You asked how the goals of the school readiness program have been met since they were enacted in 1997.

SUMMARY

School readiness grants go to "poor" schools. The school readiness laws define two kinds of poor schools, priority and severe need schools. The definitions are identical except for the type of district where the schools are located. Priority schools are located in non-priority districts and severe need schools are located in priority school districts (PSD). Both definitions use eligibility for free or reduced-price lunches under the federal school lunch program as a qualifying measure of poverty. Under current law, PSDs are entitled to annual school readiness grants, and remain so for five years after they are removed from priority status. Districts with priority schools may receive school readiness grants through a competitive bidding process, and remain eligible for five years after their initial application.

PA 97-259: AN ACT CONCERNING SCHOOL READINESS AND CHILD DAY CARE

PA 97-259 authorized several approaches to increasing the number and quality of school readiness and day care programs by (1) providing grants, loans, and other types of financing; (2) emphasizing program accreditation and evaluation; and (3) tightening the system for checking day care employee credentials. It made the State Department of Education (SDE) the lead agency for school readiness but required the Department of Social Services (DSS) to give grants to school readiness and day care providers to improve their programs.

EXPECTATIONS AND OUTCOMES

Expectations

PA 97-259 identified several goals for the school readiness program network. SDE updates and addresses these goals annually, and as of June 2001, it expected programs to:

1. provide all children with open access to quality programs that promote their health and safety and prepare them for formal schooling,

2. meet family needs,

3. provide parents with choices and build on current community program structures that recognize the unique resources in each municipality and provide flexibility,

4. ensure a high quality standard through the accreditation process,

5. ensure that all programs provide quality services and meet school readiness requirements,

6. ensure that they use a common annual program evaluation tool to determine program and child outcomes, and

7. reduce educational costs by decreasing the need for special education services for school age children and avoiding grade repetition.

Outcomes

Since 1997, SDE has established several programs, expanded existing programs, and collaborated with state and federal agencies and organizations in executing its school readiness duties. It increased program slot capacity from 2,648 in 1997 to 6,349 in 2001. School readiness funds full day/full year, part day, and extended day programs to meet different family needs. It also funds parental choice through school readiness programs in Head Start, public schools, private preschools, and Family Resource Centers. SDE encourages program accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and other programs; 115 programs are already NAEYC-certified and 125 more are in the process.

SDE assists school readiness program staff, liaisons, and councils through monthly meetings and workshops on topics such as family literacy, health, collaboration, parental involvement, and nutrition. All school readiness providers have implemented the Connecticut School Readiness Preschool Program Evaluation System, allowing SDE to compare outcomes among schools and providers. The department is participating in a longitudinal study by the Families and Work Institute in New York to find ways to use school readiness programs to address special needs children before they go to school.

SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM PROGRESS

Table 1 shows the changes in program appropriations and available slots for school readiness programs from 1997 through 2001. The numbers increased dramatically from 1997 through 1999, but dropped during the 2000-2001 academic year.

Table 1: Appropriations and Available Slots for School Readiness Programs, 1997 - 2001

Source: Connecticut Department of Education School Readiness and Child Day Care Reports, 1997-2001.

COLLABORATION

SDE collaborates with DSS and other agencies and organizations to administer school readiness programs. Since 1998, SDE and DSS have collaborated to provide funds for the School Readiness Grant Program, Connecticut Charts-A-Course (professional development program for early education and child care providers), and the Accreditation Facilitation Project. They also work with Health Child Care Connecticut to ensure that children in school readiness programs have access to health insurance, are current on their immunizations, and receive early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment (EPSDT), and well-child care.

Since 1999, SDE and DSS have collaborated with the federal Administration for Children and Families and the Quilt Project on the alignment of state and federally funded early childhood programs in Connecticut. In 2000, SDE created relationships between the School Readiness, Even Start (federal family literacy program), and Bureau of School-Family-Community Partnerships programs.

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