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Oregon Revised Statutes Education and Culture § 329.172

Current as of January 01, 2023 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(1) The Early Learning Division shall administer a preschool program as provided by this section. The preschool program shall expand preschool options available to the children of this state.

(2) For the purpose of expanding preschool options, Early Learning Hubs shall coordinate the providers of preschool programs under this section. The Early Learning Hubs shall apply for state funding, coordinate local planning and enter into contracts with preschool providers.

(3) A preschool provider that meets the requirements of this subsection may apply to participate in the preschool program described in this section. The preschool provider:

(a) Must be establishing a new preschool program or expanding an existing preschool program.

(b) Must meet or exceed the requirements of subsection (4) of this section.

(c) May be a Head Start program, an Oregon prekindergarten program, a child care provider, a relief nursery, a private preschool, a public school, a public charter school, an education service district or a community-based organization that provides a preschool program.

(4) A preschool provider may participate in the preschool program described in this section if the provider's preschool program:

(a) Provides, at a minimum, the annual number of instructional hours required for full-day kindergarten.

(b) Takes into consideration the scheduling needs of families who need full-time child care.

(c) Serves children who are:

(A) At least three years of age but not older than five years of age, as determined by the date used to determine kindergarten eligibility; and

(B) Members of families whose incomes, at the time of enrollment, are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

(d) Provides continuity from infant and toddler services to early elementary grades.

(e) Demonstrates quality through meeting standards, including:

(A) Attaining one of the top two ratings of the quality rating and improvement system for early childhood programs.

(B) Adopting culturally responsive teaching methods and practices.

(C) Providing a high quality, culturally responsive family engagement environment that supports parents as partners in a child's learning and development.

(D) Providing high quality, culturally responsive curricula, assessments and professional development that are linked to one another and to the state's comprehensive early learning standards.

(E) Providing highly trained lead preschool teachers who have at least a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or a field related to early childhood education. The requirements of this subparagraph may be satisfied by lead preschool teachers who do not have a bachelor's degree but who have submitted a plan to attain a bachelor's degree and are demonstrating progress on that plan.

(F) Providing lead preschool teachers with a salary that meets the minimum salary requirements established by the Early Learning Council.

(G) Providing at least one assistant in each classroom who provides support for academic instruction and who meets the state's personnel qualification requirements of one of the top two tiers for the quality rating and improvement system for early childhood programs.

(H) Providing additional health and child development supports for children and families, such as screening, referrals and coordination with health care providers.

(f) Incorporates best practices in outreach, enrollment and programming for diverse cultural and linguistic populations and children who have been historically underserved in preschool programs.

(g) Works in collaboration with community programs to ensure that families have knowledge of, and are connected to, community resources and supports to meet the needs of children and families served by the preschool program.

(h) Participates in an ongoing monitoring and program evaluation system that is used for continuous program improvement.

(5)(a) While any moneys received under a contract entered into as provided by this section must be used to serve children described in subsection (4)(c) of this section, nothing in subsection (4)(c) of this section prevents a preschool provider from serving additional children, including children who:

(A) Pay tuition for the preschool program and whose family incomes at the time of enrollment exceeds 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines.

(B) Are funded by the Oregon prekindergarten program, a Head Start program or another source of funding.

(b) If a preschool program serves children described in paragraph (a) of this subsection, moneys received under a contract as provided by this section may not be used to pay for expenses incurred for the children described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.

(6) A preschool program may receive a waiver of any of the requirements described in subsection (4) of this section if the waiver:

(a) Is for a preschool program that is maintaining progress toward quality;

(b) Is anticipated for the first years of the preschool program only; and

(c) Is granted for only one year at a time.

(7) To assist the Early Learning Division in administering this section, the Early Learning Council shall:

(a) Identify resources necessary for the Early Learning Division to develop, support and sustain the implementation of a high quality preschool program, including evaluations, professional development opportunities, technical assistance, monitoring guidance and administrative assistance.

(b) Ensure that pathways and supports are available to teaching staff to increase culturally and linguistically diverse staff to teach and assist in preschool classrooms.

(c) Establish minimum salary requirements and target salary requirements for lead preschool teachers as required under subsection (4)(e)(F) of this section. Minimum salary requirements may be differentiated by program type. Target salary requirements shall be comparable to lead kindergarten teacher salaries in public schools.

(d) Develop strategies that strive to increase the mean salary for lead preschool teachers in this state.

(e) Administer waivers as described in subsection (6) of this section.

(8) Each biennium, the Early Learning Division shall submit a report to the Legislative Assembly that describes:

(a) The number of children served by the preschool program described in this section, including the number of children:

(A) Whose family incomes are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines;

(B) Whose family incomes are between 100 and 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines;

(C) Who pay tuition; and

(D) Who are eligible for Head Start programs.

(b) The cost to serve each child described in subsection (4)(c) of this section.

(c) The level of state support received for implementing the preschool program described in this section.

(d) The effectiveness of the preschool program described in this section, including student progress and outcomes.

(e) Improvements that have been made to the administration and evaluation of the preschool program to improve the effectiveness of the program.

(f) The salary, education levels and turnover rates of lead preschool teachers employed by preschool providers receiving moneys under this section.

(9) The Early Learning Division shall coordinate with the Department of Education and other state agencies in support of the preschool program described in this section.

(10) The Early Learning Division shall prescribe the form and timeline for applications to participate in the preschool program as provided by this section.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Oregon Revised Statutes Education and Culture § 329.172 - last updated January 01, 2023 | https://codes.findlaw.com/or/title-30-education-and-culture/or-rev-st-sect-329-172/

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