§ 38-271.02 — Administration of pre-k.

District of Columbia § 38-271.02

• Jurisdiction: District of Columbia
• Title 38: Educational Institutions.
• Ch. 2A: Pre-Kindergarten Education System.
• Subch. I: Definitions; Administration; and Funding.

Text

(a) The OSSE shall oversee CBO pre-k education services, including:

(1) All programs, including curricula;

(2) All related state and federal early childhood programs;

(3) Any licensure requirements;

(4) Fiscal matters;

(5) Funding to:

(A) Maximize the use of federal funds and other resources;

(B) Minimize inefficiencies and programmatic barriers;

(C) Ensure that children are placed on the appropriate funding streams; and

(D) Ensure that funds authorized by this chapter are used to supplement, not supplant, other funding sources that finance education programs for children of pre-k age;

(6) The alignment and monitoring of standards and teaching practices between pre-k and grades kindergarten through 3rd grade; and

(7) The implementation of an external evaluation of all pre-k programs, including the measurement of progress toward school-readiness benchmarks.

(b) The OSSE shall:

(1) Coordinate with the Interagency Collaboration and Services Integration Commission, established by § 2-1594 , to ensure that eligible families can access coordinated support services for their children of pre-k age;

(2) In regard to pre-k programs in public schools and public charter schools, consult with local education agencies and the Public Charter School Board, established by § 38-1802.14 , to ensure that the goals of this chapter are met;

(3) Establish facilities requirements for classroom expansion and quality improvement, to be utilized by the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization, established by § 38-451 [repealed], to complete the capital improvements and renovation of facilities;

(4) Develop high-quality content standards for all pre-k programs, which have been approved by the State Board of Education;

(5) Develop and oversee a monitoring, assessment, and accountability process for all programs within the pre-k-education system;

(6) Promulgate a process for pre-k programs that fail to attain the required high-quality standards by September 1, 2014, which may include:

(A) A reduction or elimination of local funding;

(B) Denial of licensure; or

(C) Revocation of licensure;

(7) Promulgate a quality-improvement process for pre-k programs that, after 2014, fail to maintain for a period of time, as determined by OSSE, the required high-quality standards, which may include:

(A) Adherence to a quality-improvement plan;

(B) A reduction or an elimination of local funding;

(C) Denial of licensure; or

(D) Revocation of licensure;

(8) Develop and administer the technical assistance program across all pre-k education services.

(9) Collect and disseminate to the public on an ongoing basis child and program data; and

(10) Consider developing a sliding-fee scale for enrollment in pre-k of children whose family income is above 250% of the federal poverty guideline.

(c) The OSSE shall not issue a license for a child-occupied facility located within 200 feet of a dry cleaning facility that uses perchloroethylene or n-propyl bromide as a cleaning agent for clothes or other fabrics. The 200-foot restriction shall not apply at a location where a child- occupied facility is applying for renewal of an existing license.

Legislative History

July 18, 2008, D.C. Law 17-202, § 102, 55 DCR 6297; Mar. 8, 2011, D.C. Law 18-285, § 2(b), 57 DCR 11005; Apr. 20, 2013, D.C. Law 19-262, § 303(b), 60 DCR 1300