| Account | Description | FY2009 GAA |
FY2009 Total Spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3000-5075 | Universal Pre-School For the Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program; provided, that funds from this item shall be expended on grants to improve the quality of and expand access to preschool programs and services to children from the age of 2 years and 9 months until they are kindergarten eligible, through a mixed system of service delivery including public, private, non-profit and for-profit preschools, child care centers, nursery schools, preschools operating within public and private schools and school districts, head start programs, independent and system-affiliated family child care homes; provided further, that funds shall be awarded directly to programs; provided further, that in awarding grant funds under this program, preference shall be given to establishing preschool classrooms in towns and cities with schools and districts at risk of or determined to be under-performing in accordance with sections 1J and 1K of chapter 69, schools and districts which have been placed in the accountability status of identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring pursuant to departmental regulations, or which have been designated commonwealth priority schools or commonwealth pilot schools pursuant to said regulations, schools or districts with a high percentage of students scoring in levels 1 and 2 on the MCAS exams, or programs which serve children not less than 50 per cent of whom are from families earning at or below 85 per cent of the state median income; provided further, that funds may also be used to leverage and enhance community-wide capacity building efforts within statewide parameters established by the board; provided further, that all programs designated as Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program participants shall meet high program quality standards including those outlined in the Early Childhood Program Standards for Three and Four Year Olds and the Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences, and including appropriate standards for teacher and staff quality, teacher to child ratios and group size, age-appropriate curriculum and child assessment practices, kindergarten readiness assessments, comprehensive services like health and dental screenings and mental health supports where needed, transition to kindergarten policies, and program evaluation; provided further, that any newly-funded programs designated as Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program participants must have been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the National Association of Family Child Care or a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or higher; provided further, that funds may be expended on programs working towards the designation of being a Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program participant; provided further, that programs shall have in place an assessment tool approved by the department, including but not limited to: Work Sampling, High Scope Child Observation Record, Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum, or Ages and Stages; provided further, that remaining funds available after grants are made to eligible programs may be expended on programs working towards the designation of being a Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program participant; provided further, that the grant program shall be sufficiently flexible to serve families with various work schedules; provided further, that programs receiving grant funds may use the funds to enhance teacher and staff quality and compensation, enhance program ability to interpret and use assessment data effectively, enhance developmentally appropriate practice, incorporate ancillary services into the program, facilitate or provide access to wrap-around services for working families, or to increase capacity to expand access to age-eligible children on the centralized waitlist maintained by the department; provided further, that preference shall be given in awarding grants to those programs which demonstrate affordability for middle class and working class parents according to standards to be developed by the department; and provided further, that any payment made under any such grant with a school district shall be deposited with the treasurer of such city, town, or regional school district and held as a separate account and shall be expended by the school committee of such city, town, or regional school district without municipal appropriation, notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary |
12,138,739 | 10,892,737 |
| SPENDING CATEGORY |
FY2005 Expended |
FY2006 Expended |
FY2007 Expended |
FY2008 Expended |
FY2009 GAA |
FY2009 Budget Reductions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wages & Salaries | 0 | 0 | 78 | 370 | 358 | 0 |
| Employee Benefits | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Operating Expenses | 0 | 0 | 411 | 154 | 79 | 0 |
| Grants & Subsidies | 0 | 0 | 4,142 | 6,361 | 11,700 | -1,246 |
| TOTAL | 0 | 0 | 4,631 | 6,887 | 12,139 | -1,246 |
FY2009 Spending Category Chart