| Account | Description | FY2011 GAA |
FY2012 House 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3000-5075 | Universal Pre-Kindergarten 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 of the General Laws, schools and districts which have been placed in the accountability status of identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under departmental regulations, or which have been designated commonwealth priority schools or commonwealth pilot schools under the 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 department and may also be used to align the Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program with the development of a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS); provided further, that all programs designated as Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program participants shall meet high program quality standards established by the department; provided further, that any newly-funded programs designated as Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program participants shall 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; and 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 |
7,500,000 | 7,500,000 |