House Education reviews Vermont pre-K law: eligibility, providers, funding mechanics

The House Education Committee on Wednesday heard a statutory overview of Vermont’s prekindergarten program and related implementation issues from Office of Legislative Council staff ahead of a scheduled pre-K report presentation.

The briefing explained who is eligible for the state's pre-K program, the minimum publicly funded service level, what qualifies a provider to receive state pre-K tuition, and how pre-K enrollment and tuition are counted and funded within school budgets.

Katie McGlynn, Office of Legislative Council, told members that the statute defines “prekindergarten” services as those designed to provide developmentally appropriate early learning based on Vermont’s early learning standards and that “all prekindergarten children in the state are eligible for Vermont’s pre-K program.” McGlynn added, “This is an opt in program,” meaning families must choose to enroll their children to receive publicly funded pre-K services.

Under the statute summarized to the committee, an enrolled pre-K child must receive publicly funded pre-K services for not fewer than 10 hours a week for 35 weeks of the year. Publicly funded pre-K can be provided either by a public school program or by a prequalified private provider. McGlynn said a prequalified program must meet statutory minimums and the agencies’ joint rules, which require at least one of the following: accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) or at least four stars in the Department for Children and Families’ (DCF) STARS system; providers with three STARS may qualify if they have an approved plan to reach a higher STARS level. “STARS means Step Ahead Recognition System,” McGlynn said, adding that “as you move up the ladder, the services provided are more robust for families.”

The committee…