What are the qualifications for teachers and paraprofessionals who are hired to work in a preschool program?

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1 FAQ n Indiana Title I Preschls Qualificatins What are the qualificatins fr teachers and paraprfessinals wh are hired t wrk in a preschl prgram? Preschl teachers and assistants are expected t meet the highest prfessinal standards. Highly qualified language fr cre subject teachers, as defined in N Child Left Behind d nt apply because preschl is nt recgnized as a mandatry part f Indiana s public educatin system. Hwever, Indiana des grant licensure fr preschl under the fllwing assignment cdes: Assignment Cde Bulletin 400 Rules Rules 2002 REPA Preschl Elementary with Special Subject; Nursery Schl -Nursery -Kindergarten Certificate Early Childhd Educatin Generalist: Preschl Early Childhd Educatin: P-3 A schl r LEA can meet the requirements f using federal funds t pay a preschl teacher if the teacher hlds ne f the licenses listed abve. Additinally, sme clleges and universities ffer early childhd degree r certificatin prgrams that may meet the requirements f a highly qualified teacher. Indiana recgnized teachers wh have earned r cmpleted an early childhd curse f study at an accredited cllege r university Paraprfessinals are als expected t meet high prfessinal standards. Fr Title I-funded paraprfessinals, that means meeting at least ne f three criteria utlined in NCLB: (1) All Title I paraprfessinals must have a secndary schl diplma r its recgnized equivalent. (2) Additinally, except as nted belw, paraprfessinals hired after January 8, 2002, and wrking in a prgram supprted with Title I, Part A funds must have Cmpleted tw years f study at an institutin f higher educatin; r Obtained an assciate s (r higher) degree; r Met a rigrus standard f quality and be able t demnstrate, thrugh a frmal State r lcal academic assessment, knwledge f and the ability t

2 FAQ n Indiana Title I Preschls assist in instructing, reading, writing, and mathematics (r, as apprpriate, reading readiness, writing readiness, and mathematics readiness). Paraprfessinals hired n r befre January 8, 2002, and wrking in a prgram supprted with Title I, Part A funds must meet these requirements by January 8, [Sectin 1119(c) and (d) f Title I] Paraprfessinals wh nly serve as translatrs r wh nly cnduct parental invlvement activities must have a secndary schl diplma r its equivalent but d nt have t meet the additinal requirements. [Sectin 1119(e)] Is there a required student:teacher rati fr Title I funded preschl prgrams? There is n required student:teacher rati fr Title I-funded preschl prgrams. Research n highly effective prgrams recmmends a 12:1 rati. Sites that participate in Paths T Quality (see questins belw) are required t adhere t a specific student:teacher rati. What is the difference between a Title I preschl prgram and a Head Start preschl prgram? The main difference is the surce f funding, althugh bth prgrams are authrized under the Elementary and Secndary Act (ESEA). What are the Head Start Indicatrs fr Title I preschl prgrams? The fllwing are Head Start Perfrmance Indicatrs that shuld be included in a Title I funded preschl: Child Develpment and Educatin Apprach fr All Children In rder t help children gain the scial cmpetence, skills, and cnfidence necessary t be prepared t succeed in their present envirnment and with later respnsibilities in schl and life, the apprach t child develpment and educatin must: Be develpmentally and linguistically apprpriate, recgnizing that children have individual rates f develpment as well as individual interests, temperaments, languages, cultural backgrunds, and learning styles; Be inclusive f children with disabilities, cnsistent with their Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) r Individualized Educatin Prgram (IEP);

3 FAQ n Indiana Title I Preschls Prvide an envirnment f acceptance that supprts and respects gender, culture, language, ethnicity and family cmpsitin; Prvide a balanced daily prgram f child-initiated and adult-directed activities, including individual and small grup activities; and Allw and enable children t independently use tilet facilities when it is develpmentally apprpriate and when effrts t encurage tilet training are supprted by the parents. Prgrams must supprt scial and emtinal develpment by: Encuraging develpment which enhances each child's strengths by: Building trust; Fstering independence; Encuraging self-cntrl by setting clear, cnsistent limits, and having realistic expectatins; Encuraging respect fr the feelings and rights f thers; and Supprting and respecting the hme language, culture, and family cmpsitin f each child in ways that supprt the child's health and well-being; and Planning fr rutines and transitins s that they ccur in a timely, predictable and unrushed manner accrding t each child's needs. Prgrams must prvide fr the develpment f each child's cgnitive and language skills by: Supprting each child's learning, using varius strategies including experimentatin, inquiry, bservatin, play and explratin; Ensuring pprtunities fr creative self-expressin thrugh activities such as art, music, mvement, and dialgue; Prmting interactin and language use amng children and between children and adults; and Supprting emerging literacy and numeracy develpment thrugh materials and activities accrding t the develpmental level f each child.

4 FAQ n Indiana Title I Preschls Prgrams must prmte each child's physical develpment by: Prviding sufficient time, indr and utdr space, equipment, materials and adult guidance fr active play and mvement that supprt the develpment f grss mtr skills; Prviding apprpriate time, space, equipment, materials and adult guidance fr the develpment f fine mtr skills accrding t each child's develpmental level; and Prviding an apprpriate envirnment and adult guidance fr the participatin f children with special needs. Child Develpment and Educatin Apprach fr Preschlers Prgrams, in cllabratin with the parents, must implement a curriculum that: Supprts each child's individual pattern f develpment and learning; Prvides fr the develpment f cgnitive skills by encuraging each child t rganize his r her experiences, t understand cncepts, and t develp age apprpriate literacy, numeracy, reasning, prblem slving and decisin-making skills which frm a fundatin fr schl readiness and later schl success; Integrates all educatinal aspects f the health, nutritin, and mental health services int prgram activities; Ensures that the prgram envirnment helps children develp emtinal security and facility in scial relatinships; Enhances each child's understanding f self as an individual and as a member f a grup; Prvides each child with pprtunities fr success t help develp feelings f cmpetence, self-esteem, and psitive attitudes tward learning; and Prvides individual and small grup experiences bth indrs and utdrs. Staff must use a variety f strategies t prmte and supprt children's learning and develpmental prgress based n the bservatins and nging assessment f each child.

5 FAQ n Indiana Title I Preschls Must a Title I preschl meet the requirements f Paths t Quality? Paths t Quality is Indiana s Quality Rating and Imprvement System. Preschl prgrams bth nn-prfit and fr-prfit are encuraged t use Paths t Quality as a way t ensure quality and effectiveness in their prgramming. Mre infrmatin abut Paths t Quality can be fund here: Parent Invlvement What are the requirements fr parental invlvement? Head Start Perfrmance Indicatrs say that: Parents must be: Invited t becme integrally invlved in the develpment f the prgram's curriculum and apprach t child develpment and educatin; Prvided pprtunities t increase their child bservatin skills and t share assessments with staff that will help plan the learning experiences; and Encuraged t participate in staff-parent cnferences and hme visits t discuss their child's develpment and educatin. Funds used fr the preschl prgram may be used t supprt parent invlvement activities and pprtunities t meet the indicatrs.