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Overview
The Oregon Head Start Prekindergarten program is a state-funded supplement
to the federal Head Start program, serving low-income children. Funds are allocated
on a competitive grant basis to expand slots in Head Start programs or establish
and maintain new or expanded prekindergarten programs in school districts and
private childcare centers. All grantees must follow federal Head Start program
standards
According to
the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), this program
used $27.7 million to serve 3,486 three- and four-year olds in 2005-2006.
This was in addition to 7,242 children served with federal Head Start funding.
The budget for FY 2008 and FY 2009 gives a significant boost to the program,
allocating $41.7 million in FY 2008 and $53.5 million in FY 2009. This increase
is anticipated to serve an additional 3,200 three- and four-year-olds.
State Policy
The Oregon prekindergarten statutes give high priority
to quality early childhood education programs because of their economic and
social benefits.
Eligibility Criteria
The program focuses on providing services to low-income children,
ages three and four, who meet Head Start eligibility (family income below the
federal poverty level) but are not participating
in a federal Head Start program or similar federal, state, or local program
of comprehensive services. However, 20% of the slots can be used for children
from families who do not meet the federal Head Start income eligibility requirements.
The State Board of Education is charged with setting increased income and age
limits in order to serve other children with the greatest need for prekindergarten,
but limited funding has prevented it from doing so.
Program Length/Duration
Oregon requires providers to meet federal Head Start standards regarding program
length and duration. The prekindergarten program must meet at least four
days a week for a minimum of three and
one-half to a maximum of six hours per day. The program year must be at least
32 weeks long.
Funding
The program is funded through legislative appropriations made to the Prekindergarten
Program Trust Fund. These funds are distributed
to school districts, Head Start agencies, and private, nonsectarian providers
through a competitive
grant process administered by the state Department of Education.
The State Board of Education gives priority to grants for counties or regions
that have identified unmet needs in their local early childhood system plans.
Grants may be used to establish and maintain new or existing Oregon prekindergarten
programs, and may not be used to supplant existing, federally funded Head Start
programs.
Although state law had mandated full funding for all eligible children by
2004, that deadline was removed in 2007, although the express statutory goal
remains “full funding for all eligible children.” Large appropriation
increases in FY 2008 and FY 2009 bring the state closer to that goal.
The Oregon Head Start Prekindergarten program does not require any fees or
co-payments from participants.
Quality Standards
In a national survey
of quality standards,
the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) gave the Oregon
Head Start Prekindergarten program a rating of seven out of ten. The state
requires this program to comply with the federal Head
Start Program Performance Standards, which meet NIEER’s quality benchmarks
in the following areas: provision of health screening and referral, family
support services, and meals for all
children participating in the program; maximum class size of 17 for three-year-olds
and 20 for four-year-olds; and staff/child ratio of 2:17 for three-year-olds
and 1:10 for four-year-olds. Head Start teacher guidelines require
teachers to possess a minimum of a child development associate credential (CDA),
which does not
meet the NIEER goal of requiring a bachelor’s degree for all teachers. Assistant
teachers only need a high school degree or its equivalent, not the CDA necessary
to meet the NIEER benchmark. Oregon has no teacher in-service requirement for
pre-k teachers, also inadequate under NIEER’s benchmark of 15 hours or more
per year.
Oregon has adopted early learning standards.
The state also requires
providers to meet the federal Head Start provisions on implementing a developmentally
appropriate curriculum that provides for the social, emotional, physical,
cognitive and linguistic needs of the children. These standards are incorporated
into the Head Start
Child Outcomes Framework. The state also requires extensive support services
and parental involvement, and makes periodic
site visits to monitor grantees.
Delivery of Preschool Services
The Oregon Department of Education administers the Oregon Head Start Prekindergarten
program. The competitive grant process is open to public school districts,
Head Start agencies, and private, nonsectarian child care
centers, and coordination of resources among providers
is strongly encouraged.
Requirements for Student Assessment
and Program Evaluation
Oregon requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to report every
two years to the legislature on the effectiveness of the prekindergarten program,
and the
Department of Education has an ongoing duty to monitor and assess the program.
Ongoing student observation and assessment is required under federal Head Start
program standards.
Education Clause in State Constitution
The education clause of the Oregon constitution requires the legislature to establish a school system
that is "uniform and general." The state is charged with allocating
funding to counties based on the number of children ages four to twenty residing
therein. The constitution also mandates that the legislature appropriate sufficient
funds every two years "to ensure
that the state's system of public education meets quality goals established
by law."
Summary of Case Law on School Finance System
The Oregon Supreme Court has declined to determine whether education is a fundamental
right.
In a series of cases beginning in 1976, the Oregon
courts have consistently upheld the state’s various school funding schemes against challenges
under the uniformity and equal protection provisions of the state constitution.
In 2006, a group of school districts, parents, and students sued
the state,
alleging that the statewide education budget for 2005-2007 fails to meet constitutional
requirements. An amendment to the state constitution
in 2000 requires the legislature to appropriate, as part of the biennial budget, "a
sum of money sufficient to ensure that the state's system of public education
meets quality goals established by law." The case was dismissed before
trial on summary judgment and is now on appeal to the state Court of Appeals.
Summary of Case Law on Preschool
No cases have addressed preschool issues.
Ore. Const. Art. VIII, § 3
The Legislative Assembly shall provide by law for the establishment of a uniform
and general system of Common schools.
Ore. Const. Art. VIII, § 4
Provision shall be made by law for the distribution of the income of the common
school fund among the several Counties of this state in proportion to the number
of children resident therein between the ages, four and twenty years.
Ore. Const. Art. VIII, § 8
(1) The Legislative Assembly shall appropriate in each biennium a sum of money
sufficient to ensure that the state's system of public education meets quality
goals established by law, and publish a report that either demonstrates the
appropriation is sufficient, or identifies the reasons for the insufficiency,
its extent, and its impact on the ability of the state's system of public education
to meet those goals.
(2) Consistent with such legal obligation as it may have to maintain substantial
equity in state funding, the Legislative Assembly shall establish a system
of Equalization Grants to eligible districts for each year in which the voters
of such districts approve local option taxes as described in Article
XI, section 11(4)(a)(B) of this Constitution. The amount of such Grants
and eligibility criteria shall be determined by the Legislative Assembly.
Is Education a Fundamental
Right under the State Constitution?
The Oregon Supreme Court, in Olsen v. State, 276 Ore. 9, 19, 554 P.2d
139, 144 (1976), declined to decide whether education is a fundamental right
for purposes of an equal protection challenge, finding that such a classification "is
not a helpful method of analysis." Instead, the Court adopted the New
Jersey balancing test utilized in Robinson v. Cahill, 62 N.J. 473, 303
A.2d 273 (1973). "Under this approach the court weighs the detriment to
the education of the children of certain districts against the ostensible justification
for the scheme of school financing. If the court determines the detriment is
much greater than the justification, the financing scheme violates the guarantee
of equal protection." 276 Ore. at 20, 554 P.2d at 145. The Oregon Court
applied the balancing test and rejected the plaintiffs’ equal protection claim.
School Finance Cases in Favor
of Plaintiffs:
None.
Standard for a Constitutionally
Adequate Education:
Courts in Oregon have not established standards for educational adequacy.
An amendment to the state constitution in 2000, however, mandated that the
state legislature appropriate sufficient funds "to ensure that the state's
system of public education meets quality goals established by law." Quality
goals for the state’s K-12 system were subsequently established by the legislature
in eight statutes, enumerated in Ore. Rev. Stat. § 327.506, and include school
system characteristics, policy objectives, curriculum goals and content standards,
and teacher certification standards.
School Finance Cases against
Plaintiffs:
State Court Decisions Against Plaintiffs in School Finance Cases and Basis
for Decision:
Olsen v. State, 276 Ore. 9, 554 P.2d 139 (1976)
The Oregon Supreme Court upheld the state’s system of school finance, ruling
that the fact that property-poor districts had less local control than property-rich
districts because of the disparity in property tax revenue did not amount to
a violation of the equal protection clause of the state constitution. Although
the Court agreed that certain property-poor districts demonstrated "substantial
deficiencies in educational opportunities," this detriment did not outweigh
the "local control" justification of the state’s school financing
scheme under the Court’s equal protection balancing test.
The Court also held that the school financing statutes
did not violate the state constitutional requirement for "a uniform and general system of
common schools," which is satisfied when "the state requires and
provides for a minimum of educational opportunities in the district and permits
the districts to exercise local control over what they desire, and can furnish,
over the minimum." 276 Ore. at 27, 554 P.2d at 148.
Coalition for Equitable School Funding, Inc. v. State, 311 Ore. 300, 811
P.2d 116 (1991)
In 1987, eleven years after Olsen v. State, 276 Ore. 9, 554 P.2d 139
(1976), discussed above, the state constitution was amended to provide a so-called
Safety Net, which allowed school districts to continue to levy property taxes,
without voter approval, in order to meet operational expenses. In Coalition
for Equitable School Funding, Inc. v. State, 311 Ore. 300, 811 P.2d 116
(1991), plaintiffs (55 school districts, taxpayers, parents, and students)
asserted that the state's new method of funding public schools, which resulted
in disparities among school districts in financial benefits and tax burdens,
violated the state constitutional provision establishing a uniform and general
system of common schools, the provision requiring uniform taxation, and the
equal protection clause. The Oregon Supreme Court, however, found that the
financing system was valid under the safety net provision of the state constitution
which "contemplates and permits" district differences in taxation
and spending and "explicitly directs school districts to meet state standards
with property taxes." 311 Ore. at 309, 311, 811 P.2d at 120,121.
Withers v. State, 133 Ore. App. 377, 389, 891 P.2d 675, 682 (Withers I),
review denied 321 Ore. 284, 896 P.2d 1213 (1995)
Three junior high school students alleged that,
although the statutory school funding formula was "fair and equitable," a
transition mechanism which phased in full funding and capped annual increases
led to disparities
in funding and educational opportunities, resulting in an unconstitutional
failure to implement funding in a uniform manner. The trial judge found the
statutory scheme constitutional and dismissed the action, and the state court
of appeals affirmed.
Relying on Olsen v. State, discussed above, the Court of Appeals held
that the state constitutional mandate of a uniform public education system
did not require district-by-district equality of educational opportunities
or resources. On the equal protection claim, the Court of Appeals held that
there was a rational basis for phasing in an equalization formula, because
districts whose funding would be cut significantly under the equalization formula
would be harmed by immediate or sudden equalization.
Withers v. State, 163 Ore. App. 298, 987 P.2d 1247 (1999) (Withers II),
review denied 331 Ore. 284, 18 P.3d 1101 (2000)
After the decision in Withers I, discussed above, the legislature extended
the equalization transition or phase-in formula another two years, and the
plaintiffs returned to court to challenge the constitutionality of the legislation.
Although this time the trial court agreed with the plaintiffs, the Court of
Appeals reversed, again finding that the system adopted by the state legislature
had the rational purpose of working towards equality in funding without inflicting "sudden
and dramatic funding cuts on certain school districts." 163 Ore. App.
at 309, 987 P.2d at 1252-1253.
Decisions Ruling School Finance
Issues Were Non-Justiciable:
None.
Cases Related to State-Funded
Preschool:
None.
Pending School Finance Cases:
Pendleton School District 16R v. State (Cir. Ct., Multnomah Cty.), filed
Mar. 21, 2006
In 2000, an amendment to Oregon’s constitution was adopted which required
the legislature to "appropriate in each biennium a sum of money sufficient
to ensure that the state's system of public education meets quality goals established
by law." That provision is the focus of the Pendleton case. Plaintiffs
in this case—six school districts and five parents, suing as taxpayers and
on behalf of their children (students in the plaintiff districts)—assert that
the education budget passed by the legislature for the 2005-2007 biennium is
$1.8 billion short of what is necessary to ensure that public education in
Oregon meets the quality goals established by statute. Plaintiffs allege a
number of serious deficiencies in Oregon schools that won’t improve without
additional funding, including overcrowding, teacher shortages, inadequate textbooks,
low NAEP and other test results, low high school graduation rates, and high
pupil/teacher ratios.
The plaintiffs seek a declaration that the legislature must appropriate a
sufficient amount of money for the 2005-2007 biennium to satisfy the constitutional
requirements, specifically the $7.1 billion recommended by the Quality Education
Commission rather than the $5.3 billion passed by the legislature.
In September 2006, prior to trial, the case was dismissed
on summary judgment and is now on appeal to the state Court of Appeals. The
appeal has been briefed and argued, and a decision is expected in 2008.
Oregon Revised Statutes (Ore. Rev. Stat.) § 327.506, Quality goals
for the system
Oregon Revised Statutes (Ore. Rev. Stat.) § 329.160
et seq., Early
Childhood Education
Oregon Administrative Rules (Ore. Admin. R.) 581-019-0005 et seq., Prekindergarten
H.B. No. 5019 (2007), Appropriations
Oregon Early Childhood Foundations Birth Through Five (October 2006)
Note: The State of Oregon has adopted federal Head Start program guidelines
for its prekindergarten program.
Head Start Act, 42 U.S.C. § 9801 et seq.
Head Start Regulations, 45 CFR Parts 1304-1306
Head Start Child Outcomes Framework
Provisions Expressing State Policy on Preschool:
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.153
(1) It is the policy of the Legislative Assembly that programs and strategies
that can substantiate a claim to prevention and cost-effectiveness be of high
priority.
(2) The Legislative Assembly finds that dollars invested in quality programs,
such as the Head Start program after which the Oregon prekindergarten is modeled,
return the costs thereof several times over in costs saved in the areas of
remedial education, corrections and human services.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.160
It is the policy of this state to implement programs for early childhood
education … and
for extended Oregon prekindergarten programs.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.175(1)
The Department of Education shall administer the Oregon prekindergarten program
to assist eligible children with comprehensive services including educational,
social, health and nutritional development to enhance their chances for success
in school and life. …
Eligibility Criteria for State Preschool Program:
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.170(2) For purposes of ORS 329.175, "eligible
child" means an at-risk child who is not a participant in a federal, state
or local program providing like comprehensive services and may include children
who are eligible under rules adopted by the State Board of Education. As used
in this subsection, "at-risk child" means a child at least three years of age
and not eligible for kindergarten whose family circumstances would qualify
that child for eligibility under the federal Head Start program.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.185 When the federal Head Start program provides
funding for programs for eligible children at or greater than the 1990-1991
per child level, eligibility for the state funded Oregon prekindergarten program
shall be expanded to include programs for children whose family income exceeds
the federal Head Start limits or who are in an underserved or unserved age
category. After determining the increase in income limits or age level that
would make children most in need of state programs eligible for them, the State
Board of Education may direct expenditure of any unexpended or unobligated
funds appropriated for the biennium for eligible children to be expended for
the additional children considered to be most in need. In the following biennium,
the State Board of Education shall include the cost of any added program for
the children most in need in its biennial budget.
Ore. Admin. R. § 581-019-0005
… (4) "At-Risk" means a child at least three
years of age and not eligible for kindergarten whose family circumstances
would qualify that child for eligibility
under the federal Head Start Program.
… (7) "Eligible Child" means an at-risk
child who is not a participant in a federal, state or local program providing
like comprehensive services
and may include children who are eligible under rules adopted by the State
Board of Education.
Ore. Admin. R. § 581-019-0030
(1) Children must be at least three years old on or before September 1 of
their entrance year, and not eligible for kindergarten.
(2) At least 80 percent of the children served shall be eligible according
to Head Start federal regulations at 45
CFR 1305.4.
(3) No less than ten percent of the total number of enrollment opportunities
in the state of Oregon shall be available for handicapped children. See 45
CFR 1305.5.
(4) Up to 20 percent of the children served need not qualify according to
Head Start regulations.
45 C.F.R. § 1305.2(l) Low-income family means a family whose total
annual income before taxes is equal to, or less than, the income guidelines.
For the purpose of eligibility, a child from a family that is receiving public
assistance or a child in foster care is eligible even if the family income
exceeds the income guidelines.
45 C.F.R. § 1305.4
(a) To be eligible for Head Start services, a child must be at least three
years old by the date used to determine eligibility for public school in the
community in which the Head Start program is located, except in cases where
the Head Start program's approved grant provides specific authority to serve
younger children. Examples of such exceptions are programs serving children
of migrant families and Early Head Start programs.
(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:
45 C.F.R. § 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 attend) 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. Grantees implementing a combination of four and five days per week
must plan to operate between 128 and 160 days per year. The minimum number
of planned days of service per year can be determined by computing the relative
number of four and five day weeks that the program is in operation. All center-based
program options must provide a minimum of 32 weeks of scheduled days of class
operations over an eight or nine month period. Every effort should be made
to schedule makeup classes using existing resources if planned class days fall
below the number required per year.
Scope of State’s Responsibility to Provide Preschool:
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.160 It is the policy of this state to implement
programs for early childhood education … and for extended Oregon prekindergarten
programs.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.175
(1) The Department of Education shall administer the Oregon prekindergarten
program to assist eligible children with comprehensive services including educational,
social, health and nutritional development to enhance their chances for success
in school and life. Eligible children, upon request of parent or guardian,
shall be admitted to approved Oregon prekindergartens to the extent that the
Legislative Assembly provides funds.
(2) Nonsectarian organizations including
school districts and Head Start grantees are eligible to compete for funds
to establish an Oregon prekindergarten.
Grant recipients shall serve children eligible according to federal Head Start
guidelines and other children who meet criteria of eligibility adopted by rule
by the State Board of Education. However, not more than 20 percent of the total
enrollment shall consist of children who do not meet Head Start guidelines… .
Scope of State's Responsibility to Fund Preschool:
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.160 … The state shall continue funding
Oregon prekindergarten programs with a goal to have full funding for all
eligible children.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.165
(1) In consultation with the advisory committee for the
Oregon prekindergarten program, the Department of Education shall develop a
long-range plan for serving eligible
children and their families and shall report to each regular session of the
Legislative Assembly on the funds necessary to implement the long-range plan,
including but not limited to regular programming costs, salary enhancements
and program improvement grants. The department shall determine the rate of
increase in funding for programs necessary each biennium to provide service
to all children eligible for the prekindergarten program.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.175
(1) The Department of Education shall administer the Oregon prekindergarten
program to assist eligible children with comprehensive services including educational,
social, health and nutritional development to enhance their chances for success
in school and life. Eligible children, upon request of parent or guardian,
shall be admitted to approved Oregon prekindergartens to the extent that the
Legislative Assembly provides funds.
(2) Nonsectarian organizations including
school districts and Head Start grantees are eligible to compete for funds
to establish an Oregon prekindergarten. … Funds
appropriated for the program shall be used to establish and maintain new or
expanded Oregon prekindergartens and shall not be used to supplant federally
supported Head Start programs. Oregon prekindergartens also may accept gifts,
grants and other funds for the purposes of this section.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.185 … After determining the increase in income
limits or age level that would make children most in need of state programs
eligible for them, the State Board of Education may direct expenditure of any
unexpended or unobligated funds appropriated for the biennium for eligible
children to be expended for the additional children considered to be most in
need. In the following biennium, the State Board of Education shall include
the cost of any added program for the children most in need in its biennial
budget.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.195(3) … When approving grant applications, to
the extent practicable, the board shall distribute funds
regionally based on percentages of unmet needs as identified in the voluntary
local early childhood system plans that are part of the local coordinated comprehensive
plans developed under ORS 417.775 for the county or region.
Ore. Admin. R. § 581-019-0020(1) Funds shall be awarded on a competitive
basis. Subject to available funds, continuation grants shall be awarded on
the basis of satisfactory performance.
Ore. Admin. R. § 581-019-0025(1) Funds appropriated shall be used to
establish and maintain new or expanded prekindergarten programs and shall not
be used to supplant federally supported Head Start programs.
45 C.F.R. § 1305.9 A Head Start program must not prescribe any fee
schedule or otherwise provide for the charging of any fees for participation
in the program. If the family of a child determined to be eligible for participation
by a Head Start program volunteers to pay part or all of the costs of the child's
participation, the Head Start program may accept the voluntary payments and
record the payments as program income.
Under no circumstances shall a Head Start program solicit, encourage, or in
any other way condition a child's enrollment or participation in the program
upon the payment of a fee.
Source of Funding for Preschool Program:
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.183
(1) The Prekindergarten Program Trust Fund is established
as a fund in the State Treasury, separate and distinct from the General Fund.
Interest earned
by the trust fund shall be credited to the trust fund. The primary purpose
of the trust fund is to assist eligible children with comprehensive services
including educational, social, health and nutritional development to enhance
their chances for success in school and life. For this purpose, the trust fund
is continuously appropriated to the Department of Education for the Oregon
prekindergarten program described in ORS 329.170 to 329.200.
(2) The department may solicit and accept money in the
form of gifts, contributions and grants to be deposited in the trust fund.
Except
as provided in ORS 329.185, the acceptance of federal grants for purposes of
ORS 329.170 to 329.200 does not commit state funds nor place an obligation
upon the Legislative Assembly to continue the purposes for which the federal
funds are made available.
(3) The trust fund may be listed, if otherwise qualified,
on the Oregon income tax return for checkoff pursuant to application made to
the Oregon Charitable
Checkoff Commission under ORS 305.690 to 305.753 by the department.
H.B. No. 5019 (2007), Appropriations
SECTION 2. The following amounts, which are to be distributed
as grants-in-aid and to purchase services, are appropriated to the Department
of Education,
for the biennium beginning July 1, 2007, out of the General Fund, for the following
purposes:
… (5) Oregon prekindergarten program ...........................
$ 71,084,721
SECTION 11. (1) In addition to and not in lieu of any
other appropriation, there is appropriated to the Emergency Board, for the
biennium beginning July 1, 2007, out of the General Fund, the amount of $25,000,000,
to be allocated to the Department of Education for the Oregon prekindergarten
program.
Scope of Child's Right to
Attend Preschool:
45 C.F.R. § 1305.7
(a) Each child enrolled in a Head Start program, except those enrolled in
a migrant program, must be allowed to remain in Head Start until kindergarten
or first grade is available for the child in the child's community, except
that the Head Start program may choose not to enroll a child when there are
compelling reasons for the child not to remain in Head Start, such as when
there is a change in the child's family income and there is a child with a
greater need for Head Start services.
… (c) If a child has been found income eligible
and is participating in a Head Start program, he or she remains income eligible
through that enrollment
year and the immediately succeeding enrollment year. Children who are enrolled
in a program receiving funds under the authority of section 645A of the Head
Start Act (programs for families with infants and toddlers, or Early Head Start)
remain income eligible while they are participating in the program. When a
child moves from a program serving infants and toddlers to a Head Start program
serving children age three and older, the family income must be reverified.
If one agency operates both an Early Head Start and a Head Start program, and
the parents wish to enroll their child who has been enrolled in the agency's
Early Head Start program, the agency must ensure, whenever possible, that the
child receives Head Start services until enrolled in school.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.175
…
Eligible children, upon request of parent or guardian, shall be admitted to
approved Oregon prekindergartens to the extent that the Legislative Assembly
provides funds.
Curriculum Content Standards for Preschool Program:
Ore. Admin. R. § 581-019-0025(5) Programs shall provide developmentally
appropriate educational services which are consistent with the unique physical,
social, emotional, and cognitive needs of young children. Developmentally appropriate
programs are both age appropriate and individually appropriate.
45 C.F.R. § 1304.3(5)
Curriculum means a written plan that includes:
(i) The goals for children's development and learning;
(ii) The experiences through which they will achieve these goals;
(iii) What staff and parents do to help children achieve these goals; and
(iv) The materials needed to support the implementation of the curriculum.
The curriculum is consistent with the Head Start Program Performance Standards
and is based on sound child development principles about how children grow
and learn.
45 C.F.R. § 1304.21
(a) Child development and education approach for all children.
(1) In order to help children gain the skills and confidence necessary to
be prepared to succeed in their present environment and with later responsibilities
in school and life, grantee and delegate agencies' approach to child development
and education must:
(i) Be developmentally and linguistically appropriate, recognizing that children
have individual rates of development as well as individual interests, temperaments,
languages, cultural backgrounds, and learning styles;
(ii) Be inclusive of children with disabilities, consistent with their Individualized
Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Education Program (IEP) (see 45
CFR 1308.19);
(iii) Provide an environment of acceptance that supports and respects gender,
culture, language, ethnicity and family composition;
(iv) Provide a balanced daily program of child-initiated and adult-directed
activities, including individual and small group activities; and
(v) Allow and enable children to independently use toilet facilities when
it is developmentally appropriate and when efforts to encourage toilet training
are supported by the parents.
(2) Parents must be:
(i) Invited to become integrally involved in the development of the program's
curriculum and approach to child development and education;
(ii) Provided opportunities to increase their child observation skills and
to share assessments with staff that will help plan the learning experiences;
and
(iii) Encouraged to participate in staff-parent conferences and home visits
to discuss their child's development and education (see 45 CFR 1304.40(e)(4)
and 45 CFR 1304.40(i)(2)).
(3) Grantee and delegate agencies must support social and emotional development
by:
(i) Encouraging development which enhances each child's strengths by:
(A) Building trust;
(B) Fostering independence;
(C) Encouraging self-control by setting clear, consistent limits, and having
realistic expectations;
(D) Encouraging respect for the feelings and rights of others; and
(E) Supporting and respecting the home language, culture, and family composition
of each child in ways that support the child's health and well-being; and
(ii) Planning for routines and transitions so that they occur in a timely,
predictable and unrushed manner according to each child's needs.
(4) Grantee and delegate agencies must provide for the development of each
child's cognitive and language skills by:
(i) Supporting each child's learning, using various strategies including experimentation,
inquiry, observation, play and exploration;
(ii) Ensuring opportunities for creative self-expression through activities
such as art, music, movement, and dialogue;
(iii) Promoting interaction and language use among children and between children
and adults; and
(iv) Supporting emerging literacy and numeracy development through materials
and activities according to the developmental level of each child.
(5) In center-based settings, grantee and delegate agencies must promote each
child's physical development by:
(i) Providing sufficient time, indoor and outdoor space, equipment, materials
and adult guidance for active play and movement that support the development
of gross motor skills;
(ii) Providing appropriate time, space, equipment, materials and adult guidance
for the development of fine motor skills according to each child's developmental
level; and
(iii) Providing an appropriate environment and adult guidance for the participation
of children with special needs.
(6) In home-based settings, grantee and delegate agencies must encourage parents
to appreciate the importance of physical development, provide opportunities
for children's outdoor and indoor active play, and guide children in the safe
use of equipment and materials.
… (c) Child development and education approach for preschoolers.
(1) Grantee and delegate agencies, in collaboration with the parents, must
implement a curriculum (see 45
CFR 1304.3(a)(5)) that:
(i) Supports each child's individual pattern of development and learning;
(ii) Provides for the development of cognitive skills by encouraging each
child to organize his or her experiences, to understand concepts, and to develop
age appropriate literacy, numeracy, reasoning, problem solving and decision-making
skills which form a foundation for school readiness and later school success;
(iii) Integrates all educational aspects of the health, nutrition, and mental
health services into program activities;
(iv) Ensures that the program environment helps children develop emotional
security and facility in social relationships;
(v) Enhances each child's understanding of self as an individual and as a
member of a group;
(vi) Provides each child with opportunities for success to help develop feelings
of competence, self-esteem, and positive attitudes toward learning; and
(vii) Provides individual and small group experiences
both indoors and outdoors… .
Oregon Early Childhood Foundations Birth Through Five
The Oregon Early Childhood Foundations are a new
resource providing "guidelines" for all adults working with children
ages three to five. They are designed to assist Parents, Families, Child-Care
Providers, Pre-school and Pre-Kindergarten Programs [to] promote learning
and healthy development of Oregon’s young children.
Oregon’s Early Childhood Foundations are presented
as a framework of building blocks that are important for school success.
The Early Childhood Foundations are intended to be inclusive of all children
-- English language learners, children with special health care needs, children
with disabilities, and children who are typically developing -- recognizing
that children may develop on the continuum at different times and in different
ways. The Foundations are not an exhaustive list of everything a child should
know or be able to do by the end of preschool. The Early Childhood Foundations
are a guide, NOT a curriculum or a checklist of what all children can do. …
Sample:
Language and Literacy
Early Childhood Foundation: Phonological Awareness
Children use sound in a variety of contexts by:
- Making oral rhymes
- Identifying syllables in spoken words
- Hearing beginning and ending sounds in words
- Listening and telling differences in phonemes
(smallest parts of sound in a spoken word)
Indicators: Observable Behaviors
The Child
- Recognizes matching sounds and rhymes in familiar
words (cat, hat, bat, rat, etc).
- Discriminates rhyming words in familiar games,
songs, stories and poems. …
The Adult
- Ensures that children have opportunities to
hear sounds in their home language.
- Provides opportunities for children to repeat
sounds in their names and other familiar words.…
Supportive Learning Environments Include
- Multiple books, pictures, signs, visual examples
of written words.
- Planned group music time and individual time
for children to listen to a variety of sound tapes, music, and stories.
Head Start Child Outcomes Framework
This Framework is intended to guide Head Start programs in their ongoing assessment
of the progress and accomplishments of children and in efforts to analyze and
use data on child outcomes in program self-assessment and continuous improvement.
The Framework is composed of 8 general Domains, 27 Domain Elements, and 100
examples of more specific Indicators of children's skills, abilities, knowledge,
and behaviors. The Framework is based on the Head Start Program Performance
Standards, Head Start Performance Measures, provisions of the Head Start Act
as amended in 1998, advice of the Head Start Bureau Technical Work Group on
Child Outcomes, and a review of documents on assessment of young children and
early childhood program accountability from a variety of state agencies and
professional organizations.
Sample:
Domain: Literacy
Domain Element: Early Writing
Indicators:
- Develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety
of purposes.
- Begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation,
and in play.
- Experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such
as pencils, crayons, and computers.
- Progresses from using scribbles, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas,
to using letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as
their own name.
Teacher Certification/Qualification Standards for Preschool Program:
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.195
(1) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules
for the establishment of the Oregon prekindergarten program…. Federal Head
Start program guidelines shall be considered as guidelines for the Oregon
prekindergarten program.
(2) In developing rules for the Oregon prekindergarten
program, the board shall consult with the advisory committee established
under ORS 329.190 and shall consider such factors as
coordination with existing programs, the preparation necessary for instructors,
qualifications of instructors, training of staff… .
Ore. Admin. R. § 581-019-0010 (1) A minimum of 2.5 percent
of the total [prekindergarten] grant shall be used for staff development.
45 C.F.R. § 1304.52
… (b) Staff qualifications-general.
(1) Grantee and delegate agencies must
ensure that staff and consultants have the knowledge, skills, and experience
they need to perform their assigned functions responsibly.
(2) In addition, grantee and delegate agencies must ensure that only candidates
with the qualifications specified in this part and in 45 CFR 1306.21 are hired.
(3) Current and former Early Head Start and Head Start parents must receive
preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.
(4) Staff and program consultants must be familiar with the ethnic background
and heritage of families in the program and must be able to serve and effectively
communicate, to the extent feasible, with children and families with no or
limited English proficiency.
(c) Early Head Start or Head Start director qualifications. The Early Head
Start or Head Start director must have demonstrated skills and abilities in
a management capacity relevant to human services program management. …
42 U.S.C. § 9843A (Head Start Act Section
648A) Classroom Teachers
(a)(1) The Secretary shall ensure that each Head Start classroom
in a center-based program is assigned one teacher who has demonstrated competency
to perform functions that include —
(A) planning and implementing learning experiences that advance
the intellectual and physical development of children, including improving
the readiness of children for school by developing their literacy and phonemic,
print, and numeracy awareness, their understanding and use of language, their
understanding and use of increasingly complex and varied vocabulary, their
appreciation of books, and their problem solving abilities;
(B) establishing and maintaining a safe, healthy learning
environment;
(C) supporting the social and emotional development of children;
and
(D) encouraging the involvement of the families of the children
in a Head Start program and supporting the development of relationships between
children and their families.
(2) —Degree Requirements
(A) 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) 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:
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.175(3) Applicants [for prekindergarten program
grants] shall identify how they will serve the target population and provide
all components as specified in the federal Head Start performance standards
and guidelines, including staff qualifications and training, facilities and
equipment, transportation and fiscal management.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.195
(1) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules for the establishment of
the Oregon prekindergarten program. Rules specifically shall require the Oregon
prekindergarten program to provide for parental involvement and performance
standards at a level no less than that provided under the federal Head Start
program guidelines. Federal Head Start program guidelines shall be considered
as guidelines for the Oregon prekindergarten program.
(2) In developing rules for the Oregon prekindergarten
program, the board shall consult with the advisory committee established
under ORS 329.190 and shall consider such factors as
coordination with existing programs, the preparation necessary for instructors,
qualifications of instructors, training of staff, adequate space and equipment
and special transportation needs… .
Ore. Admin. R. § 581-019-0010
(1) A minimum of 2.5 percent of the total grant shall be used for staff development.
… (4) Contractors must have established appropriate internal fiscal
controls and fund accounting procedures to assure the proper disbursement of,
and accounting for, all funds provided.
Ore. Admin. R. § 581-019-0025
… (2) Programs shall serve the eligible children
and provide all components as specified in the federal Head Start Performance
Standards (U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth, and Families,
45 CFR 1304).
(3) Programs shall provide for staff qualifications and training, facilities
and equipment, transportation and fiscal management.
… (6) Requirements for programs design shall be based on a model of
comprehensive services to participating children. These include educational
services, health services (including medical, dental, nutritional, and mental
health), parent involvement, and social services to families. Parents shall
be given the opportunity to be involved in every aspect of the planning and
implementation of services. Specific program requirements are contained in
the program requirements publication available from the Department dated January
21, 1988.
45 C.F.R. § 1304.53
(a) Head Start physical environment and facilities.
(1) Grantee and delegate
agencies must provide a physical environment and facilities conducive to
learning and reflective of the different stages of development of each child.
(2) Grantee and delegate agencies must provide appropriate space for the conduct
of all program activities (see 45 CFR 1308.4 for specific access requirements
for children with disabilities).
(3) The center space provided by grantee and delegate agencies must be organized
into functional areas that can be recognized by the children and that allow
for individual activities and social interactions.
(4) The indoor and outdoor space in Early Head Start or Head Start centers
in use by mobile infants and toddlers must be separated from general walkways
and from areas in use by preschoolers.
(5) Centers must have at least 35 square feet of usable indoor space per child
available for the care and use of children (i.e., exclusive of bathrooms, halls,
kitchen, staff rooms, and storage places) and at least 75 square feet of usable
outdoor play space per child.
(6) Facilities owned or operated by Early Head Start and Head Start grantee
or delegate agencies must meet the licensing requirements of 45 CFR 1306.30.
(7) Grantee and delegate agencies must provide for the maintenance, repair,
safety, and security of all Early Head Start and Head Start facilities, materials
and equipment.
(8) Grantee and delegate agencies must provide a center-based environment
free of toxins, such as cigarette smoke, lead, pesticides, herbicides, and
other air pollutants as well as soil and water contaminants. Agencies must
ensure that no child is present during the spraying of pesticides or herbicides.
Children must not return to the affected area until it is safe to do so.
(9) Outdoor play areas at center-based programs must be arranged so as to
prevent any child from leaving the premises and getting into unsafe and unsupervised
areas. Enroute to play areas, children must not be exposed to vehicular traffic
without supervision.
(10) Grantee and delegate agencies must conduct a safety inspection, at least
annually, to ensure that each facility's space, light, ventilation, heat, and
other physical arrangements are consistent with the health, safety and developmental
needs of children.
(b) Head Start equipment, toys, materials, and furniture.
(1) Grantee and delegate agencies must provide and arrange sufficient equipment,
toys, materials, and furniture to meet the needs and facilitate the participation
of children and adults.
Equipment, toys, materials, and furniture owned or operated by the grantee
or delegate agency must be:
(i) Supportive of the specific educational objectives of the local program;
(ii) Supportive of the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of the children;
(iii) Age-appropriate, safe, and supportive of the abilities and developmental
level of each child served, with adaptations, if necessary, for children with
disabilities;
(iv) Accessible, attractive, and inviting to children;
(v) Designed to provide a variety of learning experiences and to encourage
each child to experiment and explore;
(vi) Safe, durable, and kept in good condition; and
(vii) Stored in a safe and orderly fashion when not in
use… .
45 C.F.R. § 1306.20
(a) Grantees must meet the requirements of 45 CFR 1304.52(g), Classroom staffing
and home visitors, in addition to the requirements of this Section.
(b) Grantees must provide adequate supervision of their staff.
(c) Grantees operating center-based program options must employ two paid staff
persons (a teacher and a teacher aide or two teachers) for each class. Whenever
possible, there should be a third person in the classroom who is a volunteer.
(d) Grantees operating home-based program options must employ home visitors
responsible for home visits and group socialization activities.
(e) Grantees operating a combination program option must employ, for their
classroom operations, two paid staff persons, a teacher and a teacher aide
or two teachers, for each class. Whenever possible, there should be a third
person in the classroom who is a volunteer. They must employ staff for home
visits who meet the qualifications the grantee requires for home visitors.
(f) Classroom staff and home visitors must be able to communicate with the
families they serve either directly or through a translator. They should also
be familiar with the ethnic background of these families.
45 C.F.R. § 1306.30
(a) All Head Start grantees must provide comprehensive child development services,
as defined in the Head Start Performance Standards.
(b) All Head Start grantees must provide classroom or group socialization
activities for the child as well as home visits to the parents. The major purpose
of the classroom or socialization activities is to help meet the child's development
needs and to foster the child's social competence. The major purpose of the
home visits is to enhance the parental role in the growth and development of
the child.
(c) The facilities used by Early Head Start and Head Start grantee and delegate
agencies for regularly scheduled center-based and combination program option
classroom activities or home-based group socialization activities must comply
with State and local requirements concerning licensing. In cases where these
licensing standards are less comprehensive or less stringent than the Head
Start regulations, or where no State or local licensing standards are applicable,
grantee and delegate agencies are required to assure that their facilities
are in compliance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards related
to health and safety as found in 45 CFR 1304.53(a), Physical environment and
facilities.
(d) All grantees must identify, secure and use community resources in the
provision of services to Head Start children and their families prior to using
Head Start funds for these services.
45 C.F.R. § 1306.31
(a) Grantees may choose to implement one or more than one of three program
options: a center-based option, a home-based program option or a combination
program option.
(b) The program option chosen must meet the needs of the children and families
as indicated by the community needs assessment conducted by the grantee.
(c) When assigning children to a particular program option, Head Start grantees
that operate more than one program option must consider such factors as the
child's age, developmental level, disabilities, health or learning problems,
previous preschool experiences and family situation. Grantees must also consider
parents' concerns and wishes prior to making final assignments.
45 C.F.R. § 1306.32
(a) Class size.
(1) Head Start classes must be staffed by a teacher and an aide or two teachers
and, whenever possible, a volunteer.
(2) Grantees must determine their class size based on the predominant age
of the children who will participate in the class and whether or not a center-based
double session variation is being implemented.
(3) For classes serving predominantly four or five-year-old children, the
average class size of that group of classes must be between 17 and 20 children,
with no more than 20 children enrolled in any one class.
(4) When double session classes serve predominantly four or five-year-old-children,
the average class size of that group of classes must be between 15 and 17 children.
A double session class for four or five-year old children may have no more
than 17 children enrolled. (See paragraph (c) of this section for other requirements
regarding the double session variation.)
(5) For classes serving predominantly three-year-old children, the average
class size of that group of classes must be between 15 and 17 children, with
no more than 17 children enrolled in any one class.
Delivery of Preschool
Services:
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.160 … The Oregon prekindergarten program shall
continue to be operated in coordination with the federal Head Start program
in order to avoid duplication of services and so as to ensure maximum use of
resources… .
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.175
… (2) Nonsectarian organizations including school districts and Head Start
grantees are eligible to compete for funds to establish an Oregon prekindergarten… .
School districts may contract with other governmental or nongovernmental nonsectarian
organizations to conduct a portion of the program… .
… (4) Oregon prekindergartens shall coordinate
with each other and with federal Head Start programs to ensure efficient
delivery of services and prevent overlap.
Oregon prekindergartens shall also work with local organizations such as
local education associations serving young children and make the maximum
use of local
resources.
Ore. Admin. R. § 581-019-0015(1) Public or private nonsectarian organizations
or consortia of organizations are eligible to apply for funding as a prekindergarten
program.
Ore. Admin. R. § 581-019-0025(4) Programs shall coordinate with each
other and with federal Head Start Programs to insure efficient delivery of
services and prevent overlap.
Requirements for Student
Assessment and Program Evaluation:
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.155
(1) State agencies that administer education programs
and other programs that provide services for children
and families shall:
(a) Evaluate the effectiveness
of the program as related to the principles
stated in ORS
329.025 and 417.305 in
the earliest stages of the budget process, including
components within programs as appropriate;
(b) Articulate ways in which the program is an
effective component of agency and state priorities,
goals and strategies, such as those developed by
the Oregon Progress Board, or to relevant research
and professional standards;
(c) Establish plans, interagency partnerships,
implementation practices and interactions with
local coordinated comprehensive plans;
(d) Utilize the information generated by applicable
state advisory groups and by the local planning
process administered by the State Commission on
Children and Families in the program assessment
of needs and decisions as to service delivery in
a given community; and
(e) Identify barriers to improving program capability
to serve the needs of young children and related
recommendations, if any.
(2) The processes listed in subsection (1) of
this section are for the purpose of generating
interagency coordination so as to serve to the
greatest extent possible young children and their
families in a comprehensive and developmentally
appropriate fashion. The information generated
by these processes shall be considered as a contribution
to subsequent budget decisions by state and local
agencies, the Oregon Department of Administrative
Services and Legislative Assembly, and as a contribution
to the planning and coordination tasks of the State
Commission on Children and Families.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.165
(1) In consultation with
the advisory committee for the Oregon prekindergarten
program, the Department
of Education shall develop a long-range
plan for serving eligible children and their families
and shall report to each regular session of the
Legislative Assembly on the funds necessary to
implement the long-range plan, including but not
limited to regular programming costs, salary enhancements
and program improvement grants. The department
shall determine the rate of increase in funding
for programs necessary each biennium to provide
service to all children eligible for the prekindergarten
program.
(2) Each biennial
report shall include but not be limited to estimates
of the number of eligible
children and families to be served, projected cost
of programs and evaluation of the programs.
Ore. Rev. Stat. § 329.200
(1) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall
report to the Legislative Assembly on the merits
of continuing and expanding the Oregon prekindergarten
program or instituting other means of providing
early childhood development assistance.
(2) The superintendent's report shall include
specific recommendations on at least the following
issues:
(a) The relationship of the state-funded Oregon
prekindergarten program with the common school
system;
(b) The types of children and their needs that
the program should serve;
(c) The appropriate level of state support for
implementing the program for all eligible children,
including related projects to prepare instructors
and provide facilities, equipment and transportation;
(d) The state administrative structure necessary
to implement the program; and
(e) Licensing or endorsement of early childhood
teachers.
(3) The Department of Education shall examine,
monitor and assess the effectiveness of the Oregon
prekindergarten
program. The superintendent shall make biennial
reports to the Legislative Assembly on the effectiveness
of the program.
45 C.F.R. § 1304.21(c)(2) Staff must use
a variety of strategies to promote and support
children's learning and developmental progress
based on the observations and ongoing assessment
of each child (see 45 CFR 1304.20(b), 1304.20(d),
and 1304.20(e)).
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