How to Start a Blended Pre-K Toolkit by Mississippi First

BLENDED

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We extend special thanks to Terry Jones of the Washington County Opportunities, Inc.; Jill Dent of the Office of Early Childhood at the Mississippi Department of Education; Nita Thompson of the Mississippi Head Start Association; Eileen Beazley of the Head Start Collaboration Office; Heather Lyons of Lamar County School District; and Chelsea Luster of Hinds County Human Resource Agency. This report was made possible by the generous support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Alliance for Early Success.

ABOUT

Driven to change the fact that Mississippi has historically been last, our founders set a bold vision: a Mississippi first in education nationally. Mississippi First champions transformative policy solutions ensuring educational excellence for every Mississippi child. We are a leading voice for state-funded pre-K, high-quality public charter schools, access to highly effective teachers, and rigorous state learning standards and materials.

TEAM

Rachel Canter, Author and Editor Executive Director

Micayla Tatum, Author Director of Early Childhood Policy

Heather Bruce, Designer

Rory Doyle, Photographer

Sonja Semion, Proofreader

Copyright © 2025 by Mississippi First. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Icons found in this design are from Faticon.com.

INTRODUCTION

This toolkit is part of a series intended to help communities understand how to launch different types of pre-K programs.

This toolkit focuses on starting a blended pre-K program. Some aspects of this toolkit are the same as each toolkit in the series while others are unique. Every toolkit is intended to stand alone, such that a person reading one toolkit will not need to refer to another to grasp all of the important information. Nonetheless, where appropriate, the toolkits each refer to relevant outside resources.

The best way to use this toolkit is to read it in order as presented; however, as authors, we have assumed readers have a certain level of background knowledge. If readers are looking for basic information about pre-K—such as the research base or common practices— these toolkits were not designed for that purpose. We suggest general resources about pre-K in Appendix A: General Information.

In addition to a basic level of knowledge about pre-K, we assume that readers of this toolkit are seriously considering or have decided to start a blended pre-K program. Readers who are unsure about whether blended pre-K fits their community’s needs should consult Appendix B: Getting Started for a needs assessment tool. The needs assessment will help communities identify strengths and weaknesses for selecting a pre-K program.

Finally, being able to operate a blended pre-K program is dependent on available district and Head Start funds as well as collaboration between Head Start grantees and local school districts. Please see the Allowable Funds section of this toolkit for more information on blended funds.

WHAT IS BLENDED PRE-K?

Blended pre-K (commonly referred to as Blended Head Start) refers to public pre-K programs sharing costs by utilizing Head Start dollars and school district resources, such as those from Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). These programs must follow all of the requirements of programs funded exclusively by Head Start as well as their other funding sources.

Blended pre-K programs are collaboratively operated by local school districts and Head Start grantees and monitored by both the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and the Office of Head Start’s regional offices. There is no specific application process to start a blended pre-K program, but if a school district intends to use Title I funds for a blended program, the district must have an approved Consolidated Federal Programs Application, or CFPA, on file with MDE that names this use. Head Start grantees should consult with their regional office. Head Start grantees and school districts must also consent to the terms of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to govern the program. The list below briefly describes the most important factors differentiating blended pre-K from other Mississippi pre-K programs:

Collaboration

To operate a blended pre-K program, local school districts and Head Start grantees must partner to strategically use their funds, sites, and services. Both partners are governed by an MOU. Please see Appendix C: Collaboration and Appendix E: Example Memorandum of Understanding.

Quality

Blended pre-K programs must meet federal regulations for Head Start programs as well as the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines for Classrooms Serving Three- and Four-Year- Old Children (2018).1 Between these sets of standards, blended pre-K programs meet the highest standards for quality, including most of the 10 quality benchmarks identified by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).2 More information about the program requirements for blended pre-K can be found in the Program Requirements section of this toolkit.

Funding

Blended pre-K programs are funded by Head Start funds granted directly from the US Department of Health and Human Services in conjunction with any other allowable source from a local school district. Most often, programs blend Head Start funds with federal Title I, Part A dollars. Please see the sections on Supplement, Not Supplant Regulations; Enrollment; Allowable Funds; and Budgeting for further information.

1 Depending on the source of district dollars, additional quality requirements may apply. For example, if Title I funds are used, programs must also adhere to Title I, Part A guidance.

2 Head Start programs meet 9 of the 10 NIEER benchmarks. The remaining benchmark requires all teachers to hold a bachelor's degree. Currently, a minimum of 50% of Head Start teachers must have a bachelor’s degree. However, it should be noted that as of 2022, more than 61% of Mississippi Head Start teachers possess at least a bachelor’s degree.

BENEFITS OF BLENDED PRE-K

Due to the 50% decline in the number of four-year-olds enrolled in pre-K from the 2011-2012 school year to the 2018-2019 school year,3 utilizing the blended pre-K model ensures that federal Head Start resources remain in the state. If enrollment declines continue, Mississippi will lose access to Head Start funds, which are critical for extending access to quality pre-K seats in communities across the state and maintaining needed federal funding in our lower-resource communities.

Additionally, creating blended pre-K programs offers benefits to both school districts and Head Start. Head Start can count blended seats towards their enrollment goals while districts can utilize Head Start resources to help with cost sharing. Due to the sharing of cost, blended programs can use funds saved to increase staff pay as well as purchase additional needed supplies, services, and equipment.

Blended pre-K also enables children to access comprehensive health screenings, mental health services, transportation, parental engagement resources, and a family services advocate which is unique to Head Start. Classroom staff can access additional training, technical assistance, and professional development opportunities. Blended programs are also better able to ensure higher levels of quality and academic alignment between pre-K and later K-12 experiences due to the direct connection between providers. Finally, blended pre-K allows both organizations to strategically utilize buildings in the community, create consistent instructional practices across institutions, and enroll children intentionally to serve the maximum number of children.

MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS

Blended pre-K has many benefits, but oftentimes districts and Head Starts struggle to create a successful partnership. This is typically due to the varying regulations that Head Start and school districts must follow and the differences in oversight for each organization. These different perspectives are often the beginning of conflicts between the programs. Blended programs require all parties to adopt a mindset that centers the community’s success and not just the success of Head Start or the school district.

School district administrators’ common perspectives and thoughts can include

 questions about the quality of other early education programs.

 concerns about the additional administrative work when partnering with other early education programs.

 a lack of knowledge about the importance of early education programs due to a focus on K-12 education.

Head Start administrators’ common perspectives and thoughts can include

 belief that academic success and school readiness are elevated above other forms of child development in public school programs.

 tension about the different work hours, pay scales, and benefits of their employees.

 concerns that other early learning programs will compete with them for staff and students.4

To prevent challenges in the partnership, the partners should evaluate their individual mindsets and their relationships with each other at the outset (see Appendix C) and consider setting expectations in the MOU around communication and managing conflicts. One option is to include language in the MOU that there must be attempts at mediation before terminating the agreement. This preparation will aid Head Start and school districts in creating sustainable partnerships.

3 Canter, Rachel and Micayla Tatum. Access to Pre-K, 2017-2018. Jackson, MS: Mississippi First, 2022. https://www.mississippifirst.org/library/2021-state-of-pre-k/

4 This was adapted from a report on mixed-delivery prekindergarten systems. See Stephens, Samuel A. 2014. Community-Level Challenges in Implementing A Mixed Delivery Prekindergarten System. Report, New York City, NY: Center for Assessment and Policy Development. Accessed March 6, 2023.

THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)

The most foundational piece of a blended program is the memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU is an agreement between the two partners providing blended pre-K. The MOU is specific to each partnership and should be tailored to meet the needs of said partnership. When creating the MOU, it is important to think about issues that may arise. The parties should include or refer to policies to govern not just the use of funds or school sites, but communication, expectations, and managing conflicts.

We recommend that the MOU include

 the general responsibilities of the school district.

 the general responsibilities of the Head Start grantee.

 an articulation of specific duties and expectations.

 the persons responsible for fulfilling each duty or expectation.

 points of contact for each party.

 an outline of how the par tnership will serve special education students.

 an understanding of how the required Head Start non-federal share/in-kind contribution will be collected and reported.

 the party responsible for processing USDA child nutrition meal reimbursements.

 other terms and conditions, such as communication and managing conflicts.

Please see Appendix E: Memorandums of Understanding for more information.

ALLOWABLE FUNDS

Blended pre-K programs use multiple sources of funding, so programs must be careful to ensure that all funding sources allow this use. Blended pre-K programs may use any Head Start funds granted directly from the US Department of Health and Human Services to serve children who are eligible to enroll. These funds may be combined with other funds that the Head Start grantee has, but in order for the program to be truly“blended,”it must also cost share with a school district.

School districts most commonly pay for blended pre-K with federal Title I, Part A funding. Title I funds for a school-wide program, targeted assistance program, or district-wide program could each be used; however, this choice will impact which students are eligible to attend the program, as explained in the Enrollment section. Any program funded by Title I must also abide by other federal regulations, such as supplement, not supplant rules (see the section of the same name). If a district does not wish to use Title I dollars, it may use philanthropic dollars, other federal funds, local tax dollars, state pre-K dollars, tuition, and/or grants.5

5 Typically, Head Start may not charge families, but they may charge fees to private pay families or other non-Head Start enrolled families. See https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/ polic y/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1302-18-fees for more information. Public school pre-K programs can also charge tuition. Programs will need to follow the rules of the applicable funding sources.

How Do Partners Share Costs in Blended Pre-K?

Blended pre-K programs have flexibility in choosing which partner and which source of funds will pay for what expense, provided that the expense is allowable for the funding source. Due to the variety of options, the two partners should be strategic in their choices when assigning financial responsibilities. For instance, in some partnerships the local school district either employs or funds lead teachers while Head Start employs or funds assistant teachers. Dividing the cost of personnel ensures that teachers and assistant teachers both receive the highest possible salary and that one partner is not unfairly burdened with the total cost of personnel, which is the most expensive budget item.

Blended pre-K programs will also need to give special consideration to which organization will pay for required ancillary costs, such as children’s meals, as well as requirements unique to either Head Start or the school district. For example, Head Start center-based programs must operate for at least 160 days but school district programs must operate for at least 180 (see Instructional Minutes). A blended program would need to meet the longer school district requirement, so which party will pay for the additional days? The partners should work out this answer and others prior to starting the program and ensure the MOU reflects these decisions so there is no cause for confusion down the road.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

In this section, we outline the basic regulatory requirements for blended pre-K programs. Please consult the MDE Guidelines for Classrooms Serving Three- and Four-Year-Old Children and Head Start Program Performance Standards for more detail on any of these areas. Please note we prioritize the most rigorous program requirements for public pre-K funded with Title I, Part A funds, state funds, or Head Start in this section. If your program blends different funding sources, then some of these guidelines may not be applicable to your program.

Program Standards

Blended pre-K programs must meet program standards for both Head Start and public school pre-K programs. The Head Start Program Performance Standards set the policies and regulations for all Head Start grantees, including any blended programs. Please note that these standards are extensive and may be viewed here. Blended pre-K must also follow MDE’s Guidelines for Classrooms Serving Three- and Four-Year-Old Children. MDE has created a crosswalk to show how these program standards are aligned with each other that can be found here.

Teacher and Assistant Teacher Qualifications

The Head Start Program Performance Standards and the MDE guidelines differ in their requirements for lead teacher and assistant teacher qualifications. MDE has the more rigorous standards, so they are the standards that lead teachers and assistant teachers will be expected to meet. MDE has created additional support documents, such as a five-page graphic and a list of approved courses, to assist in complying with these requirements.

As of 2022, 100% of lead teachers in public school pre-K classrooms must meet the following requirements:

 Possess a minimum of a bachelor’s degree

 Demonstrate a specialization in early childhood education

 Hold a valid license

Specialization in early childhood includes

 a bachelor’s degree in early childhood or related field;

 a valid pre-K endorsement (153) or Nursery through Grade 1 endorsement (N-1)6;

 12 early childhood college credit hours from an institution granting bachelor’s degrees in early childhood; or

 completion of an approved program, such as a Child Development Associate (CDA), National Board Pre-K Certification, Director’s Credential, Montessori Credential, or MDE’s intensive specialized early childhood training program.

Additionally, lead teachers must hold one of the following valid licenses prior to any endorsements:

 Elementary Education K-3 (116)

 Elementary Education K-4 (152)

 Elementary Education K-6 (120)

As of 2022, 100% of assistant teachers in public school pre-K classrooms must meet one of the two following requirements:

1. Possess an associate’s degree in early childhood education, child development, or an equivalent field, or

2. Possess an associate’s degree in any field or 60 college credit hours and 12 early childhood college credit hours, a Child Development Associate credential, a Montessori certification, or an equivalent certification, including completion of MDE’s intensive specialized early childhood training program.

Professional Development

The HeadStartProgramPerformanceStandardsand the MDE guidelines both require all pre-K instructional staff to participate annually in at least 15 hours of training related to early childhood. This training can be delivered in a combination of ways, including from the school or district, MDE or regional Head Start office, or other agencies or organizations that provide training related to early childhood. MDE provides both calendared and on-demand professional development free to school districts. Head Start providers are also invited to participate.

MDE does not have specific training requirements, but Head Start requires staff to attend trainings about recognizing child abuse or neglect and working with students with disabilities. Additionally, the Head Start Program Performance Standards require professional development seminars to be regularly evaluated for effectiveness.

6 The N-1 endorsement may only be added to a K-6 (120) license.

Learning Standards

Blended pre-K programs must use the HeadStartEarlyLearningOutcomesFramework(Head Start framework) as well as the state’s early learning standards (ELS), the MississippiEarlyLearningStandardsforClassroomsServingInfantsthrough Four-Year-OldChildren(2018). The state’s ELS are aligned to the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards for K-12. Programs should also incorporate the Early Learning Outcomes Framework Effective Practice Guides (from Head Start) and the Mississippi Early Learning Teaching Strategies for Classrooms Serving Four-Year-Old Children (from MDE). Head Start programs are also required to align their school readiness goals with the ELS.

Curriculum

Blended pre-K programs must use a curriculum aligned with both the Head Start framework and the Mississippi ELS. Head Start suggests a list of curricula in its Curriculum Consumer Report. MDE generates a separate list of suggested curricula. The curricula that are dually reviewed by Head Start and MDE are

 Creative Curriculum for Teachers (Teaching Strategies LLC)

 Frog Street Pre-K 2020 English Comprehensive Curriculum (Frog Street)

MDE is using an open-source curriculum, Mississippi Beginnings, that is an adaptation of Boston’s Focus on Early Learning curriculum which is an adaptation of Open the World of Learning and Building Blocks curriculums. Focus on Early Learning is supported by longitudinal research on the effectiveness of Boston Public School’s pre-K program. Programs may choose to use this curriculum.

Assessment

Blended pre-K programs must use assessments aligned to both the Head Start framework and the Mississippi ELS.

All four-year-old children in a public school pre-K program must take the required state kindergarten-readiness assessment in both the fall and spring of each year; if blended pre-K students are counted as dually enrolled with public schools, then they will also be required to take the state kindergarten-readiness assessment. Currently, MDE uses Istation as the state’s kindergarten-entry exam. Istation was developed by Amira Learning and replaced the previous kindergarten-readiness exam, MKAS2, in 2024. MDE has purchased Istation for each child in a public school pre-K program. Public school pre-K programs that are members of an early learning collaborative (ELC) or the State-Invested Pre-K (SIP) program must also use the Brigance Early Childhood Screen III (3-5), which is the state-adopted comprehensive early learning assessment (CELA) that also aligns with the Head Start Program Performance Standards. Finally, public school pre-K programs should use developmentally appropriate techniques on an ongoing basis to measure children’s progress. Such techniques could include “portfolios of children’s work, age-appropriate checklists, performance scales, anecdotal records, observational reports, video and audio tape recordings, experience charts, photographs, and other formal and informal assessments.”7

7 See Wright, Carey M., and Kim S. Benton. 2016. “Appendix C: Audit Checklist for 17.2-Pre-Kindergarten.” An Effectiveness Evaluation for Early Learning Collaboratives and Other Pre-K Classrooms. Jackson, MS: Mississippi Department of Education.

The Head Start Program Performance Standards require all families be informed about these assessments and screeners before students are assessed. The results must also be shared with families.

Classroom Size and Student- Teacher Ratios

Blended pre-K classrooms must have a student-teacher ratio of one adult for every 10 children, with a maximum class size of 20 children per classroom. At least one adult who meets lead teacher qualifications must be assigned to each classroom, with a second adult meeting at least the assistant teacher qualifications. Occasional visitors and parents are not counted as adults in each classroom’s student-teacher ratio. Please see Teacher and Assistant Teacher Qualifications for requirements for adults. See https://headstart.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1302-21-center-based-option for more information.

Screening, Referrals, and Support Services

A foundational pillar of a Head Start program is its focus on comprehensive health screenings for children. Within 30 days after the child first attends, Head Start must consult with parents to ensure that the child has ongoing access to health care. Within 90 days after the child first attends, Head Start must ensure that children receive a home visit and, if needed, assist parents with bringing children up to date on age-appropriate preventive and primary medical, mental health, and oral health care. See https://headstart.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1302-42-child-health-status-care for more information. Head Start also requires a developmental screening within 45 days after the child first attends. Parents must consent to the developmental screening. See https://headstart.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1302-33-child-screenings-assessments for more information.

Screenings for vision and hearing are required for all Head Start and public school pre-K programs within the first 45 days of school or within 45 days after the child first attends. Public school programs using Title I, Part A funds must offer a comprehensive health screening (e.g., EPSDT). In addition to conducting screenings, programs may partner with another organization, such as the health department, to conduct screenings or may accept screenings from private physicians, as long as each child is screened. These screenings are traditionally funded by public and/or private insurance. However, Head Start and/or the school district may need to pay for screenings if a child has no access to private insurance or Medicaid. The language in the MOU will need to reflect this fact. Additionally, school districts and Head Start will want to streamline these screenings to ensure they meet program deadlines and are not performing redundant screenings. Children and their families will also be assigned a family services advocate by Head Start who will support families in acquiring additional resources and skills they may need to create successful child outcomes.

Provision of Meals

Head Start requires programs that operate for less than six hours a day to provide meals and snacks that provide onethird to one-half of the child’s daily nutritional needs. Programs that operate for six hours or more a day must provide one-half to two-thirds of the child’s daily nutritional needs. Breakfast must also be served to all students who did not receive a breakfast before arriving at school. Funding is provided from USDA Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services child nutrition programs and/or from the National School Lunch Program and National School Breakfast Program. Funding is dependent on how children are enrolled and the MOU. All public school pre-K programs must offer at least one meal a day, but since Head Start has more rigorous requirements, these will need to be met in a blended pre-K setting. See https://headstart.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1302-44-child-nutrition for further information.

Instructional Minutes

Blended pre-K full-day programs must meet public school pre-K requirements of at least 1,080 instructional hours a school year, which is 360 minutes per day for 180 instructional days. Half-day programs must complete 540 hours a school year, which is 180 minutes per day for 180 instructional days. Because Head Start programs are mandated to operate for a minimum of 160 days per year if they have a five day per week schedule, blended pre-K will need to operate for a longer academic year to meet the public school pre-K requirements. Further information can be found at https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1302-21-centerbased-option.

Family Engagement

Blended pre-K programs must provide opportunities for family engagement that follow the Head Start standards and MDE guidelines. The Head Start standards require that programs are open to parents during all program hours, families have opportunities to volunteer in the class during group activities, and families have the opportunity to learn about and engage with curricula and instructional materials. Additionally, the Head Start standards require at least two home visits per year for each family, including one before the academic year begins. See https://headstart.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1302-34-parent-family-engagementeducation-child-development-services for more information.

MDE has few requirements for family engagement activities for Title I, Part A programs, which largely are under the authority of the local school district. We suggest that school districts follow the more rigorous requirements of state-funded pre-K programs. MDE requires that pre-K ELC or SIP programs create a parent handbook that includes the program’s philosophy, goals, policies, and unique program information and distribute it to parents. Programs must also schedule at least three face-to-face parent-teacher conferences throughout the year. ELC or SIP programs must notify parents of their child’s progress, including their child’s formal assessment results, at least three times per year. ELC or SIP programs must also facilitate a parent satisfaction survey once a year.

Children with Disabilities

Blended pre-K programs must meet the requirements of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These include access to referrals and comprehensive evaluations, any services children may qualify for under IDEA, a least restrictive environment, and assistance for families as children transfer from Part C of IDEA to Part B. In addition, the Head Start standards require that outdoor spaces accommodate children with disabilities. All structures built after 2017 are required to accommodate wheelchairs and those with other disabilities. Further information about IDEA requirements can be found at https://sites.ed.gov/idea/ statuteregulations/

Antidiscrimination

All blended pre-K programs must follow state and federal antidiscrimination laws that apply to public schools and Head Start programs.

Eligibility, Enrollme Bnt, and Coordination

Blended pre-K programs must follow the eligibility and enrollment requirements of both Head Start and MDE. The Head Start standards deem a child eligible for Head Start if the family’s income is equal to or below the federal poverty line, the family is eligible for public assistance or TANF child-only payments, the child is homeless, or the child is in foster care. Children may also be enrolled if they do not meet the requirements but would benefit from services (i.e., students with disabilities). However, these children cannot be more than 10 percent of the program’s enrollment. Before children are enrolled in Head Start, the program staff must interview the family to ensure eligibility. See https://headstart.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1302-12-determining-verifying-documenting-eligibility for more information.

In general, MDE only requires that a child be four years of age on or after September 1 of a school year in order to enroll in a four-year-old pre-K program. However, if a program is funded through Title I dollars, additional enrollment restrictions apply. Other sources of funding may also have eligibility requirements, so blended programs should be careful to understand these rules before choosing to use these sources of funds.

Children who are enrolled in a blended pre-K program that utilizes Title I funds must be “at risk of failing to meet the challenging State academic standards“ when they reach school age8, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Determining which children are eligible for Title I pre-K depends on the type of Title I funding to be used for the program: school-wide program funding, targeted assistance program funding, or district-wide funding.

 School-wide Program: All children living within the attendance zone of a school with a school-wide program are eligible to attend its Title I pre-K program. If the school’s program has more applicants than available spaces, the program must prioritize students based on those most at risk of failing to meet state standards.

 Targeted Assistance Program: Children seeking to attend a Title I program in a targeted assistance program school are eligible only if they qualify as at risk of failing to meet state standards. If the school’s program has more applicants than available spaces, the program must prioritize students based on those most at risk of failing to meet state standards.

 District-wide Program Funding: Districts may only serve all children in a district-funded Title I program if all schools within the district qualify for school-wide Title I programs. Similarly, districts with a Title I program for a portion of schools may only serve all children in the attendance zones of those schools if all of the schools qualify for school-wide programs. Otherwise, only children who qualify as at risk of failing to meet state standards are eligible to attend.

To determine eligibility for a targeted assistance or district-wide blended pre-K program that utilizes Title I funds (or to prioritize among children in any Title I pre-K program), programs must "[identify] preschool children most at risk of failing to meet the challenging State academic standards based on criteria, including objective criteria, established by the LEA and supplemented by the school."9 Examples of educationally related, objective criteria include the results of academic and developmental screeners, such as the Brigance screener and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, or parent questionnaires. Poverty status may not be used as a sole criterion to indicate need, although it may be taken into consideration when prioritizing among eligible children.

8 See U.S. Department of Education. 2012. Serving Preschool Children through Title I Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as Amended: Non-Regulatory Guidance. Washington, D.C. Accessed June 26, 2018. https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/preschoolguidance2012.pdf

9 Ibid.

Some children are automatically eligible for Title I-funded programs. These include children who attended Head Start, “received services from the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grants program, or attended a Title I preschool program“ within the prior two years, who were served by Part C of Title I (migrant education) within the prior two years, children who are homeless, or children who attend a “local institution for neglected or delinquent children and youth or attend a community-day program for these children.“10 Automatically eligible does not mean automatically served, as the program must still prioritize children based on need if more children are eligible than can be served. Some automatically eligible children may be more ready for school, for example, than children who are not automatically eligible. If more children are eligible than available spaces, some school districts assign points for each indicator of need exhibited by a child and then accept the children with the most points into their blended pre-K program that utilizes Title I funds.

Due to the various tasks that both the school district and the Head Start need to complete in order to register these children, partners should coordinate the enrollment process.

Supplement, Not Supplant (if using Title I)

If a district chooses to fund its program in whole or in part with Title I funds, it must ensure the program meets federal regulations to “supplement, not supplant” other resources. These regulations allow school districts to operate a preschool program funded by Title I as long as the following criteria are met:

 There is no state law requiring pre-K services.

 Where a state law is applicable, Title I, Part A funds are used to implement pre-K programs to the extent federal dollars supplement the state requirements.

 Schools receiving Title I, Part A funds remain capable of operating a viable school-wide program, including providing services required by law under ESEA section 1114(a)(2)(B) (school-wide model) for students in K-12.

 In instances of schools operating a state-approved early learning collaborative, federal funds may be used to supplement, as well as to match, state funding to advance early childhood programs.

The following link provides additional federal guidance for Title I-funded pre-K programs: https://oese.ed.gov/files/2024/02/Title-I-Preschool-Early-LearningGuidance-Revised-2023-FINAL.pdf.

10 See U.S. Department of Education. 2012. Serving Preschool Children through Title I Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as Amended: Non-Regulatory Guidance. Washington, D.C. Accessed June 26, 2018. https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/preschoolguidance2012.pdf

Transportation

Blended pre-K programs do not have to provide transportation unless a funding source or a child’s disability status requires it. School districts providing transportation must follow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines. If transporting children, they must be properly secured in child safety restraint systems (CSRS) that are appropriate for their age, weight, and height. Additionally, these guidelines recommend placing four-year-old children in the first few rows of a school bus. At least one bus monitor must be present at all times. Additional bus monitors may be added as necessary.

The Head Start standards also require the adaptation of school vehicles for the transportation of children with disabilities and must follow the requirements of their IFSPs or IEPs. Children with disabilities should be transported with other children whenever possible.

Further information about the transportation safety guidelines can be found at https://headstart.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1303subpart-f-transportation.

Facility

Blended pre-K classrooms in public schools must maintain at least 35 square feet per child and a minimum of 600 square feet, as well as meet other facility requirements as detailed in the MDE guidelines and the Head Start standards. The maximum number of children enrolled in each classroom may not exceed 20, regardless of the square footage. Non-public school spaces must follow the more rigorous facility requirements. Blended pre-K programs that are located outside of public school facilities may also need to maintain licensing through the Mississippi State Department of Health.

Head Start standards also require at least 75 square feet of usable outdoor play space per child. See https://headstart.gov/policy/45cfr-chap-xiii/1302-21-center-based-option for more information.

Monitoring

Blended pre-K programs undergo monitoring from the Office of Head Start regional office and MDE. The Head Start grantee and the Office of Head Start will monitor for compliance with the Head Start standards which can be found in the Program Standards section. Unless a program is in an ELC or SIP, MDE will primarily monitor for the program’s adherence to MDE guidelines (i.e., Public Standard 17.2) as part of the district’s periodic audit through MDE’s Office of Accreditation. MDE also recommends that the school district develop an internal procedure for monitoring pre-K classrooms.

BUDGETING

A blended pre-K classroom of 20 students that meets MDE guidelines and the Head Start Program Performance Standards will cost approximately $103,500 per year, largely dependent on teacher and assistant salaries. This does not include a one-time start-up cost of $35,400 for the purchase of educational materials, furniture, equipment, and technology to stock a classroom. Appendix D: Pre-K Budget Narrative Tool includes a realistic, itemized estimate of what a pre-K classroom meeting MDE guidelines and Head Start standards might cost. Please refer to the appendix to find a list of suggested and required expenses as well as an estimate of their cost.

APPENDIX A

This appendix is intended to provide general information about pre-K for toolkit readers who know very little about the topic. Below, we provide links for a beginner’s study of current information about pre-K, both nationally and in Mississippi.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PRE-K

New America Foundation

The New America Foundation’s website offers a clear, simple write-up about pre-K. New America Foundation. 2022. “Pre-K.” Accessed February 3, 2025. https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/topics/ birth-through-third-grade-learning/pre-k/

RESEARCH ABOUT PRE-K

Southern Regional Education Board

Pre-K Benefits features a summary of some of the most recent, high-quality research studies pertaining to the benefits of pre-K programs for children.

Durrance, Samantha. 2018. Pre-K Benefits: 2018 Update. Research report, Atlanta, GA: Southern Regional Education Board. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://www.sreb.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/research_snapshot_pre-k_march_2018.pdf?1523549430

Brookings Institute

The Current State of Scientific Knowledge on Pre-Kindergarten Effects provides a comprehensive description of the pre-K landscape in America today. In addition, the report presents some of the most prevalent issues and challenges in early education along with a summary of the research findings pertaining to each issue.

Brookings Institute. 2017. The Current State of Scientific Knowledge on Pre-Kindergarten Effects. Research Report, Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institute. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/duke_prekstudy_ final_4-4-17_hires.pdf

Mississippi First

The State of Pre-K in Mississippi 2017-2018 quantifies pre-K access—whether public or private—in every Mississippi community. Additionally, the report includes detailed programmatic and contextual information about pre-K programs and the communities they serve. It is released every three years.

Canter, Rachel, and Micayla Tatum. 2022. The State of Pre-K Series: Access to Pre-K, 2017-2018. Research Report, Jackson, MS: Mississippi First. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://issuu.com/mississippifirst/docs/brief_4

The National Institute for Early Education Research

The State of Preschool is an annual publication that tracks the funding, access, and policies of state-funded pre-K programs. In addition, NIEER identifies 10 research-based program standards linked to highly effective programs and ranks each state-funded program across the nation according to these 10 standards.

Friedman-Krauss, Allison H., W. Steven Barnett, Karin A. Garver, Katherine S. Hodges, G.G. Weisenfeld, Beth Ann Gardiner, and Tracy Merriman Jost. 2022. The State of Preschool 2021. Research report, New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research, Rutgers University. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://nieer.org/research-library/state-preschool-yearbook-2021

STATE AND FEDERAL EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION OFFICES

Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood

The Office of Early Education at the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) provides regulatory guidance for pre-K programs implemented in public school settings. Additionally, they provide resources for families and providers to prepare children to be ready for kindergarten. MDE disseminates federal and state funds for early childhood programs in Mississippi.

Website: http://www.mdek12.org/EC

Mississippi Head Start Collaboration Office

The Mississippi Head Start Collaboration Office is located in the Office of the Governor. The office develops collaborative partnerships with early childhood and family service providers, educators, advocates, and agencies statewide.

Website: https://headstart.gov/state-collaboration/article/head-start-collaboration-offices

Mississippi Department of Human Services, Division of Early Childhood Care and Development

The Division of Early Childhood Care and Development at the Mississippi Department of Human Services tracks the licensed childcare services available to young children in Mississippi communities. Additionally, they administer the Child Care Development Fund program, which provides assistance to working families in need of childcare services.

Website: https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/eccd/

United States Department of Education, Office of Early Learning

The Office of Early Learning at the United States Department of Education is charged with supporting the department’s early learning initiatives and its goal of improving the health, socio-emotional, and cognitive outcomes for children from birth to third grade. The office is also responsible for the discretionary grant programs exclusively focused on early learning.

Website: https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/earlylearning/index.html

United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start.

The Office of Head Start at the United States Department of Health and Human Services is tasked with administering grant funding and oversight to 1,700 Head Start grantees across the United States. The Office of Head Start also provides federal policy direction and a training and technical assistance system to grant recipients.

Website: https://acf.gov/ohs

PRE-K ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS

Mississippi First

Mississippi First is a state-based policy and advocacy 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Mississippi First has been an advocate for early childhood education in Mississippi since our founding in 2008. The organization advocates the expansion of high-quality, state-funded pre-K and tracks pre-K access and quality in the state.

Website: https://www.mississippifirst.org/we-support/early-education/

Alliance for Early Success

The Alliance for Early Success brings early education leaders together in innovative ways to advance state policies leading to improved health, learning, and economic outcomes for young children, starting at birth and ending at age eight.

Website: www.earlysuccess.org

First Five Years Fund

The First Five Years Fund advances federal investment in quality early childhood education for disadvantaged children from birth to age five. Additionally, it provides policymakers, advocates, and the public with the research and information necessary to make informed investments in quality early childhood development.

Website: www.ffyf.org

APPENDIX B

This appendix contains a needs assessment tool that will assist communities in evaluating their needs for blended pre-K.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT TOOL

An effective program aligns services to community needs. Partners seeking to begin a blended pre-K program should seek to measure the characteristics and changes within their community.

This needs assessment tool provides a list of data that school districts and Head Start grantees should use to evaluate the need for blended pre-K in their communities. Additionally, we provide data guidelines for how to use the information collected. A template for organizing the data can be found here.

POPULATION MEASURE

Data Resources and Considerations

Number of Students Enrolled in District Pre-K Program (Enrollment in Present Year)

Number of Students Enrolled in District Pre-K Program

(Enrollment in Prior Years)

We use present-year enrollment to assess access prior to any proposed program changes.

Enrollment information is readily available on the MDE website. You can access it by going to this link: https://newreports.mdek12.org/DataExplorer. Be sure to include both special education and regular education pre-K enrollments.

We use prior years enrollment to assess access changes over time. If your school district is experiencing rapid declines or growth in enrollment, you may want to determine the average percentage change over a three-year period to raise or lower the present-year enrollment (Present Year*% Change + Present Year = Projected Enrollment).

Number of District Pre-K Classrooms (Present Year)

Number of Students in Local Head Start Centers

(Enrollment in Present Year)

We use the present-year number of classrooms to assess class size and capacity of the district to serve more students. Contact your local school district for this information.

Head Start eligibility is countywide, so counties with multiple school districts share the overall number of Head Start seats available. Some school districts in a county may have better access to seats, depending on where centers are located. This makes it hard to determine a separate Head Start “capacity” figure from an “enrollment” figure in most instances, as most counties have multiple school districts. As a result, we recommend using enrollment in Head Start in nearly all instances (if you are in a single-district county, you can decide between “capacity” and “enrollment”).

This information is collected by Mississippi First every three years and published in the State of Pre-K. Reports can be accessed here: https://www.mississippifirst.org/our-work/?lc=94.

For more recent data, contact your local Head Start center(s). Ask them how many children transitioned or will transition to your target school district to estimate Head Start enrollment for your district.

Data Resources and Considerations

Number of Students Enrolled in Local Head Start Centers (Enrollment in Prior Years)

Number of Local Head Start Center Classrooms (Present Year)

Total Number of Seats

Available in Other Public Pre-K Programs

We use prior years enrollment to assess access changes over time. If your center is experiencing rapid declines or growth in enrollment, you may want to determine the average percentage change over a three-year period to raise or lower the present-year enrollment (Present Year*% Change + Present Year = Projected Enrollment). Contact your local Head Start for this information.

We use the present-year number of classrooms to assess class size and capacity of the Head Start Center to serve more students. Contact your local Head Start for this information.

We use the number of seats available in other pre-K programs to assess additional seats available and funding sources available for blending.

In some cases, your district may have a pre-K program operated by a nonprofit organization and funded by philanthropic dollars. These seats may not show up as either “district” seats or “licensed childcare” seats. If such a program exists in your community, you should include these seats as part of your evaluation of access. The State of Pre-K report may include information about these types of programs if they existed in previous years.

Number of Students Enrolled in Other Public Pre-K Programs (Enrollment)

QUALITY

Data

Average CLASS Score from District Pre-K Program

Average CLASS Score from Head Start

Percentage of Students “Ready” for Kindergarten (scoring 530 or above on the MKAS2 )

MAAP Proficiency Rates

District Dropout Rate

District Retention Rate

Ask your local school district for the enrollment of any other public pre-K program that you discover.

Achievement Gaps (gaps in achievement between different subgroups)

Resources and Considerations

CLASS is a classroom quality measure used by MDE to evaluate public school pre-K programs. Contact your local school district to request average CLASS scores.

Most Head Start centers in Mississippi use CLASS to measure classroom quality. Contact your local Head Start center(s) to request average CLASS scores.

Contact your local school district for this information.

Proficiency information is readily available on the MDE website. You can access it by going to this link: https://msrc.mdek12.org/

This information is readily available on the MDE website. You can access it by going to this link: https://msrc.mdek12.org/

The district retention rate is the number of students who have repeated a grade at least once since starting kindergarten. This information is available through MDE, however districts should also have access to this information.

Achievement gap information is readily available in the MDE Achievement Gap Report. You can access it by going to this link: https://mdek12.org/publicreporting/2020-21/.

Data Resources and Considerations

Percentage of Students in Poverty (Identified Student Percentage)

Percentage of Racial Minority Students

Percentage of Students with Disabilities (IEP or 504 plan)

Percentage of Children in Poverty by School District (U.S. Census)

Percentage of Children in Foster Care, Identified as Homeless, or Identified as Migrant

Other Factors Related to Children At Risk

Due to the growing use of the Community Eligibility Provision, free or reduced-price lunch data is becoming less valid as an indicator of poverty. As an alternative, we suggest using your district’s identified student percentage, which means the percentage of students whose families participate in other government-funded poverty programs. This will provide a more accurate estimate of the percentage of children experiencing poverty. MDE annually publishes estimates of each district’s identified student percentage: https://mdek12.org/childnutrition/community-eligibility-provision-cep/. Use the CEP Annual Notification of Schools report. MDE multiplies this number by 1.6 to determine poverty for school funding.

This information is readily available on the MDE website. You can access it by going to this link: https://newreports.mdek12.org/.

Contact your local school district for this information.

To quantify the percentage of children communitywide who live in poverty, use child poverty estimates for each school district provided by the U.S. Census. This information is readily available through the online Kids Count Data Center. You can access this data by district here: https://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/8215poverty-by-school-district?loc=26&loct=10#detailed/10/7461-7612/false/1729,37/any/16733

Contact your local school district to obtain this information. This information may be particularly important if you intend to use any federal dollars as a match.

Other indicators, such as teen pregnancy rates, unemployment rates, percentage of children with no parent in the workforce, percentage of families using TANF and SNAP, food insecurity data, maternal education data, etc., can be found through the online Kids Count Data Center. You can access this information by county here: https://datacenter.kidscount.org/data#MS/5/0/char/0.

GUIDELINES FOR USING DATA TO DEMONSTRATE COMMUNITY NEED

There are three ways to demonstrate the need for blended pre-K in your community. If your community is experiencing population decline, then you can demonstrate the need for blended pre-K by highlighting the need to retain state and federal dollars in the community as student enrollments decline. If your community has student outcome data that shows low rates of school readiness or school achievement, then you can demonstrate the need to increase the quality of existing pre-K programs by combining resources. Your community may have population decline and poor student outcomes; in this case, you can highlight needs due to population decline and quality.

It is good practice to assess the needs of the community prior to drafting a plan to make the case for blended pre-K. The community needs you identify should align to your proposed program. For example, if your proposed program focuses on improving quality by highlighting poor student outcomes, you should sufficiently demonstrate the need for higher quality programs in your community.

CALCULATING PUBLIC PRE-K ENROLLMENT

The first step in assessing the pre-K needs in your community is to understand the enrollment levels in existing public pre-K programs. In general, you calculate enrollment changes by subtracting the current year’s number of pre-K seats available in your defined service area (county or district) from the previous year’s number of pre-K seats available.

 Considering Enrollment and Class Size

In these guidelines and the worksheet, we recommend the use of enrollment data (the number of seats students use) and the number of classrooms serving students to measure access. Enrollment and classroom data provide insight into class size and thus an understanding of how well funded and attended classrooms are. This information is key for understanding if creating a blended pre-K program would ensure that more funds remain in a local community. For instance, a Head Start may have three classrooms composed of 10 students each. These small numbers, especially if there is population decline in the geographic area, may suggest that Head Start might want to increase its enrollment to maintain its federal funding by dually enrolling children.

 Considering Licensed Childcare Enrollment in Your Evaluations of Access

To get a comprehensive view of what pre-K looks like in your community, you should consider the enrollment rates of four-yearold children in licensed childcare centers as well as enrollment in public pre-K. We know that, on average, the greater a school district’s public pre-K access, the smaller its four-year-old childcare enrollment.11 This may be due to low demand for licensed childcare. It may also occur because districts with high public pre-K capacity are more likely to have high poverty rates,12 and tuition-based licensed childcare centers are less accessible to consumers. Additionally, areas with large licensed childcare sectors may face more political barriers to expanding public pre-K programs. A careful analysis of licensed childcare’s role in offering pre-K access to four-year-olds in your community should be an essential part of your needs assessment. In cases where access to licensed childcare and public pre-K are both low, you might choose to highlight low access to pre-K to make the case for a blended pre-K program.

 Considering Enrollment Across Years

In these guidelines and the worksheet, we recommend the use of enrollment data (the number of seats students use) across several years to measure access. Access across time provides insight into student enrollment trends. If enrollment trends follow state trends of decline, then you may want to consider ways to preserve funding sources in your community.

DEMONSTRATING NEED FOR QUALITY

Blended pre-K has the ability to increase student access to more generous per-pupil funding, wraparound services, and combine the resources that are available to both districts and Head Starts. To demonstrate the need for improved quality, you should make a case that current programs are not meeting the 10 NIEER benchmarks and/or producing favorable student outcomes among the population you serve. You should also demonstrate that the population you serve may be at risk of academic failure without an early intervention.

 NIEER Quality Standards: The state measures the quality of pre-K programs in part by their adherence to the NIEER quality standards. To assess existing quality in your community, you should evaluate how programs perform against the standards. More information about the NIEER standards can be found in their most recent evaluation of Mississippi’s program: https://nieer.org/yearbook/2023/state-profiles/mississippi. The state requires pre-K programs to meet the “current” NIEER benchmarks, but the state is working to meet all 10 of the “new” benchmarks as well. You should evaluate your community’s current programs against both sets of standards to see what their strengths and weaknesses are.

 CLASS Scores: CLASS is an early childhood classroom quality measure that the state uses for all public school pre-K programs. Head Start centers also frequently use CLASS. CLASS measures several dimensions of classroom quality, such as the quality of adult-child interactions. If your community has an existing public school pre-K program, the program should have CLASS scores for its classrooms. Head Start centers in your area are also likely to have CLASS scores for their classrooms. If the programs in your area have average scores of less than a 4, this may indicate the need to increase quality.

11 Canter, Rachel, and Angela Bass. 2017. The State of Pre-K in Mississippi. Research Report, Jackson, MS: Mississippi First. Accessed on April 19, 2018. http://www.mississippifirst.org/ education-policy/pre-kindergarten/msf-prek-publications/state-pre-k-mississippi-2014-2015/ 12 Ibid.

 Nationally Accredited Licensed Childcare Centers: Mississippi is currently developing a new quality support system for childcare, but, some centers may be nationally accredited. For example, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) offers an accreditation program that is considered a national leader in quality. The NAEYC search function provides up-to-date information about accredited programs: https://ais.naeyc.org/search_programs. Centers without national accreditation may still be high quality, but a community will have to work harder to measure that quality. Evaluating local childcare centers against the NIEER standards may be one simple alternative to accreditation to determine quality.

 Assessing Student Outcomes: Alongside the NIEER standards and CLASS scores, the state examines student outcomes to measure quality. In this tool and the worksheet, we provide a comprehensive list of student outcome data you should use to identify the need for pre-K. It is important to look at aggregate data—i.e., data for entire populations in your district or community—as well as disaggregated data—i.e., information used to compare various student subgroups. See the worksheet to help you with this analysis.

ANALYZING DATA ON AT-RISK POPULATIONS

The presence of a high rate of at-risk populations can show a compelling need for high quality pre-K. In this tool and the worksheet, we provide a comprehensive list of demographic data you can use to gain a deeper understanding of your community and the at-risk populations that may be present. See the worksheet to help you with this analysis.

APPENDIX C

This tool helps readers evaluate the strength of their relationships before the creation of a blended pre-K program.

WHAT IS COLLABORATION?

The Wilder Foundation defines collaboration as “a mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship entered into by two or more organizations to achieve common goals. The relationship includes a commitment to mutual relationships and goals; a jointly developed structure and shared responsibility; mutual authority and accountability for success; and sharing of resources and rewards.”13

COOPERATION, COORDINATION, AND COLLABORATION

The Collaboration Tool asks readers to assess the nature of their current partnership work as a means of determining whether a pre-K model with a higher or lower level of collaboration is most appropriate for them. To answer the question, readers need a good understanding of the differences between three terms—cooperation, coordination, and collaboration.14

 Cooperation is the least intensive form of partnership. Individuals within organizations interact on a project-by-project basis without the need for common goal planning by their organizations. This level of partnership is informal. For example, a pre-K teacher in a school district may call a colleague at a local childcare provider to borrow materials for a lesson plan.

 Coordination is a more intensive form of partnership. Organizations are involved in a project that has a specific goal and length. Common planning occurs for the project but not for the organizations as a whole. For example, a school district and a Head Start coordinate a “literacy fair” for pre-K children. The two parties work together to organize and pay for the fair, but the joint work is specific to the fair and not ongoing.

 Collaboration is the most intensive form of partnership. Organizations agree to a longer-term partnership with specific roles and responsibilities, a structure for joint planning and decision-making, and common goals. The partnership has a written document— such as a memorandum of understanding or by-laws—describing how the partnership works. For example, providers in an area may form a partnership to run a school readiness awareness campaign for local parents, in which the partners collaborate to host events throughout the year. These events are designed jointly and supported through pooled resources. The campaign is branded separately from each individual organization and is run by a specially appointed organizing committee.

THE WILDER COLLABORATION FACTORS INVENTORY

After the Wilder Foundation identified 20 collaboration success factors, they developed the Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory, an assessment to help partners diagnose their strengths and weaknesses across the 20 factors. The Wilder Foundation intended the inventory as a self-assessment tool for discussion and progress monitoring, rather than as an accountability tool. The assessment is free for non-commercial use as long as proper attribution is given to the Wilder Foundation. Partnerships should also consider using the free, online tool on the Wilder Foundation’s website, as it may be easier for partners to complete and the tallying is automatic.

Formatted as a survey, the inventory is designed to be taken by multiple representatives of each partner. A greater number of raters will produce a more reliable result and one that reflects the many different perspectives that individuals bring to a group. At minimum, one person from each partner should complete it.

Directions:

 The lead partner or a designee should take the responsibility of managing the self-assessment.

 Each partner should identify key people in its organization to complete the assessment and provide contact information for each person to the designee.

 The designee should gather the completed assessments from each person within each partner and complete one partner self-assessment scoring guide for each partner.

 Once all partner scoring guides are complete, complete the full collaborative self-assessment scoring guide.

 Use the ratings from the full collaborative self-assessment scoring guide to examine strengths and weaknesses of the group’s collaboration efforts. (See the Interpreting Your Scores section.)

History of collaboration or cooperation in the community

Members of partner group seen as legitimate leader in the community

1. Partners in our partnership have a history of working together.

2. Trying to solve problems through collaboration has been common among members of this partnership. It has been done a lot before.

3. Leaders in this community who are not part of our partnership seem hopeful about what we can accomplish.

4. Others (in this community) who are not a part of this partnership would generally agree that the organizations involved in this partnership are the “right” groups to make this work.

Favorable political and social climate

Mutual respect, understanding, and trust

Appropriate cross section of members

5. The political and social climate seems to be “right” for starting blended pre-K.

6. The time is right for this partnership.

7. People, organizations, and partners involved in our partnership always trust one another.

8. I have a lot of respect for the other people, organizations, and partners involved in this partnership.

9. The people, organizations, and partners involved in our partnership represent a cross section of those who have a stake in what we are trying to accomplish.

10. All the organizations that we need to be members of this partnership have become members of the group.

Members see collaboration as in their self-interest

Ability to compromise

Members share a stake in both the process and outcome

11. My organization will benefit from being involved in this partnership.

12. People, organizations, and partners involved in our partnership are willing to compromise on important aspects of our project.

13. The organizations that belong to our partnership invest the right amount of time in our collaborative efforts.

14. Everyone who is a member of our partnership wants the project to succeed.

15. The level of commitment among the partnership participants is high.

Factor Statement

Multiple layers of participation

Flexibility

Development of clear roles and policy guidelines

16. When the partnership makes major decisions, there is always enough time for members to take information back to their organizations to confer with colleagues about what the decision should be.

17. Each of the people who participate in decisions in this partnership can speak for the entire organization they represent, not just a part.

18. There is a lot of flexibility when decisions are made; people are open to discussing different options.

19. People, organizations, and partners in this partnership are open to different approaches to how we can do our work. They are willing to consider different ways of working.

20. People, organizations, and partners in this partnership have a clear sense of their roles and responsibilities.

21. There is a clear process for making decisions among the partners in this partnership.

Adaptability

Appropriate pace of development

22. This partnership is able to adapt to changing conditions, such as fewer funds than expected, changing political climate, or change in leadership.

23. This group has the ability to survive even if it had to make major changes in its plans or add some new members in order to reach its goals.

24. This partnership has tried to take on the right amount of work at the right pace.

25. We are currently able to keep up with the work necessary to coordinate all the people, organizations, and activities related to this partnership project.

Open and frequent communication

26. People, organizations, and partners in this partnership communicate openly with one another.

27. I am informed as often as I should be about what goes on in the partnership.

28. The people who lead the partnership communicate well with its members.

Factor Statement

Established informal relationships and communication links

Concrete, attainable goals and objectives

29. Communication among the people, organizations, and partners in this partnership happens both at formal meetings and in informal ways.

30. I personally have informal conversations about the project with others who are involved in this partnership.

31. I have a clear understanding of what our partnership is trying to accomplish.

32. People in our partnership know and understand our goals.

33. People in our partnership have established reasonable goals.

Shared vision 34. The people, organizations, and partners in this partnership are dedicated to the idea that we can make this project work.

35. My ideas about what we want to accomplish with this collaboration seem to be the same as the ideas of others.

Unique purpose 36. What we are trying to accomplish with our partnership would be difficult for any single organization to accomplish by itself.

37. No other organization in the community is trying to do exactly what we are trying to do.

Sufficient funds, staff, materials, and time 38. Our partnership will have adequate funds to do what it wants to accomplish with expected funds in our proposed budget.

39. Our partnership has adequate “people power” to do what it wants to accomplish.

Skilled leadership 40. The people in leadership positions for the partnership have good skills for working with other people and organizations.

PARTNER SELF-ASSESSMENT SCORING GUIDE

Directions: Compile scores from each rater in the same partner group (same organization). Compute the sum and average for each factor. If there are more than five raters in a group, add more columns or use additional sheets. Partner:

FULL PARTNERSHIP SELF-ASSESSMENT SCORING GUIDE

Directions: Record the averages from each partner (from each partner’s scoring guide). Compute the sum and average for each factor. If more than five partners in a group, add more columns or use additional sheets. When completed, use each factor average to examine strengths and weaknesses of the collaboration efforts of the group.

INTERPRETING YOUR SCORES

The Wilder Foundation does not provide definitive interpretations of numerical scores for the factors. Your scores are not an absolute reflection of your group’s ability to collaborate effectively. This tool cannot tell you how high your scores must be on each factor to ensure success nor can it tell you that scores below a certain level will lead to failure. Scores on each of the factors should instead be used for discussion and planning for your blended pre-K. As a general rule, the creators of this tool advise the following:

Scores of 4.0 or higher show a strength. These factors likely do not need special attention.

Scores of 3.0 to 3.9 are borderline and should be discussed by the group to see if they deserve attention.

Scores of 2.9 or lower reveal a concern and should be addressed.

APPENDIX D

This budget and accompanying narrative is intended to provide a realistic estimate of how much a new pre-K classroom meeting MississippiEarlyLearningStandardsforClassroomsServingInfants throughFour-Year-OldChildren and HeadStartProgramPerformance Standards may cost to operate.

This budget assumes that the pre-K program is housed within a school or Head Start center that is already paying for overhead costs, such as rent, utilities, and maintenance, as well as general administration. If school districts and Head Start grantees expect to add multiple classrooms, then the partners should multiply each line item by the number of classrooms except for the “student assessment” line. Furthermore, if a district has three or more classrooms, then the district should consider a part-time or full-time pre-K coordinator, depending on the number of classrooms.

Revenue estimated in this budget is separated into four categories—Title I, program revenue, match revenue, and Head Start revenue— in order to show common revenue pools that programs can use to create blended pre-K programs. Title I revenue represents how much in Title I funds a district will need to meet the requirements of this sample budget. Program and match revenue are for providers who are members of early learning collaboratives. These revenue lines assume a provider will receive the minimum guaranteed by the statefunded program—$7,000 per child with half paid by the state and half matched by provider—for each of 20 children in a classroom ($3,500 per child from the state; $3,500 per child matched). Head Start revenue is an estimate of the revenue Head Start will receive from the US Department of Health and Human Services (approximately $7,500 per child). Please note that each revenue line item will not apply to all programs. For instance, if a program will blend Head Start funds and Early Learning Collaborative funds, then the “Head Start revenue,” “state (ELC) revenue,” and “match revenue” lines would be applicable to that program.

^ If applicable

† Head Start does not have a state or nationwide standard for the amount each program receives per child. Each program receives different funding based on the results of an annual community-wide needs assessment. Two grantees, one urban and one rural, reported $7,500 and $8,500 per child, which we averaged to determine this number.

** Total Revenue and Revenue Over Expenses sections are calculated assuming a program uses Title I, state-funding, and Head Start revenue. These categories will be different for programs using different revenue sources and depending on specific budgetary constraints of partners.

SALARIES/WAGES

Justification: Salaries comprise the largest single item in the budget. We budget for two full-time employees (FTE) for each pre-K classroom: a lead teacher and an assistant teacher. We assume that partnerships will strategically compensate lead and assistant teachers to ensure they have the highest salary, so we used the state pay scale for the lead teachers. For assistant teachers, we used the averages provided by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (See Mississippi Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, 2022). For both lead teachers and assistant teachers, we estimate that salary will grow by 1% annually (Year 1 Salary * 1.01Year-1= Annual Salary). Salaries are estimated conservatively by assuming higher pay as noted below:

Lead Teacher: Salary for a lead teacher is estimated at $49,900.00 per year. A lead teacher in a public school classroom must hold a valid pre-K license. A salary of $49,900 assumes the teacher holds a bachelor’s degree with more than 15 years’ experience or a master’s degree with more than 10 years’ experience.

Assistant Teacher: Salary for an assistant teacher is estimated at $22,370.00 per year. This reflects the additional qualifications required for pre-K assistant teachers but is on the high end of what school districts and Head Start typically pay assistant teachers. Partners will need to be strategic about which organization compensates assistant teachers. In some counties, Head Start assistant teachers may earn more than public school assistant teachers since Head Start grantees do not uniformly compensate assistant teachers. Every three years grantees conduct a wage comparability study to compare their wages to their peers. As a result, there is some variability in the wages for assistant teachers.

PLEASE NOTE: Salary for a pre-K coordinator is not included, but many school districts designate a pre-K coordinator who may have other responsibilities, such as the federal programs director.

Name and Title

Justification: Fringe benefits per FTE are estimated at 28% of salary per year as follows: Salary * %Fringe = Fringe. Because salaries increase at a rate of 1% annually, the cost of fringe benefits is also estimated to increase by 1% per year.

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

Justification: We use the Mississippi Beginnings curriculum to create the Educational Materials section. Mississippi Beginnings is the open source, evidence-based curriculum that MDE provides to ELCs. We suggest using Mississippi Beginnings because it is an evidence-based curriculum that many existing blended pre-K programs are using. Blended Pre-K programs do have the option of using other curriculums (see Program Requirements).

We estimate significant costs in Educational Materials for start-up—$24,064.95. A detailed list of items serving as the basis for these estimates is provided in this toolkit under “Start-Up Costs.” In Years 1-3, we budget for consumables and replacement costs only, as follows:

Language and Literacy: We budget $110.93 annually for consumables, such as paper, pencils, and other writing instruments. We estimate an additional $200 in replacement costs for damaged, worn, or missing items.

Dramatic Play: We estimate $150 in annual replacement costs for damaged, worn, or missing items.

Math: We estimate $250 in annual replacement costs for damaged, worn, or missing items.

Science (sensory): We budget $29.95 in annual replacement costs for sand for the water table.

Science (general): We estimate a small budget of $70 in annual replacement costs for damaged, worn, or missing items.

Arts (general): We estimate a small budget of $60 in annual replacement costs for damaged, worn, or missing items.

Arts (consumables): As consumables are expected to be used within 12 months, all of these items must be replenished annually.

PROGRAM EVALUATION

Justification: Every classroom in a Mississippi collaborative program, state-invested pre-K program, or Head Start is monitored by MDE or the Head Start regional office using the CLASS evaluation. We estimate a budget of $1,000 a year to help teachers prepare for their CLASS evaluation, which is conducted by MDE or the Head Start regional office. This budget can be used for CLASS resources, such as the video library or training workshops.

TECHNOLOGY

Justification: We estimate significant costs in Technology for start-up. In Years 1-3, we budget for periodic replacement only.

Desktop/Laptop/Tablet: We budget for one desktop, laptop, or tablet for staff use per classroom. We estimate replacement of this staff machine every five years, which is beyond the scope of this budget.

Tablets (24): We estimate that each pre-K classroom will need a minimum of twenty-four tablets to ensure each student has access to a device and that there are tablets reserved for a technology center and assessment purposes. Annual replacement costs are estimated at $3,000. This will cover full replacement of several iPads as well as any needed repairs.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Justification: MDE suggests budgeting $3,500 per year per classroom for costs associated with professional development for teachers and assistants. Head Start suggests $1,600 per year per classroom. We budgeted for the higher amount. This may include registration to attend trainings or purchase training materials.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT

Justification: Pre-K programs commonly use literacy and math progress-monitoring assessments throughout the year. Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, MDE is contracting with Amira Learning for the next five years to provide the kindergarten readiness assessment and progress monitoring at no cost to school districts. Amira Learning offers additional services for school districts seeking more alignment with the Istation assessment.* School districts intending to use a different assessment for progress monitoring should contact the vendor to determine the cost structure.

*Contact Chris Blevins, Amira Learning, via email at cblenvins@istation.com

OTHER

Justification: Teacher office supplies are estimated at $700.00 per classroom. These office supplies include printer paper, pens, staples, ink cartridges, tape, etc., for each pre-K classroom. The estimate is based on the amount that school district teachers receive from their annual procurement cards.

START UP COSTS

This section provides a list of items, organized by center type, for furnishing a new pre-K classroom meeting the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines for Classrooms Serving Infants through Four-Year-Old Children and the Head Start Performance Program Standards. All example items were estimated using prices from Kaplan Early Learning Company, except where otherwise noted. Pre-K programs may find many comparable items at a lower cost from other vendors, such as Creative Playthings, Scholastic, Lakeshore, Walmart, Target, or Amazon. Items marked in green are specifically required by the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines for Classrooms Serving Infants through FourYear-Old Children and the Head Start Performance Program Standards, while items marked in yellow are specifically recommended; the brand may be substituted for items marked in green or yellow. To fully furnish a classroom, pre-K programs should purchase more than the essential items (those in green or yellow). This means the total cost of furnishing a start-up classroom will be somewhere between the essential items’ cost and the recommended items’ cost, after curriculum materials are accounted for. Items that appear in the “Equipment” line of the budget (fixed assets for public schools) are marked with an asterisk; all other items fall under “Educational Materials” in the budget. See the main budget narrative for more information on all expenses, including expenses beyond start-up.

Summary of Center and Classroom Costs

For the purposes of this budget, we use the Mississippi Beginnings curriculum as the example curriculum because it is an open-source, evidence-based curriculum. There are other curriculums that blended pre-K programs may choose to use (see Program Requirements). The Mississippi Beginnings curriculum is free and comes with most of the items needed to implement it. The Building Blocks curriculum is embedded in the Mississippi Beginnings curriculum. However, MDE suggests budgeting for the two-volume teacher edition ( Volume 1 and Volume 2) and, optionally, the classroom manipulative kit.

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

DRAMATIC PLAY

There are no comparable Mississippi Beginnings curriculum or manipulatives kit items.

ART – GENERAL

P.E. (IF NO SEPARATE P.E. CLASS IS AVAILABLE)

There are no comparable Mississippi Beginnings curriculum or manipulatives kit items.

There

APPENDIX E

This appendix is intended to provide an example of a memorandum of understanding (MOU). This example assumes certain terms between local school districts and Head Start grantees. The terms assumed here are not the terms that must be agreed upon as partners have flexibility with the assignment of roles in their partnership.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN

HEAD START AND SCHOOL DISTRICT - SCHOOL TERM: 20xx-20xx

THIS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) is made and entered into by and between [Head Start], a non-profit corporation, and [School District] located in [LOCALITY], Mississippi.

WHEREAS, [Head Start] and [School District] establish and agree for the purpose of providing a site-based joint service (dual enrollment) delivery model for income-eligible preschool children at [LIST ALL SITES] in Mississippi.

 [NUMBER OF CHILDREN] – [SITE NAME]

 [Use as many lines as needed.]

WHEREAS, establish placement of [NUMBER] Head Start classrooms located at [SITE NAME] and [NUMBER] classrooms at [SITE NAME] for the 2025-2026 school year. Now, therefore, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein, both parties agree to as follows:

1. Provide children with a developmentally appropriate, literacy rich, inclusive environment and to provide endless educational opportunities to increase school readiness.

2. Ensure an adult-to-child ratio of 1 adult to 10 children, one of whom meets Head Start and MDE requirements for a lead teacher.

3. Ensure that teaching staff utilize a research-based preschool curriculum and assessment meeting Head Start Program Performance Standards and MDE Guidelines.

4. Offer families the opportunity to participate in community-based, high-quality comprehensive services.

5. Promote partnership/collaboration between [Head Start] and [School District].

6. Allow maximum utilization of [Head Start] and [School District] resources, where possible.

7. Reduce duplication of services and avoid supplanting.

8. Assist parents with registration for kindergarten.

9. Provide placement opportunities in an inclusive, developmentally appropriate environment for preschool-aged children identified by the school system who are not enrolled in the Head Start Program.

10. Support families with multiple school-aged children.

11. Collaborate and attend professional development offered by [School District or Head Start].

12. Encourage and assist parents to become active advocates for their child.

13. Identify personnel to serve as a point of contact for program support.

14. Communicate any necessary information in a timely manner.

15. Ensure that there are attempts at mediation when conflicts arise between the Head Start and school district.

16. That all employees working with Head Start children, including consultants, when students are present will have cleared background checks according to Head Start Performance Standards and follows:

Performance Standard 1302.90. Background checks and selection procedures.

(1) Before a person is hired, directly or through contract, including transportation staff and contractors, a program must conduct an interview, verify references, conduct a sex offender registry check, and obtain one of the following:

(i) State or tribal criminal history records, including fingerprint checks;

(ii) Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history records, including fingerprint checks.

(2) A program has 90 days after an employee is hired to complete the background check process by obtaining:

(i) Whichever check listed in paragraph (b)(1) of this section was not obtained prior to the date of hire; and,

(ii) Child abuse and neglect state registry check, if available.

A program must conduct the complete background check for each employee, consultant, or contractor at least once every five years which must include each of the four checks listed in paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section, and review and make employment decisions based on the information as described in paragraph (b)(3) of this section, unless the program can demonstrate to the responsible HHS official that it has a more stringent system in place that will ensure child safety.

School District will:

1. Provide the classroom space described in this MOU at [SITE NAME] and [SITE NAME] listed above at a minimum of 700 square feet of usable space per classroom.

2. Allow Head Start to claim in kind of $7.00 per square foot of usable classroom space annually for four classrooms.

3. Assist with scheduling children to use the on-campus lab weekly, if available.

4. Provide proctors or lab monitors during kindergarten-readiness testing.

5. Provide joint staff development/planning opportunities for Head Start classroom staff and parents.

6. Provide access to the library, auditorium, playground, and other on-site facilities.

7. Provide all utilities, maintenance, and repairs for all classrooms.

8. Provide custodial services, such as mopping, removal of trash, and cleaning bathrooms.

9. Provide kindergarten-readiness data for Head Start children who enter kindergarten each year.

10. Provide meal service (in the cafeteria) for children and staff.

11. Assist with recruiting and enrolling income-eligible children in Head Start.

12. Arrange for teachers and assistants at [SITE NAME] to conduct two home visits and three parent conferences per year.

13. Agree to standards of conduct regarding reporting of suspected and known child abuse in accordance with Mississippi Licensure.

14. Ensure that two paid staff remain with children at all times.

15. Provide the salaries for [NUMBER] certified teachers for the classrooms at [SITE NAME].

16. Monitor the program and attend monthly scheduled meetings or send a representative.

17. Involve Family Engagement Staff with planned parent activities.

18. Provide a recordkeeping system on each child to include individualized activities and document the activities on the lesson plan.

19. Comply with Head Start Program Performance Standards.

20. Ensure teachers use and implement the curriculum; follow CLASS guidelines.

21. Complete the Teaching Strategies Gold Assessment three times per year.

22. Ensure proper brushing of teeth (once a day) and washing of hands with children.

23. Provide referral process for psychological services.

24. Provide breakfast and lunch at free reimbursement rate to all enrolled Head Start children through the School Breakfast and School Lunch Program by coding children as Head Start enrollees. (Meals must be served to meet USDA/CACFP Guidelines and meal patterns and Head Start Program Performance Standards for family-style meal served.).

25. Provide the same lunch meals to teaching staff as served to children that meet USDA/CACFP Guidelines and meal patterns.

26. Not allow outside snacks or meals to be served to Head Start children during the 160 operational days on the Head Start Program calendar.

27. Submit monthly invoices to [Head Start] Nutrition Department for reimbursement of snack meals served to enrolled Head Start children during the 160 operational days on the Head Start calendar.

28. Submit monthly invoices to the [Head Start] Nutrition Department for reimbursement of lunch meals served to teaching staff. (Maximum reimbursements for meals not to exceed $3.00 per day for each adult during the 160 operational days on the Head Start calendar.)

29. Allow Head Start Nutrition Monitors to periodically observe in Head Start classroom during meal service.

30. Maintain required daily meal records and documentation for USDA/CACFP requirements.

31. Ensure corporal punishment is not implemented at the school to pre-K children.

32. Provide a letter of the salaries of the non-federal teaching staff and a letter outlining type and cost of supplies purchased. This information will be used as an in-kind contribution to Head Start.

Head Start will:

1. Provide classroom materials and furniture for all classrooms.

2. Provide a daily schedule that includes breakfast, lunch, snack, 30 minutes of outdoor play, 1 hour for rest, and 90 minutes of planned intentional teaching.

3. Provide a research-based parenting curriculum to use during monthly parent seminars.

4. Provide full-time qualified paid classroom teachers and assistants for each [SITE NAME] classroom and teacher assistants for [SITE NAME]. Head Start will have the sole right to terminate its staff.

5. Ensure developmental screening and comprehensive services are provided to all children as indicated.

6. Provide modification/renovation of the site, if Head Start deems necessary.

7. Provide playground development enhancement, if Head Start deems necessary.

8. Provide staff development for Head Start staff.

9. Provide monthly parent training.

10. Maintain 85% student attendance rate.

11. Ensure that all staff participate in required test security training, if applicable.

12. Coordinate kindergarten-readiness assessment planning and implementation with the School District, if applicable.

13. Pay all fees associated with kindergarten-readiness assessment testing for identified 4-year-old to Amira Learning, if applicable.

14. Provide medical and dental services for (60) children.

15. Provide pre-service training and additional training sessions to provider to assure compliance with the Head Start grant requirements, Head Start Program Performance Standards, ADA (average daily attendance), Health and Safety Services, Education, Disabilities, Mental Health, Social Services, Parent Engagement, Transition, Nutrition, Community Partnering, and other applicable federal, state, and local requirements.

16. Provide training in specific areas for provider prior to participation in the Head Start program.

17. Share cost of training, materials, and other supplies.

18. Provide up-to-date recordkeeping forms to provider on a regular and timely basis, and provide training on the use of recordkeeping forms.

19. Assure that all enrolled children and parents are provided with services outlined in the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

20. Provide social and psychological services for children and families.

21. Provide social emotional behavior check for teachers to make observations, allow the child to be enrolled 30 days before administering test, and conduct speech, vision, and hearing screenings within 45 days of Head Start enrollment.

22. Provide parent engagement services (i.e. parent trips, parent professional conferences, and parent education training) and parent curriculum.

23. Provide the supplementary salary for two teacher assistants for the prekindergarten classroom beginning August 1, 2018.

24. Provide field trips for Head Start children, staff, and parents; Head Start will cover entry fees for Head Start children, staff and parents. All Head Start children must ride on bus with child restraints. Head Start buses will not go out of the state of Mississippi. Ratio must be 1 adult to 4 children.

25. Make home visits to check on absenteeism and work with parents on goals.

26. Provide family services and recordkeeping case management services by assigning a family services worker to site.

27. Share training calendars and resources, as appropriate, with staff.

28. Conduct classroom observation of teacher/student interaction (CLASS).

29. Monitor the teaching staff to ensure CLASS techniques are incorporated.

30. Ensure techniques are in place to prepare children for school readiness and next level.

31. Provide literacy training for parents.

32. Monitor program in all service areas at site.

33. Reimburse the School District for all snacks served to Head Start children who meet the CACFP Guidelines and meal patterns served during the approved times for the 160 operational days on the Head Start calendar.

34. Reimburse the School District for lunch meals served to teacher assistants which meet the CACFP Guidelines and meal patterns served during the 160 operational days on the Head Start calendar.

35. Enter into a Food Service Agreement to reimburse the School District for all snacks served to enrolled Head Start Children who meet USDA/CACFP Guidelines and meal patterns.

36. Review Head Start Program Performance Standards with partners.

37. Provide the recordkeeping forms which are needed to document snacks.

PARTNERSHIP FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY (LEA)

This agreement is between the [School District] and the [Head Start]. Changes made to this agreement must be agreed upon and signed by both agencies. All procedures involved in this agreement will be in accordance with the policies, guidelines, and regulations of both agencies.

The purpose of this agreement is to continue the collaborative relationship between [School District] and [Head Start]. It is the intent of [Head Start] to make provision of services to preschool children eligible for special education and/or related services in order to follow the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B (Assistance for Education of All Children with Disabilities), and Mississippi Department of Education (State Board Policy 74.19) by:

1. Abiding by Subpart D – Evaluations, Eligibility Determinations, Individualized Education Programs, and Educational Placement of IDEA:

Parental Consent

300.300 Parental consent.

Evaluations and Reevaluations

00.301 Initial evaluations.

300.302 Screening for instructional purposes is not evaluation.

300.303 Reevaluations.

300.304 Evaluation procedures.

300.305 Additional requirements for evaluations and reevaluations.

300.306 Determination of eligibility.

2. Ensuring that children eligible for preschool special education services receive a free and appropriate public education, as required by law, in the least restrictive environment.

3. Maintaining communication and shared leadership responsibilities at the local level to ensure that available resources are utilized in the most effective manner.

4. Agreeing that services will occur between [DATE] - [DATE].

School District will:

1. Provide special education and related services to include: referrals and comprehensive evaluations, assisting with providing services to children who qualify under IDEA, providing services in the least restrictive environment, assisting with transition efforts as children move from Part C to Part B.

2. Screen enrollees and late enrollees at [SITE NAME] (hearing and vision).

3. Conduct a comprehensive evaluation for Head Start enrollees as outlined in IDEA Chapter 54, 300.301 and within 60 days of receiving parental consent.

4. Repor t to Head Start any medical or other follow-ups necessary to complete evaluation. If a child is not eligible for special education, provide a copy of the Prior Written Notice with Justification to the parent and a copy to the Disability Specialist.

5. Ensure that requests for evaluations and responses to those requests are not limited by the number per year or the time of year the requests are received.

6. Return a copy of the results of the evaluation to the Disability Specialist within 60 days of the deadline.

7. Plan and coordinate MET/Eligibility Meetings and notify the Disability Specialist of scheduled meetings.

8. Invite Head Start staff to trainings that address the screening process (BDI) and the evaluation/IEP development process.

9. Monitor and document services on the Treatment Tracking Form” and email to the Disability Specialist by the 5th of each month.

10. Conduct additional assessments Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) for children with behavioral concerns that impede his/her learning or the learning of others (or the district may accept an FBA or BIP that is developed by a person who meets the definition of a “qualified examiner” and submitted by Head Start).

11. Provide a copy of the IEP to the Disability Specialist within 15 days of completion.

12. Provide services as indicated on the IEP.

13. Invite Head Start staff to trainings related to disability services.

14. Provide information regarding the receiving program for the family and Head Start.

15. Allow children to spend at least a half-day (three hours) in the next placement or receiving program with planned activities for Head Start children.

16. Give recommendations regarding next placement options.

17. Coordinate transition activities with Head Start and participate in transition meetings with parents of children with disabilities.

18. Refer children with disabilities to Head Start for preschool education services.

19. Participate in mass screening events with Head Start, if available.

Head Start will:

1. Utilize the Battelle Developmental Inventory Screener to screen all new and late enrollees within 45 days of entry or after hearing and vision is passed.

2. Refer children to ENT or ophthalmologist if they fail or cannot be conditioned for hearing or vision.

3. Refer children who fail the developmental screener or children suspected of having a disability to the LEA for further evaluation; participate in the development of the IEP and retain copies of IEP while the child is enrolled in Head Start.

4. Submit referral packets to the LEA that include a copy of the BDI screener, results of the hearing and vision, a copy of the parent letter, child assessment data (if available), parent consent and request for initial evaluation, and a cover letter addressed to the LEA that indicates a list of children being referred.

5. Participate in the MET/IEP meeting initiated by the servicing agency. Teachers will provide updates on children’s progress and discuss the individual lesson plans and curriculum; Head Start staff will explain policies, procedures and secure parents’ signatures on various forms. Assist parents with identifying family goals and other family support resources.

6. Invite Early Interventionist/LEAs to Head Start in-house trainings, conferences, and focus groups as often as possible.

7. Participate in any trainings related to providing special services to children with disabilities.

8. Participate in Child Find efforts.

9. Obtain parental consent and request for initial consent based on language included in IDEA 300.300 and 300.301.

10. Provide services in the least restrictive environment to the fullest extent possible, including dual placement.

11. Teachers will implement services/activities as indicated on the IEP.

12. Collaborate with other agencies to implement strategies to prepare the child and family for transition into the next program.

13. Obtain written permission from parent to share information concerning the child’s next placement.

14. Give recommendations regarding placement options.

15. Accompany children to the receiving program for classroom visits.

16. Assist the parent with registering for kindergarten.

17. Coordinate transition activities with the LEA and participate in transition meetings with parents of children with disabilities.

TERMS AND TERMINATION

This MOU will be effective as of the date signed by both parties and is effective [DATE]. Either party may terminate this MOU with thirty (30) days written notice to the other party. The notice required by this clause shall be sent by certified or registered mail.

In WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this MOU and warrant that they are officially authorized to so execute for their respective parties to this MOU.

Head Start/Early Head Start Director

Superintendent of Education

Special Education Director

Date

How to Start a Blended Pre-K Toolkit

BLENDED

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT

TEAM

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS BLENDED PRE-K?

Collaboration

Quality

Funding

BENEFITS OF BLENDED PRE-K

MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS

THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)

ALLOWABLE FUNDS

How Do Partners Share Costs in Blended Pre-K?

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Program Standards

Teacher and Assistant Teacher Qualifications

Professional Development

Learning Standards

Curriculum

Assessment

Classroom Size and Student- Teacher Ratios

Screening, Referrals, and Support Services

Provision of Meals

Instructional Minutes

Family Engagement

Children with Disabilities

Antidiscrimination

Eligibility, Enrollme Bnt, and Coordination

Supplement, Not Supplant (if using Title I)

Transportation

Facility

Monitoring

BUDGETING

APPENDIX A

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PRE-K

RESEARCH ABOUT PRE-K

STATE AND FEDERAL EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION OFFICES

PRE-K ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS

Alliance for Early Success

First Five Years Fund

APPENDIX B

NEEDS ASSESSMENT TOOL

POPULATION MEASURE

Data Resources and Considerations

Data Resources and Considerations

QUALITY

GUIDELINES FOR USING DATA TO DEMONSTRATE COMMUNITY NEED

CALCULATING PUBLIC PRE-K ENROLLMENT

DEMONSTRATING NEED FOR QUALITY

ANALYZING DATA ON AT-RISK POPULATIONS

APPENDIX C

WHAT IS COLLABORATION?

COOPERATION, COORDINATION, AND COLLABORATION

MORE READING ABOUT COLLABORATION

THE WILDER COLLABORATION FACTORS INVENTORY

PARTNER SELF-ASSESSMENT SCORING GUIDE

FULL PARTNERSHIP SELF-ASSESSMENT SCORING GUIDE

INTERPRETING YOUR SCORES

APPENDIX D

SALARIES/WAGES

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

PROGRAM EVALUATION

TECHNOLOGY

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

STUDENT ASSESSMENT

OTHER

START UP COSTS

Summary of Center and Classroom Costs

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

DRAMATIC PLAY

ART – GENERAL

P.E. (IF NO SEPARATE P.E. CLASS IS AVAILABLE)

APPENDIX E

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN

PARTNERSHIP FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY (LEA)

Head Start will:

TERMS AND TERMINATION