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Overview
The Early Childhood Assistance Program (ECAP)
is essentially a state-funded extension of
the Head Start program. It provides prekindergarten
to four-year-olds whose families have income
below the federal poverty level. Ten percent
of enrollees may have family income exceeding
the poverty level if they meet other criteria
such as disability or receipt of state assistance,
SSI or foster care services. Public or private
providers, including Head Start centers, may
provide services. Half-day or full-time programs
may be offered. According to the National Institute
for Early Education Research,
Delaware served 843 children in its preschool program during the 2005-2006
school year, with approximately $ 5.3 million in funding.
State Policy
In an Executive Order creating the Early
Care and Education Council, the Governor acknowledged the extensive research
demonstrating the link between high quality preschool and later success in
school. The Governor also stated that Delaware’s policymakers and business and community members are all in agreement on the importance of ensuring that all Delaware’s young children have access to quality early childhood care to assist them in becoming fully prepared for school.
Eligibility Criteria
ECAP serves four-year-olds who are eligible
based on a family income below the federal poverty level. Ten percent of of
ECAP slots are open to children with disabilities. Regardless of income,
ECAP
is open to children receiving state assistance, SSI or foster care services.
Children above the poverty level may be enrolled where space permits.
Program Length/Duration
Following Head Start guidelines, ECAP programs are required
to operate at least four days a week for a minimum of three and one-half hours
a day. However, most ECAP programs operate at least four hours a day, five
days a week, and some run full-year and/or full-day programs.
Funding
The Delaware preschool program is funded by general appropriations, but there
is no state mandate to
fully fund services for all eligible children. The Interagency Resource Management
Committee is given discretion to allocate
grants to local providers. For the 2005-2006 year, funding was approximately
$5.3 million.
Quality Standards
In a national survey
of quality standards,
the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) gave the Delaware
preschool program a rating of eight out of ten. The state has adopted comprehensive
early learning standards.
Further,
providers must meet Head Start performance standards,
which require health services and screening, family support services, and provision
of meals for all children participating in the program. Site visits and monitoring
are also required. Delaware does not meet the NIEER goal of requiring a bachelor’s
degree for all teachers; it follows Head
Start teacher guidelines, which require teachers to possess a minimum of
a child development associate credential (CDA). The maximum
class size for
the program is 20 with a staff-child ratio of 1:10, satisfying the NIEER benchmarks
for class size and staffing.
Delivery of Preschool Services
ECAP services may be provided by public or private providers,
including, but not limited to, providers administering federal Head Start programs.
All providers must meet Head Start performance standards. Providers are required
to establish written agreements within the their respective service area with
their local Head Start and/or other Early Childhood Initiative contracting
provider, as well as the local school district, to address issues including,
but not limited to, service area, recruitment, transition of children and families
and sharing resources and information.
Requirements for Student Assessment and Program Evaluation
Delaware now implements Delaware Building Blocks, an early childhood accountability
system based on pre-entry and annual developmental assessments of infants,
toddlers, and preschoolers. Delaware also requires annual
reports on the number and
percent of preschool age children who are eligible and who are receiving services.
An abbreviated evaluation of the program as a whole is included in this annual
report with assessments of developmental progress of a random sampling of enrolled
children as well as family and community outcomes. A comprehensive monitoring is
performed once every three years to assess each provider’s compliance
with the Head Start performance standards.
Education Clause in State Constitution
Delaware’s constitution provides
that "the General Assembly shall provide for the establishment and maintenance
of a general and efficient system of free public schools… ."
Summary of Case Law on School Finance System
There have not been any school finance cases filed in Delaware.
Summary of Case Law on Preschool
There have not been any cases in Delaware to address the right to preschool.
The General Assembly shall provide for the establishment and maintenance of
a general and efficient system of free public schools, and may require by
law that every child, not physically or mentally disabled, shall attend the
public school, unless educated by other means.
No part of the principal or income of the Public School Fund, now or hereafter
existing, shall be used for any other purpose than the support of free public
schools.
Is Education a Fundamental
Right under the State Constitution?
No determination to this effect.
School Finance Cases
in Favor of Plaintiffs:
None.
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:
None.
Pending School
Finance Cases:
None
14 Delaware Code Annotated (Del. C.) § 3001 et seq.,
Early Childhood Education Program
Head Start Act, 42 U.S.C. § 9801 et seq.
Head Start Regulations, 45 CFR §1305-1306
Executive Order 21, Establishment of Early Child Care and Education Council
See also
Delaware Department of Education, Early
Childhood Assistance Programs (cited
below as ECAP).
Delaware Department of Education, Early
Learning Foundations for School Success (2003) (cited below as
Early Learning Foundations).
2007
Interagency Resource Management Committee Annual Report (cited
below as IRMC Report).
2002 Head Start and ECAP Outcomes Report (cited
below as ECAP Report).
Provisions Expressing
State Policy on Preschool:
Executive Order Number Twenty-One
Re: Establishment of Early Care and Education Council
WHEREAS, research
demonstrates that the quality of early care has a significant impact on children’s
development and their long-term performance in school as stated in the report
of the Delaware Commission for Reading Success that "recent
research on the brain and children’s early development has shown that
the experiences of children during their first five years of life have a lasting
impact on
their ability to succeed in school and become productive, responsible adults" and
that "a child’s early learning and experiences help to determine
brain structure, thus shaping their learning, thinking and behavior for the
rest of their lives";
. . .
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of Delaware’s children and families for
the private and public sectors to work together collaboratively to ensure that
early care and education services in Delaware meet the needs of parents and
prepare our young children for success, and that the early childhood investments
being made within the state by parents, state agencies, businesses and communities
are yielding positive results;
WHEREAS, representatives of Delaware early childhood professionals, policymakers,
business and community members reached agreement on critical issues facing
Delaware’s early childhood community, and those recommendations are presented
in the report: "Early Success: Creating a Quality Early Care and Education
System for Delaware’s Children", with the goals of
- Ensuring that all Delaware’s children are safe while their
parents work
- Ensuring that all Delaware’s young children are fully prepared
for school and, as a result, are far more effective students
- Ensuring equality, continuity, and efficiency in an
early care and education system for all Delaware’s young children and their
families
I, RUTH ANN MINNER, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, HEREBY ORDER ON THIS
18th DAY OF OCTOBER 2001:
1. The establishment of the Delaware Early Care and Education Council, comprised
primarily of private sector members, who shall advise the Interagency Resource
Management Committee annually concerning early care and education services
in Delaware based on the recommendations of the Early Success Report.
Eligibility Criteria for State Preschool Program:
14 Del. C. § 3001(a) . . . eligible children,
which shall include preschool age children who live in poverty . . . .
IRMC Report
For the 2005-06 fiscal year, a total of 843 4-year-old children and their
families were funded to receive comprehensive early childhood education services
through the Early Childhood Assistance Program.
ECAP Outcomes Report
Services are targeted to children four years of age, living with families
with incomes at or below federal poverty levels.
ECAP Website
Eligibility and Enrollment.
- Children from birth to age 5 with low incomes are eligible for Head Start,
Early Head Start, and ECAP services. . . .
- Children from families receiving public assistance (TANF or SSI) are eligible
for Head Start, Early Head Start, and ECAP services regardless of income.
- Children in foster care are eligible for Head Start, Early Head Start and
ECAP services regardless of family income.
- Ten percent of enrollments are offered to children with disabilities.
- Children who come from families with slightly higher incomes may participate
in Head Start, Early Head Start, and ECAP when space is available. . . .
45 CFR § 1305.4. Age of children and family income eligibility
(b)(1) At least 90 percent of the children who are enrolled in each Head Start
program must be from low-income families.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(3) of this section, up to ten percent
of the children who are enrolled may be children from families that exceed
the low-income guidelines but who meet the criteria that the program has established
for selecting such children and who would benefit from Head Start services.
Program
Length/Duration:
IRMC Report
… Head Start/ECAP is a five day a week program
for children, with 661 children attending four or fewer hours a day (52%),
443 attending for four to six hours (35%), and 178 for more than six hours
(10%). Head Start/ECAP programs operate year round programs, as well as school
year programs, with 1044 four year olds participating in the part year programs
(81%) and 238 participating in the full year programs (19%).
45 CFR § 1306.32
(b) Center-based program option requirements.
(1) Classes must operate for four or five days per week or some combination
of four and five days per week.
(2) Classes must operate for a minimum of three and one-half to a maximum
of six hours per day with four hours being optimal.
(3) The annual number of required days of planned class operations (days when
children are scheduled to at-tend) is determined by the number of days per
week each program operates. Programs that operate for four days per week must
provide at least 128 days per year of planned class operations. Programs that
operate for five days per week must provide at least 160 days per year of planned
class operations.
Scope
of State’s Responsibility to Provide Preschool:
14 Del. C. § 3001 (a). The Department of Education shall be authorized
to provide early childhood educational services . . . .
Scope
of State's Responsibility to Fund Preschool:
14 Del. C. § 3001
(b)…All contracts may be in place for a period
not to exceed 3 years; provided that there is sufficient funding contained
within the annual appropriations
act… .
14 Del. C. § 3002. Early Childhood Advisory Committee
The Family Services Cabinet Council ("FSCC") shall establish an Early Childhood
Advisory . . . to assist in:
(2) Advising the FSCC and IRMC of . . . gaps in the delivery of early childhood
educational services to preschool age children who live in poverty.
Source
of Funding for Preschool Program:
14 Del. C. § 3001
(a). . . . using such funds as are appropriated by the General Assembly.
. . .
... (d) The Interagency Resource Management Committee
(IRMC) shall have administrative responsibility for all appropriations made
to the Department of Education
pursuant to this section. Such administrative responsibility shall include,
but not be limited to:
... (2) Reviewing, recommending and disbursing grant
awards for contracts to qualifying providers to deliver early childhood educational
services to preschool-age
children who live in poverty;
Scope
of Child's Right to Attend Preschool:
None.
Curriculum Content
Standards for Preschool Program:
Delaware has developed early learning standards. To
this point, the Department of Education has adopted the Early
Learning Foundations for School Success outlining broad developmental
benchmarks. The "Foundations" report states that curriculum resources and teaching
aids will follow.
Early Learning Foundations for School Success
Sample:
Language Development
Prior to entering kindergarten, parents and programs will provide learning
experiences for children that allow them to:
- Hold a book upright, turn pages from the
front of the book to the back, and scan pages
- Recognize common sounds at the
beginning of words
- Show increasing awareness of
print, familiar signs, and labels
- Use scribbles, symbols, or drawings
to express experiences through pictures, dictation, and play
- Experiment with a variety of
writing tools and materials
- Begin to recognize, name, or
identify some letters of the alphabet
- Recognize their first name in
print written with the first letter in upper-case letter, followed by lower
case
letters
Teacher Certification/Qualification
Standards for Preschool Program:
42 U.S.C. § 9843a
(a) CLASSROOM TEACHERS.--
(2) DEGREE REQUIREMENTS.--
(A) IN GENERAL.--The Secretary shall ensure that not later than September
30, 2003, at least 50 percent of all Head Start teachers nationwide in center-based
programs have--
(i) an associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degree in early childhood education;
or
(ii) an associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degree in a field related to
early childhood education, with experience in teaching preschool children.
3) ALTERNATIVE CREDENTIALLING REQUIREMENTS.---The Secretary shall ensure that,
for center-based programs, each Head Start classroom that does not have a teacher
that meets the requirements of clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph (2)(A) is assigned
one teacher who has--
(A) a child development associate (CDA) credential that is appropriate to
the age of the children being served in center-based programs; (B) a State-awarded
certificate for preschool teachers that meets or exceeds the requirements for
a child development associate credential; or
(C) a degree in a field related to early childhood education with experience
in teaching preschool children and a State-awarded certificate to teach in
a preschool program.
Other
Quality Standards for Preschool Program:
14 Del. C. § 3001.
(b)…All contracts may be in place for a period not to exceed 3 years; provided
that … the contractor adheres to the required Head Start performance standards,
which include parental involvement and receipt of acceptable monitoring results
which will be completed at least once during the contract period.
14 Del. C. § 3002.
The Family Services Cabinet Council ("FSCC") shall
establish an Early Childhood Advisory Committee composed of equal representation
from the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Social Services,
the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, the Governor's
Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens, the Interagency Resource Management
Committee and private providers, including Head Start providers to assist
in:
(1) Recommending guidelines and evaluation procedures
to be utilized by the Department of Education and the IRMC in awarding contracts
for the provision of early childhood educational services to preschool age
children who live in poverty, which guidelines and evaluation procedures shall
be consistent
with existing Head Start criteria; ...
45 CFR § 1304. Head Start Performance Standards
Includes standards with regard to:
1304.20 - Child health and developmental services
1304.21 - Education and early childhood development
1304.22 - Child health and safety
1304.23 - Child nutrition
1304.24 - Child mental health
1304.40 - Family partnerships
1304.41 - Community partnerships
1304.50 - Program governance
1304.51 - Management systems and procedures
1304.52 - Human resources management
1304.53 - Facilities, materials, and equipment
1304.60 - Deficiencies and quality improvement plans
1304.61 - Noncompliance
45 CFR § 1306.32
(a)(1) Head Start classes must be staffed by a teacher and an aide or two
teachers and, whenever possible, a volunteer.
... (12) Program average of 17-20 children enrolled per
class in these classes. No more than 20 children enrolled in any class.
Delivery
of Preschool Services:
14 Del. C. § 3001.
. . . (b) The Department of Education shall provide the early childhood
educational services by contracting with public and private providers, including,
but not limited to, providers administering federal Head Start programs within
the State; provided however, that state funds paid to such contracting providers
shall not be used to supplant state and/or federally funded programs or to
make a federal Head Start provider ineligible for a Head Start expansion grant.
All contracts may be in place for a period not to exceed 3 years; provided
that … the contractor adheres to the required Head Start performance standards,
(c) Each contracting provider will be required to establish written
agreements within the provider's respective service area with their local Head
Start and/or other Early Childhood Initiative contracting provider as well
as the local school district, to address issues including, but not limited
to, service areas, recruitment, transition of children and families and sharing
resources and information.
14 Del. C. § 3002.
The Family Services Cabinet Council ("FSCC") shall
establish an Early Childhood Advisory Committee composed of equal representation
from the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Social Services,
the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, the Governor's
Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens, the Interagency Resource Management
Committee and private providers, including Head Start providers to assist
in:
. . . (2) Advising the FSCC and IRMC of possible opportunities
for improved interagency collaboration and/or gaps in the delivery of early
childhood educational services to preschool age children who live in poverty.
Requirements for Student Assessment and Program Evaluation:
14 Del. C. § 3001(b)
…All contracts may be in place for a period not to exceed
3 years; provided that …the contractor adheres to the required Head Start performance
standards, which include parental involvement and receipt of acceptable monitoring
results which will be completed at least once during the contract period.
14 Del. C. § 3003
The IRMC [Interagency Resource Management Committee]
shall make annual reports to the General Assembly and the FSCC on or before
January 1 of each fiscal year regarding the State Early Childhood Education
Program, which shall include:
(1) The number and percent of preschool age children who
are eligible for early childhood educational services by county and by contracting
provider;
(2) The amount of state funds requested for continuation
and expansion per contracting provider;
(3) The amount of state funds received for continuation
and expansion per contracting provider;
(4) The amount of state funds expended per contracting
provider; and
(5) Any other data reflecting the progress of expansion
of early childhood educational services to preschool age children who live
in poverty and its effectiveness that the IRMC regards as pertinent.
ECAP. Outcomes.
Each year, the ECAP program evaluates its ability to help children develop
appropriately, and assist families in meeting self-identified goals.
Note: The ECAP Report is the 2002 compilation of this data which includes
assessments of developmental progress of a random sampling of enrolled children
as well as family and community outcomes.
IRMC Report.
Delaware has begun implementing an early childhood
accountability system for children 0-3 and 3-5 years of age. The system, called
Delaware Building Blocks, stems from a federal initiative that requires states
to examine the outcome of children receiving early intervention services, specifically
those with Individual Education Programs (IEP) and Individual Family Service
Plans (IFSP). This initiative will provide further evidence of the impact of
early intervention services.
…
Children will be assessed at entry and then again annually to collect developmental
information. The data will be collected through a statewide data management
system. Data will be analyzed annually and local program and state reports
will be issued.
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