PRESCHOOL POLICY

PRESCHOOL POLICY

All Graves County children enrolled will attend their home school in their attendance zone unless permission to attend a school out of district has been requested and approved. (Parents must complete an application). This request will be approved on a yearly basis.

1. Income eligible and children with disabilities will start the first day of scheduled preschool in August as long as they are three years old by August 1^st and all paperwork is completed.
2. Disability eligible children that transition from First Steps Program will start school the day they become three years old if ARC placement meeting has been held and student has a current Individual Education Plan.
3. Tuition students will start the first school day after Labor Day to ensure that all at-risk students and students with disabilities have received placement in order to adhere to policies and regulations.
4. Children who are not yet three, but will be by August 1^st are not allowed to be transported by bus until their third birthday. Parents will need to transport until the child turns three.
5. Students who reside out-of-district may enroll in Graves County preschool programs when there is space available.
6. Graves County has an application process for parents whose children are not eligible as At-Risk or developmentally delayed and would like a tuition spot for preschool.
7. Tuition is available on a limited basis when space is available. Tuition will be $1500 per school year. Tuition payments for preschool students will be paid to:

Graves County Board of Education

2290 St. Rt. 121 N.

Mayfield, Kentucky 42066

1. Tuition may be paid per year (by August 15^th), per semester (by August 15^th and January 15^th), or monthly (by the 15^th of each month; August-May). Make check payable to Graves County Schools Preschool.
1. Preschool placements will be filled using the following order: Three and four year old children with a disability will have priority

1. Four year old income eligible children in district

2. Three year old income eligible children in district

3. Out-of-district income eligible children

4. In district and out-of-district tuition children

As placements become available, openings will be filled from the list of applications.

1. All classrooms must follow state preschool regulations for staff to student ratio. (1-10). All preschool classrooms have a lead teacher, an assistant with a CDA or working on completing a CDA. Attention is given to classrooms whose student needs are challenging/severe and additional staff may be assigned to meet those needs.

Program Eligibility for Head Start/EHS

Children must be 3 or 4 by August the 1^st of the school year. Graves County currently has 75 Head Start placements. We have 9 home based EHS slots and 7 EHS Center slots. Applications are accepted from expectant moms and for children up to age 3 for our Early Head Start Program. Selection is based on a variety of factors, which include:

● parent income,

● age of child,

● disability and

● special family needs.

Points are assigned to each factor and the applications with the highest points are selected until all slots are full.

Program Structure and Personnel

Our preschool program is fully blended with Murray Head Start. According to preschool regulations, 704 KAR 3:410 Section 6 (Program Operation), our preschool program must provide the following for all teachers. If a double session is utilized provisions will be made for the following:

✓ Time allotted prior to each session to allow staff to prepare for the session and to give attention and interact with incoming and departing children and their families. (Principal will assign a staff member to cover duties for assistant, while assistant readies the room for the afternoon session).

✓ Adequate break time during the course of the day ( noted on teacher schedules, staff assigned by principal)

✓ Duty Free lunch for teacher and assistant (assigned by principal on master schedule)

✓ Consideration shall be given to assigning additional staff based on needs of the enrolled students.

✓ The preschool program will be in operation for not less than 128 student days and the fifth day of each week will be for lesson planning, serving families and their needs, evaluating children, participating in ARC’s , screenings, attending professional development and home visits.

Curriculum / Assessment /Families and Communities

Each year our parents are surveyed by Head Start and the parents participate in a self-study with preschool teachers, assistants and Head Start staff in completing indicators on the program.

This data is given to Murray Head Start and compiled into a report that the school district shares with a preschool committee made up of parents, Head Start staff, district staff, (transportation, food service, related service providers) to determine what next steps we need to take to improve our program and to address negative issues brought to our attention from the self-study. Our preschool staff meets several times a year to self-reflect and plan for how to improve the next year.

Preschool Environment/Ratio and Staffing

Preschool teachers are required by regulation to enforce the student to adult ratio of 1/10.

All teaching staff has IECE certification and/or appropriate documents (probationary certification) as well as all assistants have or are in process of attaining CDA certificates. The following are examples of how 1/10 ratio may be accomplished outside of the classroom.

✓ When in the cafeteria for meals as students go through the lines for food, one teacher is at each end of the line with students. Once students start to their seats, one adult goes with them while cafeteria staff stays with the other adult to keep the ratio in line with regulation. When students at the table reach 10 the other staff in the room assist at the tables until all children are seated and teacher and assistant are both present.

✓ When at gross motor time outside or inside, and a student needs to use the restroom, the adult takes several students with them to keep the ratio in line with regulations or they call for a staff to assist them on their radio.

✓ If a teacher has an emergency and must leave the room, they call the office for assistance to cover the students/some have pre-arranged staff that come when called for bathroom breaks, etc.

✓ When necessary part time staff will be paid additional time to ensure coverage of getting rooms ready between sessions, lunches and breaks.

Screening and Registration

Preschool aged children are screened in the spring of each year prior to school entry. When a student fails a screening, the intervention process will be discussed with the parent/guardian. Interventions will be implemented in the most appropriate setting as determined by the parent and KSI (Kentucky System of Intervention) team. This meeting will be documented using KSI paperwork. Interventions may be carried out by the parent, the caregiver (if other than the parent) or in the preschool classroom if determined appropriate. www.Graves.kyschools.us

Graves County preschools are blended with Head Start. Head Start has partnerships with:

✓ The Graves County Health Department

✓ Lions Club, KY Oral Health Network

✓ Commission for Children with Special Needs

✓ Marshall county Health Department for car seats and car seat safety check

✓ Four Rivers Behavioral Health

✓ Ronald McDonald Care Mobile-Eye Care Charity

✓ Family Resource Youth Services (located in each school).

The program collaborates with these agencies to assure that all children participating in the program receive comprehensive screenings and services.

Each classroom and family enrolled in the program has access to a mental health consultant as needed. Local physicians are available to collaborate with the family service workers regarding the needs and concerns of the health of Graves County preschool children enrolled in the Graves County preschool program as needed. Records regarding physicals, mental health needs, immunizations and social needs are maintained and kept in the Head Start Family Service office. Information is shared with the families and teachers of each student.

Graves County has an agreement with all surrounding districts for open enrollment without tuition, however since preschool does not receive ADA we do charge tuition for preschool age children.

Screenings will be completed using the following instruments:

Brigance Early Childhood Screens III

DIAL-4 (communication/language)

Parent Interview Survey

Vision Charts

Audiometers

Observations

Motor Screening checklist

KSI Steps

When a student fails a screening, the intervention process will be discussed with the parent/guardian. Interventions will be implemented in the most appropriate setting as determined by the parent and KSI (Kentucky System of Intervention) team. Interventions may be carried out by the parent, the caregiver (if other than the parent) or in the preschool classroom if determined appropriate.

The team (parent and teacher, or therapist) will meet as needed to change interventions and/or discuss progress or lack thereof. Once sufficient data on student performance has been gathered, the team will meet to determine next course of action for the child that could include a referral for evaluation for a possible disability.

Preschool Attendance

We are fully blended with Head Start. Funding for our program is from full utilization of enrollment of three and four old through Head Start, KERA income eligible 4 year old and all children who are found to be disabled who meet preschool age requirements.

✓ Specifics are outlined in the Parent Handbook for Graves County Preschool/Head Start regarding attendance. Teachers and staff of the district and Head Start work with families to ensure children are in attendance.

✓ Graves County Preschool program attendance is entered in Child Plus by each preschool teacher and sent to the Head Start office daily within one hour of start of classes.

✓ The family advocate at the Head Start Office checks attendance within one and half hours. If the teacher marks child as an unknown absence, parents or guardians will be contacted by text, email or phone. Several days of absence with unknown reasons will warrant a home visit to check on the welfare of the family and child. Please always call the teacher or the Head Start office when your child will be absent.

Busing is provided by the school district with monitors on all bus routes that have preschool children. When a child is absent and staff has not been notified concerning the absence, teachers and/or Head Start will contact parents within the first hour of the absence.

Family Service workers work with families to solve any problems that may be causing irregular attendance. If chronic absenteeism continues without an explanation, a child may lose their Head Start placement due to the need to fully utilize the Head Start slots.

Professional Development

All lead teachers and assistants have First aid and CPR certification that is updated according to American Heart Association Guidelines. All preschool teachers are contracted to work a total of 186 days the same as all other certified staff in the district.

✓ This includes opening and closing day,

✓ 5 holidays,

✓ 4 PD days,

✓ 3 work days and

✓ 172 instructional days.

Assistants attend Head Start Summer Training where they get two days (12 hours) of Professional development geared especially for preschool staff. During the school year on Fridays, Head Start and the Early Childhood Regional Training, and West KY educational Coop offer additional training that is specific for preschool staff.

Assistants work 184 days which is more than other district assistants in order to get their mandated PD hours. Records of PD for teachers are kept at the school level and forwarded to district office for supporting evidence of training.

Curriculum and On-Going assessment of Children

In Graves County our observations and ongoing assessment activities are developmentally appropriate and are used for planning, growth and development for each child. Teaching Strategies Gold ongoing assessments are implemented to inform parents of their child's progress and gives teachers and parent’s information to build on and a direction for next steps to take with each child in the program.

Assessment activities are not used to restrict entry into or exit from the preschool program. Our district participates in the KEDS assessment collection of data three times a year and this information is shared with parents and kindergarten teachers at transition meetings.

When working with families of another culture, every effort is made to share information in their native language. We have staff who serve as interpreters for ASL and ELL families.

Health and Safety

The Graves County preschool program operates in compliance with administrative regulations in areas including facilities, safety, health and transportation.

Preschool parents

✓ MUST attend a bus meeting and

✓ Receive a bus card that identifies them as the appropriate person to meet the bus or pick the child up from the bus each day.

✓ Participate in hand-to-hand delivery coming into school and

home as well as at parent pick up and drop off.

All buses with preschool children have a bus monitor who is responsible for safe hand-to-hand delivery of the children. To ensure the safety of the children, unfamiliar adults will not be allowed to pick up a child from the bus or school. The child will be brought back to school and parents will be called to personally come and get their child. We work with families when an emergency occurs and will call other designated family or friends on their emergency contact cards.

If a child paying tuition is on a regular bus route where there is an aide assigned, that child is allowed to ride the bus as long as there is an eligible student riding the bus. Preschool children participate in safety drills for bus safety and evacuation practices for bus and school buildings.

Our staff follows school district safety plans for medical emergencies, accident reports, dispensing of medication (staff have been specifically trained to give medications) and other safety plans such as earthquake drills, severe weather drills and fire drills. School staff are trained annually on their responsibilities as mandated reporters of child abuse, who to contact and how to document.

All of our preschool teachers and assistants have first aid training and CPR certification as well as some schools has a full time nurse available.