot Types  (cited below as DOE Alert No. SR-04-03).

Department of Education Alert Number SR-05-03: Definition of School Day/School Year Slot Type (cited below as DOE Alert No. SR-05-03).

Department of Education Alert Number SR-07-01: 2006-2007 Income Guidelines for Computing Family Fee (cited below as DOE Alert No. SR-07-01).

Department of Education Alert Number SR-07-02: FY 2007 Slot Reimbursement Fees (cited below as DOE Alert No. SR-07-02)

Department of Education Alert Number SR-05-02: School Readiness Staff Credentials.

Department of Education Alert Number SR-00-04: Accreditation Policy (cited below as DOE Alert No. SR-00-04).

Closing the Achievement Gaps: Removing the Barriers to Preschool in Connecticut, Report of the State Board of Education (November 2003) (cited below as Preschool Education Report).

Connecticut’s Preschool Curriculum Framework, Connecticut State Board of Education 2006 (cited below as Preschool Curriculum Framework).

The Connecticut Preschool Assessment Framework, Connecticut State Board of Education 2005.

Connecticut’s Standards for Preschool and Readiness Programs - Independent Schools (1999).

Connecticut’s Standards for Preschool and Readiness Programs – Public Schools (2000)

Ready by 5 & Fine by 9: Connecticut’s Early Childhood Investment Framework (2006)

Provisions Expressing State Policy on Preschool:

C.G.S. § 10-16o.

The state shall encourage the development of a network of school readiness programs pursuant to sections 10-16p to 10-16r, inclusive, 10-16u and 17b-749a in order to:

  (1) Provide open access for children to quality programs that promote the health and safety of children and prepare them for formal schooling;

... (5) Prevent or minimize the potential for developmental delay in children prior to their reaching the age of five.

... (8) Reduce educational costs by decreasing the need for special education services for school age children and to avoid grade repetition ... .

According to the National Research Council study Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers (2000), "(There is) an emerging consensus among professionals, and, to an ever greater extent among parents, that young children should be provided with educational experiences." The report also states that a second trend is driving this interest in early childhood education:

"... the accumulation of convincing evidence from research that young children are more capable learners than current practices reflect, and that good educational experiences in the preschool years can have a positive impact on school learning."

This growing research base on the importance of preschool experiences, coupled with the new demands of federal legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, has prompted national attention to early childhood education not seen in the past, and a new recognition of the impact of early learning on later achievement and success, both in school and in life. Further, Connecticut's Blueprint for Reading Achievement and the Report of the Early Reading Success Panel, 2000, state that "Oral-language competencies form an essential foundation for learning to read and write. Much of this foundation develops during the preschool years." . . .

The Connecticut State Board of Education believes that all children should have the experiences and opportunities that are necessary for them to achieve in school, and therefore supports the goal of providing all of Connecticut's children with a preschool experience. The State Department of Education is encouraged to form partnerships with families, communities and state and local policymakers to accomplish this goal. By the end of the decade, all children in the State of Connecticut will have high-quality preschool services available to them, beginning at age 3. These services will promote the educational, social, emotional, artistic/aesthetic and physical health needs of every child, with the goal that all children in Connecticut will enter school succeeding and eager to build on their preschool success. In recognition of the significant role preschool plays in developing competent learners and closing the achievement gaps among Connecticut's student groups, the Connecticut State Board of Education has decided to move forward toward reaching the goal of making pre-school accessible to children and affordable for families. The early childhood (school readiness or preschool) state grant should be increased by approximately 10 percent a year for the next 10 years with the long-term goal of providing universal access to high-quality preschool based on parent and community ability to pay.

Governor’s remarks made to school superintendents, August 17, 2004.

Sometimes in government it seems like an endless search for those programs and services that have it all going for them-popular, cost effective, smart and proven.

Investments with guaranteed returns and for which our future depends upon. Does such a program really exist? Is there a so-called “Holy Grail of Education?” I believe there is. It is not new. It is not revolutionary. In fact, it is basic early childhood education. There is perhaps no greater program, or as I like to say “movement”, that fits this bill than early childhood care and education.

The benefits of preschool experiences are supported by years of research. Long-term academic success depends largely on the experiences in the first years of life. And, it is a “movement” that holds such great promise and in essence is based on the common sense notion that disparities are better off averted than managed.

A recent Connecticut study found that children with a preschool experience are two to four times less likely to be retained in Kindergarten, more than 10 times less likely to be retained in First Grade, and 3 times less likely to require special education during their Kindergarten year. The same study found that children with these experiences acquire language and vocabulary skills six times faster than students who did not attend preschool.

Since 1997 Connecticut has put its money where its mouth is. We moved preschool from rhetoric to reality with landmark legislation that has now allowed nearly 6300 children in our urban areas (where it is needed the most) to participate in a preschool program. The program is expensive, but it should be. If we are doing this right we are going to have to invest. But this investment pays huge dividends. What’s more, this investment is far cheaper than the cost of failure - which is staggering - the cost of incarceration, of lost lives and lost potential.

That’s the cost of the achievement gap. And even as we soar higher in educational outcomes in Connecticut, and experience great success, there are those who are trapped in inferior schools, who don’t have the learning environments that work for them, or who are not receiving the support necessary to be successful. The disparities of experiences, and therefore opportunity, must be a critical aim of our investments and of our leadership.

To address this will require multiple strategies, but as I said earlier, our most successful response has been, and will always be, providing a preschool experience. It is likely that the achievement gap will exist as long as the preparation gap does.

My vision is that all children will have access to a preschool experience.

Ready by 5 & Fine by 9: Connecticut’s Early Childhood Investment Framework

To help ensure that all of the state’s young children, regardless of where they live, are "Ready by 5 and Fine by 9," the Cabinet proposes three goals for the children of the State of Connecticut, to:

• reach appropriate developmental milestones from birth to age 5;
• begin kindergarten with the knowledge, skills and behaviors needed for success in school; and
• have K-3 education experiences that extend children’s birth-to-5 learning and ensure consistent progress in achieving reading mastery.

… There is no better time than early childhood to implement policies aimed at preventing problems in school. Scientists and educators have shown that making early investments in young children pays off in children’s improved academic success, more appropriate behavioral and social adjustment, decreased need for special education, increased high school completion, and reduced welfare dependency and incarceration. Not only is investment in young children a humane policy, but it also is fiscally sound. There is a high rate of economic return, in both the short and long term as a result of making this early investment.

Eligibility Criteria for State Preschool Program:

C.G.S. § 10-16p(a).

(2) "Eligible children" means children three and four years of age and children five years of age who are not eligible to enroll in school pursuant to section 10-15c, or who are eligible to enroll in school and will attend a school readiness program pursuant to section 10-16t.

(3) "Priority school" means a school in which forty per cent or more of the lunches served are served to students who are eligible for free or reduced price lunches pursuant to federal law and regulations, excluding such a school located in a priority school district pursuant to section 10-266p or in a former priority school district receiving a grant pursuant to subsection (c) of this section and, on and after July 1, 2001, excluding such a school in a transitional school district receiving a grant pursuant to section 10-16u;

(4) "Severe need school" means a school in a priority school district pursuant to section 10-266p or in a former priority school district in which forty percent or more of the lunches served are served to students who are eligible for free or reduced price lunches ...

C.G.S. § 10-16t.

A local school readiness council may elect to reserve up to five per cent of the spaces in its school readiness programs for children who are five years of age and are eligible to attend school pursuant to section 10-15c. Such children shall only be eligible to participate in the school readiness program if they have been in the program for at least one year and the parent or legal guardian of such a child, the school readiness program provider and the local or regional school district in which the child would otherwise be attending school agree that the child is not ready for kindergarten.

C.G.S. § 10-266p. Priority School District grant program.

(a) The State Board of Education shall administer a priority school district grant program to assist certain school districts to improve student achievement and enhance educational opportunities ... . The grant program and its component parts shall be for school districts in (1) the eight towns in the state with the largest population, based on the most recent federal decennial census, (2) towns which rank [in the top eleven] based on the number of children under the temporary family assistance program and (3) towns which rank [in the top eleven] based on the ratio of the number of children under the temporary family assistance program as so defined to the resident students of such town ... .

DOE Overview. 

[T]his legislation established a grant program to provide spaces in accredited or approved school readiness programs for eligible children in priority school districts and competitive grant municipalities.

At least 60 percent of the children enrolled must be at or below 75 percent of the State Median Income.

Program Length/Duration:

C.G.S. § 10-16p(a).

(1) "School readiness program" means a nonsectarian program that (A) meets the standards set by the department pursuant to subsection (b) of this section and the requirements of section 10-16q, and (B) provides a developmentally appropriate learning experience of not less than four hundred fifty hours and one hundred eighty days for eligible children ... .

DOE Alert No. SR-04-03.

Priority School District Municipalities (choice of 3 program types) [A fourth program type was added in 2004. See Alert No. SR-05-03, below.]

   -Full Day/Full Year Program (referred to as a full-time program)

Provides early care and education services for children 10 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 50 weeks per year.  Children eligible for these programs must be consistently in need of services for a minimum of 7 hours per day, 5 days per week for 50 weeks per year.

   -Part Day/Part Year Program (referred to as a part-time program)

Provides early care and education services for 2.5 hours per day, 5 days a week for a minimum of 180 days per year.  Part-time programs operate with the public school calendar, typically August through June.

  -Extended Day Program (referred to as a wrap-around program)

Provides early care and education services that extent the hours, days and/or weeks of programming for children who are in an existing part day/part year or part day/full year program, not funded by the School Readiness Grant Program, in order to provide the equivalent of full-time services for these children for 10 hours per day, 5 days per week for 50 weeks.  Children eligible for these programs must be consistently in need of services from th combined part day and extended-day programs for a minimum of 7 hours per day, 5 days per week for 50 weeks.

Severe Need School District Municipalities [Not in Priority School Districts] (choice of 2 programs)

  -Full Day/Full Year Program (referred to as a full-time program)

Provides early care and education services for children 10 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 50 weeks per year.  Children eligible for these programs must be consistently in need of services for a minimum of 7 hours per day, 5 days per week for 50 weeks per year.

   -Part Day/Part Year Program (referred to as a part-time program)

Provides early care and education services for 2.5 hours per day, 5 days a week for a minimum of 180 days per year.  Part-time programs operate with the public school calendar, typically August through June.

DOE Alert No. SR-05-03 [School Day/School Year Slot Type for Priority School Districts]

A School Day/School Year Program provides early care and education services for 7 hours per day, 5 days per week for a minimum of 180 days. Children eligible for this type of slot must be consistently in need of services for a minimum of 6 hours per day, 5 days per week for 180 days.

To this end, the following parameters have been developed to accommodate the new slot type:

• at least 60 percent of the community slots must meet the requirements for Full Day/Full Year (10 hours per day, 5 days per week, 50 weeks per year);
• the remaining 40 percent may be any combination of School Day/School Year (7 hours per day, 5 days per week for 180 days), Part Day/Part Year, (2.5 hours per day, 5 days per week, 180 days) or Extended Day, (provides the additional hours, days and weeks to an existing program not funded by school readiness to make it a Full Day/Full Year program) …

Scope of State's Responsibility to Provide Preschool:

C.G.S. § 10-16o.

The state shall encourage the development of a network of school readiness programs . . .

C.G.S. § 10-16p.

. . .(b) The Department of Education shall be the lead agency for school readiness. . . .

(c) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a grant program to provide spaces in accredited school readiness programs for eligible children who reside in priority school districts pursuant to section 10-266p or in former priority school districts as provided in this subsection. Under the program, the grant shall be provided, in accordance with this section, to the town in which such priority school district or former priority school district is located. Eligibility shall be determined for a five-year period based on an applicant's designation as a priority school district for the initial year of application, except that if a school district that receives a grant pursuant to this subsection is no longer designated as a priority school district at the end of such five-year period, such former priority school district shall continue to be eligible to receive a grant pursuant to this subsection.

... (d)(1) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a competitive grant program to provide spaces in accredited school readiness programs for eligible children who reside (A) in an area served by a priority school or a former priority school as provided for in subdivision (2) of this subsection, (B) in a town ranked one to fifty when all towns are ranked in ascending order according to town wealth …, or (C) in a town formerly a town described in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, as provided for in said subdivision (2). A town in which a priority school is located, a regional school readiness council, pursuant to subsection (c) of section 10-16r, for a region in which such a school is located or a town described in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision may apply for such a grant in an amount not to exceed one hundred seven thousand dollars per priority school or town. Eligibility shall be determined for a five-year period based on an applicant's designation as having a priority school or being a town described in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision for the initial year of application.

Scope of State's Responsibility to Fund Preschool:

C.G.S. § 10-16n.  [Head Start Grant Program]. 

   (a) . . . All grants pursuant to this section shall be funded within the limits of available appropriations or otherwise from federal funds and private donations. At least seventy-five per cent of the funding pursuant to this section shall be allocated to Head Start programs established prior to July 1, 1992. All full-day, year-round Head Start programs funded pursuant to this section shall be in compliance with federal Head Start performance standards.

   (b) The Department of Education shall annually allocate to each town in which the number of children under the aid to dependent children program, as defined in subdivision (14) of section 10-262f, equals or exceeds nine hundred children, determined for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, an amount equal to one hundred fifty thousand dollars plus eight and one-half dollars for each child under the aid to dependent children program, provided such amount may be reduced proportionately so that the total amount awarded pursuant to this subsection does not exceed two million seven hundred thousand dollars. The department shall award grants to the local and regional boards of education for such towns and nonprofit agencies located in such towns which meet the criteria established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to maintain the programs established or expanded with funds provided pursuant to this subsection in the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997. Any funds remaining in the allocation to such a town after grants are so awarded shall be used to increase allocations to other such towns. Any funds remaining after grants are so awarded to boards of education and nonprofit agencies in all such towns shall be available to local and regional boards of education and nonprofit agencies in other towns in the state for grants for such purposes.

C.G.S. § 10-16p.

  . . . (c) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a grant program to provide spaces in accredited school readiness programs for eligible children who reside in priority school districts pursuant to section 10-266p or in former priority school districts as provided in this subsection. Under the program, the grant shall be provided, in accordance with this section, to the town in which such priority school district or former priority school district is located. . . Grant awards shall be made annually contingent upon available funding and a satisfactory annual evaluation ... .

   (d)(1)  The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a competitive grant program to provide spaces in accredited school readiness programs for eligible children who reside (A) in an area served by a priority school or a former priority school as provided for in subdivision (2) of this subsection, (B) in a town ranked one to fifty when all towns are ranked in ascending order according to town wealth …, or (C) in a town formerly a town described in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, as provided for in said subdivision (2). A town in which a priority school is located, a regional school readiness council, pursuant to subsection (c) of section 10-16r, for a region in which such a school is located or a town described in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision may apply for such a grant in an amount not to exceed one hundred seven thousand dollars per priority school or town. ... Grant awards shall be made annually contingent upon available funding and a satisfactory annual evaluation. ... In awarding grants pursuant to this subsection, the commissioner shall give preference to applications submitted by regional school readiness councils and may, within available appropriations, provide a grant in excess of one hundred seven thousand dollars to towns with two or more priority schools in such district. …

   (e)(1) Priority school districts and former priority school districts shall receive grants based on their proportional share of the sum of the products obtained by multiplying the average number of enrolled kindergarten students in each priority school district and in each former priority school district for the three years prior to the year the grant is to be paid, by the ratio of the average percentage of free and reduced price meals for all severe need schools in such district to the minimum percentage requirement for severe need school eligibility, provided no such school district shall receive a grant that is less than the grant it received for the prior fiscal year ... or a grant that is less than one hundred fifty thousand dollars.

… (k) Notwithstanding subsection (c) of section 10-16p of the 2006 supplement to the general statutes, three million four hundred eighty-three thousand seven hundred fifty dollars of the school readiness appropriation for priority school districts shall only go to school readiness programs in the following towns: Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Waterbury and Windham.

C.G.S.§ 10-16q.

(a)  Each school readiness program shall include: . . . (10) a sliding fee scale for families participating in the program pursuant to section 17b-749d . . . .

(b)(1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, the per child cost of the Department of Education school readiness component of the program offered by a school readiness provider shall not exceed six thousand six hundred fifty dollars.

      (2) For fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, and each fiscal year thereafter, the per child cost of the Department of Education school readiness component of the program offered by a school readiness provider shall not exceed six thousand nine hundred twenty-five dollars. ...

      (3) A school readiness provider may provide child day care services and the cost of such child day care services shall not be subject to such per child cost limitation.

(c) A local or regional board of education may implement a sliding fee scale for the cost of services provided to children enrolled in a school readiness program.

DOE Alert No. SR-07-01.  Family Share:

  If the families [sic] income is less than 20% of the SMI [State Median Income], they pay 2% of their gross annual income.

  If the families income is less than 30% of the SMI, they pay 4% of their gross annual income.

  If the families income is less than 40% of the SMI, they pay 6% of their gross annual income.

  If the families income is less than 50% of the SMI, they pay 8% of their gross annual income.

  If the families income is less than 75% of the SMI, they pay 10% of their gross annual income.

  If the families income is 75% of the SMI or more, the School Readiness Council shall establish a fee schedule not to exceed the cost of care.

DOE Alert No. SR-07-02. FY 2007 Slot Reimbursement Fees:

[E]ffective July 1, 2006 the slot reimbursement for children enrolled in school readiness programs will be revised in the following manner:

• Full Day/Full Year reimbursement per child is $8,025 or $668.75 per month for 12 months;
• School Day/School Year reimbursement per child is $6,000 or $600.00 per month for 10 months;
• Part Day/Part Year reimbursement per child is $4,500 or $450.00 per month for 10 months; and
• Extended Day/Full Year reimbursement per child is $2,772 or $231.00 per month.

C.G.S. 17b-749c. Supplemental quality enhancement grant program.

(a) The Commissioner of Social Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, shall establish a program, within available appropriations, to provide, on a competitive basis, supplemental quality enhancement grants to providers of child day care services or providers of school readiness programs pursuant to section 10-16p and section 10-16u.

Source of Funding for Preschool Program:

C.G.S. § 10-16p.

  . . . (c) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a grant program to provide spaces in accredited school readiness programs for eligible children who reside in priority school districts pursuant to section 10-266p or in former priority school districts as provided in this subsection.. .

  (d)(1)  The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a competitive grant program to provide spaces in accredited or approved school readiness programs for eligible children who reside (A) in an area served by a priority school ... .

C.G.S.§ 10-16q.

  (c) A local or regional board of education may implement a sliding fee scale for the cost of services provided to children enrolled in a school readiness program.

Scope of Child's Right to Attend Preschool:

No statutory provisions.

Curriculum Content Standards for Preschool Program:

C.G.S. § 10-16p.

... (b) ... The department shall establish standards for school readiness programs. The standards may include, but need not be limited to, . . . curriculum content, including preliteracy development . . . . The department shall develop age-appropriate developmental skills and goals for children attending such programs.

Preschool Curriculum Framework.

Sample:

CognitiveDevelopment.

Program Goals

By the end of preschool, children will:

• demonstrate the ability to think, reason, question and remember;
• engage in problem solving;
• use language to communicate, convey and interpret meaning; and
• establish social contacts as they begin to understand the physical and social world.

Content Standards

Logical - Mathematical/Scientific Thinking

Preschool programs will provide children with opportunities to:

• express wonder, ask questions and seek answers about the natural world;
• recognize and solve problems through active exploration, including trial and error and interacting with peers and adults;

Performance Standards (indicators)

Educational experiences will assure that preschool children will:

• engage in a scientific experiment with a peer or with a small group.

Performance Standards (indicators)

Educational experiences will assure that preschool children will:

• demonstrate understanding of basic conversational vocabulary;

Teacher Certification/Qualification Standards for Preschool Program:

C.G.S. § 10-16p.

... (b) ... The department shall establish standards for school readiness programs. The standards may include, but need not be limited to, guidelines for staff-child interactions, . . . lesson plans, parent involvement, staff qualifications and training, transition to school and administration.  The commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioners of Higher Education and Social Services and other appropriate entities, shall develop a continuing education training program for the staff of school readiness programs. For purposes of this section, prior to July 1, 2015, "staff qualifications" means there is in each classroom an individual who has at least the following: (1) A credential issued by an organization approved by the Commissioner of Education and nine credits or more, and on and after July 1, 2005, twelve credits or more, in early childhood education or child development from an institution of higher education accredited by the Board of Governors of Higher Education or regionally accredited; (2) an associate's degree with nine credits or more, and on and after July 1, 2005, twelve credits or more, in early childhood education or child development from such an institution; (3) a four-year degree with nine credits or more, and on and after July 1, 2005, twelve credits or more, in early childhood education or child development from such an institution; or (4) certification pursuant to section 10-145b with an endorsement in early childhood education or special education, and on and after July 1, 2015, "staff qualifications" means there is in each classroom an individual who has at least the following: (A) A bachelor's degree in early childhood education or childhood development, or in a related field approved by the Commissioner of Education from an institution of higher education accredited by the Board of Governors of Higher Education or regionally accredited; or (B) certification pursuant to section 10-145b with an endorsement in early childhood education or special education.

Other Quality Standards for Preschool Program:

C.G.S. § 10-16p.

... (b) ... The department shall establish standards for school readiness programs. The standards may include, but need not be limited to, guidelines for staff-child interactions, . . . lesson plans, parent involvement, staff qualifications and training, transition to school and administration.

C.G.S.§ 10-16q.

(a)  Each school readiness program shall include: (1) A plan for collaboration with other community programs and services, including public libraries, and for coordination of resources in order to facilitate full-day and year-round child care and education programs for children of working parents and parents in education or training programs; (2) parent involvement, parenting education and outreach; (3) (A) record-keeping policies that require documentation of the name and address of each child's doctor, primary care provider and health insurance company and information on whether the child is immunized and has had health screens pursuant to the federal Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment Services Program under 42 USC 1396d, and (B) referrals for health services, including referrals for appropriate immunizations and screenings; (4) a plan for the incorporation of appropriate preliteracy practices and teacher training in such practices; (5) nutrition services; (6) referrals to family literacy programs that incorporate adult basic education and provide for the promotion of literacy through access to public library services; (7) admission policies that promote enrollment of children from different racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds and from other communities; (8) a plan of transition for participating children from the school readiness program to kindergarten and provide for the transfer of records from the program to the kindergarten program; (9) a plan for professional development for staff, including, but not limited to, training (A) in preliteracy skills development, and (B) designed to assure respect for racial and ethnic diversity; (10) a sliding fee scale for families participating in the program pursuant to section 17b-749d; and (11) an annual evaluation of the effectiveness of the program.

(b) (2) … Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (e) of section 10-16p of the 2006 supplement to the general statutes, as amended by this act, the Department of Education shall not provide funding to any school readiness provider that (A) on or before January 1, 2004, first entered into a contract with a town to provide school readiness services pursuant to this section and is not accredited on January 1, 2007, or (B) after January 1, 2004, first entered into a contract with a town to provide school readiness services pursuant to this section and does not become accredited by the date three years after the date on which the provider first entered into such a contract.

DOE Alert No. SR-00-04.

… Providers must submit to the readiness council evidence that they meet the accreditation standard through one of the following processes:

1. Accredited by NAEYC.
2. Approved through the Head Start Review Instrument with resolution of compliance issues through the action plan.
3. Approved by the American Montessori Society (AMS) and validated as meeting the "Connecticut’s Standards for Preschool and Readiness Programs".
4. Approved by the National Education Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) – Independent Schools Commission or Public Elementary School Commission and validated as meeting the "Connecticut’s Standards for Preschool and Readiness Programs".

Delivery of Preschool Services:

C.G.S. § 10-16p.

… (b) ... For purposes of this section and section 10-16u, school readiness program providers eligible for funding from the Department of Education shall include local and regional boards of education, regional educational service centers, family resource centers and providers of child day care centers, as defined in section 19a-77, Head Start programs, preschool programs and other programs that meet such standards established by the Commissioner of Education.

... (c) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a grant program to provide spaces in accredited or approved school readiness programs for eligible children who reside in priority school districts pursuant to section 10-266p or in former priority school districts as provided in this subsection. Under the program, the grant shall be provided, in accordance with this section, to the town in which such priority school district or former priority school district is located. … Grant awards shall be made annually contingent upon available funding and a satisfactory annual evaluation... .

(d)(1) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a competitive grant program to provide spaces in accredited or approved school readiness programs for eligible children who reside (A) in an area served by a priority school or a former priority school as provided for in subdivision (2) of this subsection, (B) in a town ranked one to fifty when all towns are ranked in ascending order according to town wealth …, or (C) in a town formerly a town described in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, as provided for in said subdivision (2). A town in which a priority school is located, a regional school readiness council, pursuant to subsection (c) of section 10-16r, for a region in which a priority school is located or a town described in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision may apply for such a grant in an amount not to exceed one hundred seven thousand dollars per priority school or town. ... Grant awards shall be made annually contingent upon available funding and a satisfactory annual evaluation.

C.G.S § 10-16r.

(a) A town seeking to apply for a grant pursuant to subsection (c) of section 10-p or section 10-16u shall convene a local school readiness council or shall establish a regional school readiness council pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. Any other town may convene such a council. The chief elected official of the town or, in the case of a regional school district, the chief elected officials of the towns in the school district and the superintendent of schools for the school district shall jointly appoint and convene such council. Each school readiness council shall be composed of: (1) The chief elected official, or the official's designee; (2) the superintendent of schools, or a management level staff person as the superintendent's designee; (3) parents; (4) representatives from local programs such as Head Start, family resource centers, nonprofit and for-profit child day care centers, group day care homes, prekindergarten and nursery schools, and family day care home providers; (5) a representative from a health care provider in the community; and (6) other representatives from the community who provide services to children. The chief elected official shall designate the chairperson of the school readiness council.

(b) The local school readiness council shall: (1) Make recommendations to the chief elected official and the superintendent of schools on issues relating to school readiness, including any applications for grants pursuant to sections 10-16p, 10-16u, 17b-749a and 17b-749c; (2) foster partnerships among providers of school readiness programs; (3) assist in the identification of (A) the need for school readiness programs and the number of children not being served by such a program, and (B) for priority school districts pursuant to section 10-266p, the number of children not being served by such a program and the estimated operating cost of providing universal school readiness to eligible children in such districts who are not being served; (4) submit biannual reports to the Department of Education on the number and location of school readiness spaces, estimates of future needs, and the factors identified pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection; (5) cooperate with the department in any program evaluation and, on and after July 1, 2000, use measures developed pursuant to section 10-16s for purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of school readiness programs; (6) identify existing and prospective resources and services available to children and families; (7) facilitate the coordination of the delivery of services to children and families, including (A) referral procedures, and (B) before and after-school child care for children attending kindergarten programs; (8) exchange information with other councils, the community and organizations serving the needs of children and families; (9) make recommendations to school officials concerning transition from school readiness programs to kindergarten; and (10) encourage public participation.

(c) Two or more towns or school districts and appropriate representatives of groups or entities interested in early childhood education in a region may establish a regional school readiness council. If a priority school is located in at least one of such school districts, the regional school readiness council may apply for a grant pursuant to subsection (d) of section 10-16p. The regional school readiness council may perform the duties outlined in subdivisions (2) to (10), inclusive, of subsection (b) of this section.

C.G.S. § 10-16q.

(a) Each school readiness program shall include:

... (1) A plan for collaboration with other community programs and services, including public libraries, and for coordination of resources in order to facilitate full-day and year-round child care and education programs for children of working parents and parents in education or training programs ... .

C.G.S. § 10-16s. Interagency agreement on school readiness. Assessment measures

(a) The Commissioners of Education and Social Services shall develop an agreement to define the duties and responsibilities of their departments concerning school readiness programs. The commissioners shall consult with other affected state agencies and with the Early Childhood Education Cabinet. The agreement shall include, but not be limited to, a multiyear interagency agreement to establish and implement an integrated school readiness plan. Functions to be described and responsibilities to be undertaken by the two departments shall be delineated in the agreement.

(b)(1) There shall be an Early Childhood Education Cabinet. The cochairpersons of the cabinet shall be the Governor, or the Governor's designee, and the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee. The cabinet shall consist of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management or the secretary's designee, the Commissioners of Social Services, Higher Education, Public Health, Children and Families and Mental Retardation or the commissioners' designees, the cochairpersons of each of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education and human services or the cochairpersons' designees, the executive director of the Commission on Children, or the director's designee, and one person representing a local or regional school readiness council appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, and a representative of the Connecticut Head Start Association appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.

(2) Within available appropriations, the Early Childhood Education Cabinet shall (A) advise the Commissioner of Education on policies and initiatives to meet the goals established in section 10-16o, (B) conduct a state-wide longitudinal evaluation of the school readiness program in consultation with the Department of Social Services and the Department of Education, (C) develop budget requests for the early childhood program, and (D) promote consistency of quality and comprehensiveness of early childhood services. …

Requirements for Student Assessment and Program Evaluation:

C.G.S. § 10-10a(d).

… [P]reschool programs which receive state or federal funding shall participate, in a manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Education, in the state-wide public school information system described in subsection (a) of this section. Participation for purposes of this subsection shall include, but not be limited to, reporting on (1) student experiences in preschool by program type and by numbers of months in each such program, and (2) the readiness of students entering kindergarten and student progress in kindergarten. Such reporting shall be done by October 1, 2007, and annually thereafter.

C.G.S. § 10-16q.

(a) Each school readiness program shall include: . . . (11) an annual evaluation of the effectiveness of the program. On and after July 1, 2000, school readiness programs shall use the assessment measures developed pursuant to section 10-16s in conducting their annual evaluations.

C.G.S. § 10-16s.

(c) On or before January 1, 2000, the commissioners [of Education and Social Services] shall adopt assessment measures for use by school readiness programs in conducting their annual evaluations pursuant to section 10-16q. The commissioners may adopt the assessment measures used for Head Start programs.

C.G.S. § 10-16s(b)(2).

Within available appropriations, the Early Childhood Education Cabinet shall … (B) conduct a state-wide longitudinal evaluation of the school readiness program in consultation with the Department of Social Services and the Department of Education …