Full-Day Kindergarten Grant

TO: Superintendents and Administrators of Charter Schools
FROM: Jayma McGann, Director, Division of Prime Time/Reading First
DATE: May 11, 2007

House Enrolled Act 1001-2007 provides funding for an expanded Full-Day Kindergarten Grant Program in 2007-2008 ($33.5 million) and 2008-2009 ($58.5 million) – an increase from about $8.5 million annually.

All school corporations and charter schools that offer kindergarten must complete the online Full-Day Kindergarten Grant Application by 5 p.m. EDT on June 15, 2007, including those corporations/schools that do not intend to take advantage of the grant program in 2007-08. A link to the online application will be provided in a message sent via the Superintendent’s Alert & Messaging System (SAMS). Highlights of the state’s full-day kindergarten grant program include the following:

Grant Eligibility

School corporations and charter schools are eligible for the grants.
Grant amounts will be determined without regard to the demographic makeup of the applicant school corporation or charter school.
School corporations and charter schools may choose to wait and enter the program during 2008-2009 without penalty.
Programs funded through the grant program must include five hours of instructional time for 180 days during the school year and must meet the academic standards and other requirements of Indiana Code (IC) Title 20 and State Board of Education rules adopted pursuant to IC 20.
Teachers must monitor the literacy progress of all students participating in the program using a valid observational assessment such as the Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment tools or the Indiana Diagnostic Reading Assessments.

Grant Allocations

The grant amount available for each school corporation or charter school will equal the total state appropriation divided by the total number of full-day kindergarten students funded by the grants statewide during the 2007-08 school year.
The statute provides that the maximum amount a school corporation or charter school may receive is $2,500 per student.
If all public school corporations and charter schools choose to participate and fund all kindergarten students through the grant program, the minimum amount a school corporation or charter school could receive would be approximately $440 per student.
School corporations and charter schools participating in the grant will receive an estimate of per pupil funding based on applications received by June 25, 2007.
Final grant amounts will be based on student enrollment counts submitted between September 14, 2007 and October 1, 2007, on Form DOE-FD.
Grants will be distributed in December 2007.

Supplementing Grant Funding

If state grant funding is insufficient to serve all kindergarten students at a corporation/school, general funds or voluntary parent fees may be used to fully fund the full-day program.
Special rules apply if grant funds are used in combination with federal Title I funds.
If state funds are used in combination with federal Title I funds to provide full-day kindergarten, one of two methods must be employed to demonstrate compliance with federal supplement, not supplant provisions: 1) the traditional ‘Title I-like’ model or 2) an alternate ‘fair share’ model.
Additional information related to Title I funds and full-day kindergarten are provided in the attached General Guidance for Funding FDK Programs and online at: www.doe.state.in.us/TitleI/pdf/full-dayK_supplement_not_supplant.pdf.

Additional Questions
The attached Full-Day Kindergarten Grant Programs Questions and Answers document addresses parent fees and other questions related to the grants in greater detail. Questions regarding the grants should be directed to Jayma McGann, Division of Prime Time Director at 317-232-9152 or jferguso@doe.state.in.us. Mailed correspondence should be addressed to: Indiana Department of Education, Division of Prime Time, Room 229, State House, Indianapolis, IN 46204-2798.

Full-Day Kindergarten Transitional Support
In addition to the resources outlined above, the Department of Education is offering two sets of workshops to support local schools with issues different aspects transitioning from half-day to effective full-day kindergarten programs

Budget Workshop – Hosted by the Department’s Office of Financial Management, Analysis, and Reporting Finance, this June 25, 2007 workshop in Indianapolis will feature presentations on a variety of school finance issues, including budgeting matters related to full-day kindergarten programs. Learn more online at www.doe.state.in.us/finance.
Full-Day Kindergarten Workshops – These free regional workshops on June 20, 22 and 27, 2007 are designed to support local kindergarten teachers, elementary principals and curriculum directors in transitioning from half-day to effective full-day kindergarten programs. Participants will hear about valuable screening and assessment tools, practical advice for implementing FDK, strategies for addressing parental concerns, meeting special student needs and more. Space is limited, so register online today at www.doe.state.in.us/FDKworkshops.

Additional information related to full-day kindergarten and the state FDK grant program is available online at www.doe.state.in.us/FDK.

Attachments: