UPK: Outcomes (School readiness and proficiency in numeracy and literacy)

Existing Data

• Teaching strategies gold (TSGold) (Vermont's chosen assessment tool)
• Ready for Kindergarten (R4K!)
• Literacy: 3rd grade math and reading
• Social Emotional Learning

Gaps, limitations & challenges

• Vermont has not defined or measured success for Act 166/UPK There are existing questions about whether the current outcomes measured are the right/only outcomes measures to monitor

Opportunities

• Utilize all/more of the TSGold data that are collected to

• Report on fall to spring progress
• Inform CQI
• Inform K-3 needs for incoming children

Remaining Questions

• What are outcomes for children:

• Not receiving UPK?
• Receiving UPK from a school-based program?
• Receiving UPK from a private program?
• Receiving UPK from a HS program?

• What does SEL look like in recovery, how do we identify students and what kind of interventions are provided yeilding which outcomes?
• Is TSGold the right assessment tool for Vermont?

Data to be collected

• Disaggregation of third grade assessments by UPK participation
• Utilize or make TSGold data publicly accessible

Primary Data Entity(ies)

• AOE

UPK: Capacity

Existing Data

• Number of private and public programs operated
• Licensed and desired capacity

Gaps, limitations & challenges

• Private programs may have multiple children filling a slot All slots may not be available (workforce etc)
• Program closure is not uniformly tracked

Opportunities

Remaining Questions

• What capacity would need to be built to meet the needs of all 3 and 4-year-olds accessing 30 hrs/week of UPK across settings? 40 hrs/week? Full year capacity?
• Where would capacity need to be built in the state?
• How could we ensure that family choice in a mixed delivery system remains a priority?
• What capacity would we need to build to transition to calendar year preK? How would this work with public providers?
• How would licensed educators in the classroom vs variances etc look if UPK hours were to expand, would this policy need to be reexamined to align with the availability of the workforce?
• How can Vermont ensure that all children are able to access UPK in the setting of their choice?

Data to be collected

• Geographical mapping of gaps between the UPK eligible population and desired capacity
• Examine potential UPK regional variation in licensed capacity including variation among public vs. private programs - How many children by age can be served currently?
• By program type and region, totall # servied, part-time and full-time enrollment, waitlists, vacancies, by subsidy status, demographic characteristics, and current program staffing capacity (licensed capacity, inteded capacity, COVID capacity)
• What is the current status of the # of licensed educations in the classroom vs. variances/shared lisensed teachers, etc.?
• What resources (financial, infrastructure, workforce) are needed to serve each UPK eligible child by SU/SD?

Primary Data Entity(ies)

UPK: Utilization/Enrollment/Access and Demand/Eligibility        

Existing Data

• Eligibility:

• Population estimates for 3 and 4 year olds +/- 5 year olds

• Utilization

• Number of children served
• Enrollment data overtime

Gaps, limitations & challenges

• Utilization:

• Enrollment at the program level is only captured at the SU/SD level
• Extracting enrollment by program type is burdensome and has accuracy limitations
• The number of UPK hours a child is receiving is not captured
• The number of additional hours within a private UPK program beyond the 10 Act 166 hours is not captured
• Dual oversight of UPK

• Demand:

• Access to the desired type of program is not captured
• No official tracking of children unable to be enrolled due to a lack of capacity or a good program fit (hours, location etc)

Opportunities

• Address regional variations in access to programs, and determine creative solutions, including transportation options to ensure rural communities are equitably served
• Examine communication of expectations for programs to ensure high quality data reporting and monitoring of suspension and expulsion
• Connection to communities, including effective messaging and awareness efforts that ensure all families are aware of eligibility

Remaining Questions

• What is the true demand for services?
• What factors contribute to translating demand into access?

Data to be collected

• Total number of children served
• Enrollment by

• Eligibility for CCFAP (by FPL ratio?)
• Demographic characteristics,
• Program type
• Geography (SU/SD)
• Hours of UPK provided
• Waitlists

• Lottery participation
• Vacancies

Primary Data Entity(ies)

• AOE, CDD

UPK: Cost/Finances

Existing Data

• ADM, equalized pupil count for each fiscal year
• Market rate survey

Gaps, limitations & challenges

• Need to review challenges associated with .46 ADM and implications of increasing hours/week
• Consider that early childhood special education and administrative costs cannot be separated from overall preK-grade 3 costs

Opportunities

Remaining Questions

• What is the true cost to provide UPK across settings?
• What is the cost of providing wrap around services (family and child mental health, Part B, Social determinants of health screenings and connection to resources, CACFP)?
• *Public financial investment made to ensure access to quality prekindergarten education
• *District level identifiable costs for prekindergarten programs and essential early education services

Data to be collected

Primary Data Entity(ies)

• AOE, CDD

UPK: Quality

Existing Data

• *Quality of public and private prekindergarten education programs monitored through STARS/QRIS
• *Efforts to ensure continuous quality improvement through
• *Mentoring
• *Training
• *Technical assistance

Gaps, limitations & challenges

• Dual agency oversight
• Changes and updates to national best practice related to STARS/QRIS

• Ratings of quality do not necessarily translate to the experience in a program

Opportunities

Remaining Questions

• - What are the benchmarks for quality?
• - How are best practices implemented and measured across settings? (e.g. how is play-based curriculum used? Where is there flexibility in implementation?

Data to be collected

Primary Data Entity(ies)

• CDD/AOE

UPK: Hours

Existing Data

Gaps, limitations & challenges

• 10 hours a week isn’t enough to meet many families' needs.
• Based on recent UPK focus groups, there isn’t consensus on the appropriate number of hours for pre-K, however, partners consistently agree that 10 hours/week is insufficient

Opportunities

Remaining Questions

• What capacity would need to be built to meet the needs of all 3 and 4-year-olds accessing 30 hrs/week of UPK across settings? 40 hrs/week? Full year capacity?
• Considerations of school year vs. calendar year services
• How does the system accommodate the remaining hours or parts of the year that families may need care?
• Can families opt to participate in the pre-K program if they are looking for fewer hours than it allows for?
• Are there children and families who are not accessing UPK because of the limited hours?

Data to be collected

Primary Data Entity(ies)

• CDD, AOE

UPK: Student Support Services

Existing Data

Gaps, limitations & challenges

• Cost of student support services is not tracked independently by program Demand and utilization of services in private programs is not captured

Opportunities

Remaining Questions

• Increasing access to early childhood education (ECE settings) for students with disabilities
• How can Vermont ensure that all children are able to access UPK in the setting of their choice

Data to be collected

• Number/Percentage of ECE settings in VT that are inclusive of students with disabilities
• Number/Percentage of ECE settings that are accessing PD to support children with disabilities

Primary Data Entity(ies)

• AOE

UPK: Exclusionary Discipline

Existing Data

• Incidents of suspensions
• Duration and recurrance of suspensions
• Suspensions for vulnerable populations
• UPK ACIS Monitoring system
• BBF Exclusionary Discipline Data Brief

Gaps, limitations & challenges

• Extremely small #s yielding unreportable data
• Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Inconsistent and incomplete reporting
• Implementation challenges related to communication, guidance, and timing of evaluations for additional supports
• Barriers to implementing preventative approaches

Opportunities

Remaining Questions

Data to be collected

Primary Data Entity(ies)