Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 9, September 1, 2024
There are multiple pathways to become a highly qualified
teacher. To be eligible to provide preschool services under the Preschool
Promise Program, a Preschool Promise Provider must:
(1) Provide, at a minimum, the annual number
of instructional hours required for full-day kindergarten.
(2) Take into consideration the scheduling
needs of families who need full-time service.
(3) Provide continuity from infant and
toddler services to early elementary grades.
(4) Demonstrate an ability to maximize
available federal, state and local funds.
(5) Demonstrate quality through meeting
program standards including but not limited to:
(a) Participates in the quality rating and
improvement system (Spark) for early childhood programs.
(b) Adopts culturally responsive teaching
methods and practices.
(c)
Providing highly trained lead preschool teachers who have:
(A) At least a bachelor's degree in:
(i) Early childhood education or a field
related to early childhood education; or
(ii) A field not related to early childhood
education but teacher has completed coursework that is equivalent to a major in
early childhood education and has sufficient training in early childhood
education as determined by the Division; or
(B) An associate's degree with additional
training or additional certification in early childhood education or a field
related to early childhood education, as determined by the Division;
or
(C) Until sufficient alternative
credentialing to indicate that the teacher is highly trained is developed by
the Division, in partnership with the Educator Advancement Council and affected
stakeholders, the lead preschool teacher must have a Child Development
Associate (CDA) Preschool Credential or at least Step 8 on the Oregon Registry
Online (ORO).
(d)
Providing lead preschool teachers and teacher assistants with a salary that
meets the minimum salary requirements established by the Early Learning
Council.
(e) Providing at least one
assistant teacher 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.
(f) Participates in an
ongoing monitoring and program evaluation system that is used for continuous
program improvement as established by the Division.
(g) Provides a high quality, culturally
responsive family engagement environment that supports parents as partners in a
child's learning and development.
(h) Provides high quality, culturally
responsive curricula, assessments and professional development that are linked
to one another and to the state's comprehensive early learning
standards.
(i) Provides a classroom
environment that is inclusive of all children, regardless of ability or family
income.
(j) Providing children and
families with additional health and child development supports, such as
screening, referrals and coordination with health care providers.
(k) Incorporates best practices in outreach,
enrollment and programming for diverse cultural and linguistic populations and
children who have been historically underserved in preschool
programs.
(l) 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.
(6) Applications to operate a Preschool
Promise program as authorized in ORS
329.172 will be scored on the Preschool Promise Provider's ability to meet Preschool
Promise requirements. Scoring criteria will be established by the
Division.
(7) A Preschool Promise
Provider may engage one or more subcontractors to provide one or more services
in connection with the preschool offered by the provider, including but not
limited to services such as transportation, food preparation, janitorial
services, bookkeeping, staff training, or teaching. The Division may require in
its grant agreement that any subcontractors hired by the provider or
subcontracts entered into by the provider are subject to review and approval by
the Division. A provider may not subcontract the performance of its entire
preschool operations to another entity, nor may the provider negate or transfer
its obligation under a grant agreement with the Division to provide the
preschool program described in the grant agreement. The provider, not its
contractor, must engage or contract directly with the parent, guardian or
similar authorized representative of any child enrolled in the provider's
program and the provider must remain responsible for the provision of the
preschool to such parent, guardian or authorized representative, despite the
use of one or more subcontractors to fulfill the provider's contractual
obligations.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS
326.425(7)
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS
329.172
