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KSDE seeks board approval for Preschool Age-at-Risk program approvals, outlines requirements
Summary
KSDE told the board it will bring 271 districts for approval to offer Preschool Age-at-Risk programs in 2025–26, summarized statutory authority and program requirements (465 instruction hours minimum, research-based curriculum, staffing ratios) and described the state finance treatment used to fund eligible preschool students.
The Kansas State Department of Education briefed the State Board April 9 on the Preschool Age-at-Risk component of the Kansas School Finance Formula and on KSDE’s role approving district programs for the 2025–26 school year.
Why it matters: Under state law and the finance formula, districts may receive state funding for eligible 3- and 4-year-old children enrolled in board-approved Preschool Age-at-Risk programs. The funding counts each eligible child as a 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) for finance purposes and may include applicable weightings (e.g., at-risk, transportation). The board must approve the programs the state will fund.
KSDE update: KSDE staff said the Preschool Age-at-Risk slot-funding mechanism has existed since 1998 and was expanded in 2018 to include 3-year-olds. For 2025–26 KSDE said it expected approximately 271 of 286 districts to seek approval to operate Preschool Age-at-Risk programs. The agency summarized program expectations KSDE will use when bringing district approvals to the board. Key program requirements:
- Use research-based curriculum and approved screening/diagnostic tools. - Provide a minimum of 465 hours of instruction per year (equivalently ~2.5 hours/day over 186 days); students count as 0.5 FTE regardless of full- or half-day attendance. - Maintain adult-to-child ratios of 1:10 or better and a maximum class size of 20. - Staff must meet KSDE’s qualifying credential expectations; districts must have family engagement activities and provide program location and hour details to KSDE.
KSDE cited research supporting high-quality preschool, including peer-reviewed meta-analyses and longitudinal studies that link preschool participation to reduced special-education placements, higher graduation rates and long-term gains when programs are high quality. KSDE also noted local mixed-delivery options — districts may deliver preschool directly or contract with nonprofit/private partners (for example, the Opportunity Project in Wichita) to provide slots; when districts contract, enrolled children remain district students and the district can count the FTE in the finance formula.
Funding and scale: KSDE reported nearly 24,000 preschool students were enrolled in Kansas public schools in 2023–24; about 12,000 were Preschool Age-at-Risk students, representing roughly $50 million in school finance formula funding distributed to districts. KSDE said it will bring the list of 2025–26 district program approvals to the board in May for formal action.
Ending: The briefing closed with board members asking follow-up questions about licensing, contracting models, examples and return-on-investment studies; KSDE offered to arrange site visits to model programs and to provide the board with research summaries (including the Heckman economics research cited by staff).
