Prekindergarten Program Standards

PURPOSE: This rule requires that any school district reporting children ages three (3) to five (5) for calculation in their average daily attendance must meet standards approved by the State Board of Education. (1) Any school district or charter school reporting children ages three (3) to five (5) for calculation in their average daily attendance must meet standards approved by the State Board of Education (board) including: (A) A lead teacher in each prekindergarten classroom who holds a bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate in early AND SECONDARY EDUCATION childhood education or early childhood special education; and (B) A teacher assistant or paraprofessional who holds an associate’s degree in early childhood, or child development, or sixty (60) college hours with a minimum of nine (9) college credit hours in early childhood, child development, or child/ family related courses and experience working in a program with young children and their families for any classroom with more than ten (10) children. (2) Any school district or charter school contracting with an early childhood education program reporting children ages three (3) to five (5) for calculation in their average daily attendance must meet standards approved by the board set forth in (1)(A) and (B) of this rule, and including: (A) The program provides school day, school year programming with options for full day, full year programming; (B) The program has a teacher-to-child ratio of one (1) to ten (10), maximum class size of twenty (20) children; (C) The program implements a developmentally appropriate curricula aligned with the early learning standards, and approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE); (D) The program aligns with the early learning standards that implement a developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically appropriate, authentic, reliable, and valid general development and social/emotional screening tool and summative assessment used with all children. Information from the screenings and assessments will be used for educational purposes; (E) The program develops and implements procedures to ensure all staff members of the early childhood education program shall undergo background checks as described in section 168.133, RSMo; and (F) The program is accredited by Missouri Accreditation of Programs for Children and Youth within ninety (90) days of a fully executed contract. AUTHORITY: sections 161.092, 163.011, and 168.011, RSMo 2016, and section 163.018, RSMo Supp. 2019.* This rule previously filed as 5 CSR 20-600.140. Original rule filed Feb. 20, 2015, effective Oct. 30, 2015. Moved to 5 CSR 20-100.320, effective Sept. 18, 2018. Amended: Filed Aug. 16, 2019, effective March 30, 2020. Moved to 5 CSR 25-100.320, effective Aug. 30, 2021. *Original authority: 161.092, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 2002, 2003, 2013, 2014; 163.011, RSMo 1963, amended 1967, 1973, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016; 163.018, RSMo 2014, amended 2016, 2018, 2019; and 168.011, RSMo 1963, amended 1984.