PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

FY2017 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

Preschool Development Grants AUGUST 2018

Virginia
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U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Grant Performance Report Cover Sheet 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 08/31/2020

General Information 

1. PR/Award #: S419B150010 2. Grantee Federal Information Processing Code: 51

3. Project Title: 84.419B Preschool Development Grants - Expansion

4. Grantee Name: Virginia Department of Education

5. Grantee Address:P.O. Box 2120

City: Richmond State: Virginia Zip: 23218-2120

6. Project Director Name: Dr. Mark R. Allan

Title: Early Childhood Education Project Manager

Phone #: (804) 225-3665 Ext.: Fax #:(804) 786-1587

Email Address: mark.allan@doe.virginia.gov

Check only one box per Program Office instructions. ✔ Annual Performance Report Final Performance Report

Reporting Period Information 

7. Reporting Period: From: 01/01/2017 To: 12/31/2017

8. Budget Expenditures (To be completed by your Business Office. See instructions.)

Budget Period Federal Grant Funds Non-Federal Funds (Match/Cost Share)

a. Previous Budget Period $17,499,999.97 $9,085,016.00 

b. Current Budget Period $16,836,179.97 $2,165,061.00 

c. Entire Project Period 

(For Final Performance Reports only)

9. Indirect Cost Information (To be completed by your Business Office. See Instructions.)

a. Are you claiming indirect costs under this grant? Yes No

b. If yes, do you have an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by the Federal Government? Yes No

c. If yes, provide the following information: 

Period Covered by the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: From: 07/01/2014 To: 06/30/2018

Approving Federal agency: ✔ ED Other Specify other:

Type of Rate: (Final Performance Reports only) Provisional Final Specify other:

d. For Restricted Rate Programs (check one) -- Are you using a restricted indirect cost rate that:

✔ Is included in your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

Complies with 34 CFR 76.564(c)(2)?

Other

10. Performance Measures Status

a. Are complete data on performance measures for the current budget period included in the 

Project Status Chart?

Yes No

b. If no, when will the data be available and submitted to the Department?
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U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Annual Performance Report 

Executive Summary 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 08/31/2020

Grantee State: VA PR/Award #: S419B150010

You are required to submit an Executive Summary of up to 3000 words with your Annual Performance 

Report. This summary should relate to your approved application and summarize the goals and 

objectives that have been achieved under your grant, what you learned, and any evaluation results. 

Describe any unanticipated outcomes or benefits from your project and any barriers that you may have 

encountered. If there have been any changes to the project from the approved application, those 

should be explained as well.

Overview of Progress 

As a result of the Preschool Development Grant (PDG), Virginia has had continued success in increasing the 

number of eligible children served in high-quality preschool programs. At the national level, Virginia has been 

featured as a PDG Spark State on a national webinar and at a joint early learning meeting of PDG grantees. 

Virginia's evaluator, SRI, has also used Virginia as a sample case in making national presentations on the value 

and methods of the cost study it is conducting as part of Virginia's PDG. 

The activities of the PDG are well aligned with the work of the Governor's Children's Cabinet, whose 

recommendations to advance policy promoting early childhood programs resulted in significant support from 

the 2016 Virginia General Assembly with implementation in 2017 and beyond. Examples include: 

Budget Items - Invested a total of $25.4 million in early childhood education over the biennium. 

- Increased early intervention (Part C) services to keep pace with referrals; 

- Increased the VPI (Virginia Preschool Initiative) per pupil amount by 2 percent, from $6,000 

per pupil to $6,125; 

- Established VPI income eligibility at or below 200 percent of poverty, while allowing school 

divisions to enroll up to 15 percent of their VPI students above the income cut-off if they meet 

locally established risk factors; 

- Established a pilot for testing new approaches to mixed-delivery public-private preschool 

partnerships; and 

- Provided funding for training scholarships for the child care workforce and a competencybased credentialing system through the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. 

Studies and governance 

- Established the School Readiness Committee to make recommendations around issues of 

innovation in early childhood; and 

- Requested of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee a study of the early childhood 

programs in place in Virginia to determine the best strategy for future early childhood 

development investments. 

Outgoing Governor Terry McAuliffe's administration, including retired Superintendent of Public Instruction 

Steven Staples and outgoing Secretary of Education Dietra Trent, consistently demonstrated an interest in early 

childhood development. Incoming Governor Ralph Northam has voiced support for expanding early childhood 
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education, and First Lady Pam Northam has declared early childhood development to be one of her major 

interests. The 2018 Virginia General Assembly has several bills and language amendments related to early 

childhood under consideration, including: 

- Proposed new Appropriation Act language that would allow, subject to available funds each year, 

allocation of additional VPI (Virginia Preschool Initiative) slots to school divisions that have utilized 100 

percent of their calculated slots from the previous year and have a waiting list of unserved children as 

certified on the Department of Education's October 1 Fall Verification Report in the previous year; and 

- HJ 108, which would ask the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the funding 

required to expand the Virginia Preschool Initiative to all four-year-olds in the Commonwealth. 

Key Highlights and Accomplishments 

- Increase in the Number of Children Served in VPI+ 

VPI+ (Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus, the name Virginia gave to its Preschool Expansion Grant) augments the 

already existing state-funded Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI). Virginia's original PDG application stated a Year 

3 (2017-2018) target of 1,637 new slots and 1,470 improved slots, for a combined total of 3,107 VPI+ children 

to be served above those children already being served by the state-funded VPI program. The actual 2017-2018 

VPI+ enrollment as of December 1, 2017, shows 1,445 children in new VPI+ classrooms and 2,009 in improved

classrooms, for a combined total of 3,454 children being served by Virginia's PDG grant. This represents an 

increase of 11 percent above Virginia's original goal of 3,107 new and improved preschool slots. As of 

December 1, 2016, the following data are of interest: 

VPI+ Combined New and Improved Slots 

Enrollment Totals (Note: Due to rounding, the totals may not equal 100%) 

Year 3 goal at point of grant proposal submission (October 2014) - 3,107 new and improved 

slots 

Actual Enrollment as of December 1, 2017 - 3,454 new and improved slots 

Gender 

 Male - 50% 

 Female - 50% 

Race/Ethnicity 

Black or African American children - 55% 

Hispanic children - 24% 

White children - 13% 

Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander children - 4% 

American Indian/Alaska Native children - Too small to report 

Two or more races - 3% 

Race not specified - Too small to report 

Home Language 

 English - 73% 
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 Spanish - 20% 

 Arabic - 3% 

 Other languages - 4% 

 Language not specified - Too small to report 

Other Demographic Data 

 Children in public programs - 97% 

 Children in private programs - 3% 

 Children with disabilities - 5% 

 Children from military families - 3% 

 Children from migrant families - None 

 Children from homeless families - 1% 

 Children from foster families - Too small to report 

VPI+ New Slots 

Enrollment Totals 

Year 3 goal at point of grant proposal submission (October 2014) - 1,637 new slots 

Actual Enrollment as of December 1, 2017 - 1,445 new slots 

Gender 

 Male - 52% 

 Female - 48% 

Race/Ethnicity 

Black or African American children - 46% 

Hispanic children - 28% 

White children - 19% 

Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander children - 3% 

American Indian/Alaska Native children - Too small to report 

Two or more races - 3% 

Race not specified - Too small to report 

Home Language 

 English - 69% 

 Spanish - 23% 

 Arabic - 3% 
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 Other languages - 4% 

Language not specified - Too small to report 

Other Demographic Data 

 Children in public programs - 94% 

 Children in private programs - 6% 

 Children with disabilities - 8% 

 Children from military families - 4% 

 Children from migrant families - None 

 Children from homeless families - 2% 

 Children from foster families - 1% 

VPI+ Improved Slots 

Enrollment Totals 

Year 3 goal at point of grant proposal submission (October 2014) - 1,470 improved slots 

Actual Enrollment as of December 1, 2017 - 2,009 improved slots 

Gender 

 Male - 48% 

 Female - 52% 

Race/Ethnicity 

Black or African American children - 62% 

Hispanic children - 22% 

White children - 9% 

Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander children - 4% 

American Indian/Alaska Native children - Too small to report 

Two or more races - 3% 

Race not specified - None 

Home Language 

 English - 76% 

 Spanish - 17% 

 Arabic - 2% 

 Other languages - 4% 

 Language not specified - Too small to report 
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Other Demographic Data 

 Children in public programs - 100% 

Children in private programs - None 

Children with disabilities - 3% 

 Children from military families - 3% 

 Children from migrant families - None 

Children from homeless families - 1% 

 Children from foster families - Too small to report 

Detailed enrollment data are available in the Annual Performance Report Excel workbook that accompanies 

this report. 

- Addition of two new Subgrantees, resulting in increased preschool access for underserved children 

Virginia received permission to add two new Subgrantees, Frederick County Public Schools and Virginia Beach 

City Public Schools, to its PDG in Year 3. They were identified early enough in 2017 to participate in effective 

planning for operation in the 2017-2018 school year. Coach training and teacher professional development 

have been differentiated for new and returning teachers and coaches in all VPI+ school divisions. As a result of 

the participation of additional Subgrantees, Virginia exceeded its original overall VPI+ enrollment goals. 

- Successful coordination of grant partners in support of a statewide infrastructure for early childhood 

education in Virginia 

Virginia's PDG has many partners that each play critical roles in delivery of instructional, professional 

development, and quality control aspects of the Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus (VPI+). The Virginia 

Department of Education (VDOE) serves as the lead grant administrator, coordinating the services of all 

partners to ensure they meet the needs of the Subgrantees, and it provides technical assistance to VPI+ 

coordinators, coaches, and family engagement coordinators. The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF) 

provides training on the use of Virginia's QRIS, including the CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) and 

the ECERS-R (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale - Revised) to guide program improvement efforts. The 

Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia provides coach 

training and support and technical assistance to school division leaders on the development of continuous 

improvement plans, improving teacher practices, and selecting coaching models. SRI International (SRI), 

assisted by School Readiness Consulting (SRC) and RAND Corporation, is conducting comprehensive evaluations 

of VPI+ and a cost analysis (still in progress) to determine investments needed for desired outcomes. To date, 

Virginia has been successful in maintaining the effectiveness of all partners, which have met or exceeded the 

expectations outlined in the grant application. 

- Improved Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) ratings

As part of Virginia's tiered quality rating and improvement system (QRIS), Virginia Quality, the VECF conducted 

observations of VPI+ classrooms using CLASS and ECERS-R in Years 1 and 3 of the PDG. A full CLASS and ECERS-R 

rating is required for Virginia's QRIS in one out of three classrooms at each site. Any VPI+ classroom not 

selected for the full Virginia's QRIS rating was provided with a CLASS-only rating so that every VPI+ classroom 

teacher had CLASS results. In 2017-2018, 58 schools (program sites) received full CLASS and ECERS-R ratings. 
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The remaining 12 VPI+ classrooms received only a CLASS rating (for a total of 70 VPI+ classrooms with CLASS 

ratings by December 2017). 

Virginia's QRIS awards quality levels from 1 to 5 based on nationally recognized standards and best practices. 

VPI+ classrooms showed substantial improvement in their QRIS ratings from Year 1 to Year 3, with the number 

of classrooms rated at Quality Level 4 or 5 increasing from 20 in Fall 2015 to 30 in Fall 2017. 

Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Scores 

CLASS is a tool that measures the daily interactions between teachers and students and among students in 

three domains: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. Almost all VPI+ 

classrooms met the thresholds established in the original PDG application for all three domains. In fact, VPI+ 

classrooms, on average, exceeded the minimum thresholds set by the Virginia QRIS in every domain, by 1.2 

points in emotional support, .86 point in classroom organization, and .12 point in instructional support. Most 

notable is grant wide progress in the area of instructional support, moving from an average below the 

threshold in Year 1 to above the threshold in Year 3. All 11 Subgrantees increased their CLASS averages in at 

least one domain, and 9 of the 11 saw averages increase in all three CLASS domains. 

Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale - Revised (ECERS-R) Scores 

The ECERS-R is an observation tool that is designed to measure the process quality of early childhood 

classrooms, which focuses on interactions between children and staff, parents, other children, and the 

materials and activities in the learning environment. It also looks at features such as space, schedule, and 

materials that relate to these interactions. 

Overall, VPI+ program sites received a good quality rating when the ECERS-R dimensions were averaged 

together. Most program sites met the Virginia QRIS thresholds for all dimensions. Again, on average, VPI+ 

classrooms exceeded the minimum thresholds set by the Virginia QRIS in every dimension, with particularly 

strong performance in language-reasoning and interaction (1.33 and 2.15 points, respectively, above the 

threshold). Of the 11 original Subgrantees, 10 increased their ECERS-R average in at least one dimension, and 7 

of the 11 divisions saw averages increase in all four ECERS-R dimensions. 

- Children who are ready for school 

There is very little consensus on the exact definition of kindergarten readiness. To inform reporting of 

kindergarten readiness for the PDG annual report, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) received input 

from its VPI+ evaluator, SRI, and early childhood assessment experts from the VPI+ Evaluation Advisory Board 

(EAB). For the exclusive purpose of VPI+ annual progress reporting, the VDOE used a comprehensive definition 

of kindergarten readiness that combined results across summative assessment measures into a single index. 

The Essential Domains of School Readiness were assessed as follows: 

1. Language and literacy development - Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) 

2. General knowledge and cognition - Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement Revised (Applied 

Problems Subtest to assess numeracy and counting) 

3. Approaches to learning - Teacher-Child Rating Scale (T-CRS-2.1) Task Orientation Subscales 

4. Social and emotional development - Head Toes Knees Shoulders (HTKS) Task and T-CRS-2.1 Peer 

Social Skills and Behavior Control Subscales 
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5. Physical well-being and motor development - A Teacher Survey and a Preschool Motor Development 

Direct Assessment 

Children were considered kindergarten ready if they were in the expected developmental range in the two 

domains of 1) language and literacy development (literacy); and 2) general knowledge and cognition 

(mathematics); and at least one of the following domains: approaches to learning and social and emotional 

development. Although motor development is critical for children to be ready for kindergarten, delays in these 

areas are less common and not the primary focus of the VPI+ program. Therefore, based on consensus from a 

subcommittee of the EAB, motor development is not included in the criteria for kindergarten readiness. 

Children Ready for School 

Using the criteria described above, the following percentages of children were identified as ready for school. 

VPI+ Cohort 2 - Children who participated in the VPI+ program during the 2016-2017 school year and started 

kindergarten in fall 2017 

Overall - 67% 

Gender 

 Male - 63% 

 Female - 71% 

Race/Ethnicity 

Black or African American children - 67% 

Hispanic children - 63% 

White children - 71% 

Other Subgroups 

Children with disabilities - 42% 

English learners - 60% 

 

Opportunities and Lessons Learned 

- Integration of preschool data into the Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS) 

Virginia established a Cross-Organizational Data Team to facilitate its original grant goal to onboard Virginia's 

preschool data into the VLDS. During the last two years, the Data Team guided Virginia's efforts to merge 

preschool data with K-12 school data. After many hours of discussion and exploration of the requirements to 

do so, it was determined that the changes required in the data architecture to connect multiple exposures 

(parent-child-teacher-school) would be cost-prohibitive with current funds. 

 Resolution: 

Virginia sought and received permission from the U. S. Departments of Education and Health and 

Human Services to adjust the PDG-supported tasks related to data. Rather than continue efforts to 

merge preschool and K-12 data, the new plan calls for including preschool data on Virginia's K-12 

School Quality Profiles (formerly, the School Report Cards). As a result of this change, the CrossOrganizational Data Team will be replaced by a new committee, the Early Childhood Integrated Data 

System (ECIDS) Committee, facilitated by the VECF, to continue to advocate for and work towards 
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greater usability and integration of early childhood data. Additionally, Virginia hopes to use some of its 

recently awarded supplemental grant funds to address the data system architecture required to 

connect individual records (teacher to student, parent to child, student to school characteristics, etc.) 

- Meeting the Goal for Inclusion of Eligible Children with Disabilities 

The current national average of eligible children with disabilities served by part B, Section 619 of IDEA is 6.4 

percent. Virginia exceeded the target in Years 1 and 2 of the grant, with 7 percent of VPI+ children identified 

with a disability by spring of 2016 and 8 percent by spring of 2017. For Year 3, enrollments as of December 1, 

2017, indicate that 5 percent of VPI+ children have been identified with a disability (8 percent of children in 

new VPI+ classrooms and 3 percent in improved VPI+ classrooms). 

Resolution: 

The VDOE continues to work closely with Subgrantees to help them increase their services to preschool 

children with disabilities. The VDOE's instructional specialist for Section 619 of IDEA (Preschool Grants 

for Children with Disabilities) and the VDOE's early childhood team have collaborated to support 

inclusion through activities such as the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Program Administrator

Spring Institute in April 2017, the Early Childhood Education Leaders Collaborative Institutes in fall 

2017, and the creation of a website dedicated to early childhood special education. 

All Subgrantees indicate they are working toward meeting the target for inclusion of children with 

disabilities in their VPI+ programs. School divisions indicate that children are still being screened and 

observed for possible disabilities, and eligibility for special education services had not been completed 

by early December. It is anticipated that the end-of-school-year data reports will show increased 

participation of children with disabilities. 

- Preparation for sustained services to preschool children beyond the PDG grant period 

As Virginia Subgrantees and the state begin planning for the 2018-2019 school year, they are naturally 

concerned about sustaining their preschool models beyond the end of the grant period for Virginia's PDG. As 

such, Virginia is beginning to take steps to sustain the accomplishments of the PDG. 

Resolution: 

The topic of sustainability is being included in the agendas for leadership academies and teacher 

conferences. VPI+ staff have worked with the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) to 

provide technical assistance and communication toolkits to Subgrantees as they seek increased local 

and state support to maintain the success of their preschool programs. A new monthly VPI+ 

Administrator blog was launched in May 2017 as a tool to inform and engage more participation by 

local school administrators and leaders. The VPI+ website provides resources that are available to all 

Subgrantees as they begin to transition to locally-provided professional development and coaching for 

teachers. 

Conclusion 

The VPI+ program in Virginia has been successful in providing increased services to at-risk four-year-olds in the 

Commonwealth as well as improved support to preschool teachers and other school personnel. Several 

components of an effective preschool program are now available as models to school divisions - both those 

participating in VPI+ as well as those not participating - such as a research-based preschool curriculum, datadriven professional development plans and coaching opportunities for teachers, and summative assessments 

that can be used as one measure of school readiness. The Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) is 

being used more widely with excellent results. Lessons learned include the importance of establishing effective 

strategies to identify children with disabilities for participation in VPI+, the value of developing solid 

approaches to sustain the accomplishments of VPI+ beyond the grant period, and ways to address the data 

architecture of the longitudinal data system in order to connect multiple exposures (parent-child-teacher-
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school). 

Virginia's VPI+ program is benefitting from the results of the midyear and summative program evaluations and 

looks forward to continued improvement in the areas of professional development, program implementation, 

and summative results for children.
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U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Annual Performance Report 

Grant Status Form 

Explanation of Progress (524B Section A) 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 08/31/2020

Section A: Performance Objectives Information and Related Performance Measures Data 

(narrative) 

1. Project Objective

Grantee State: VA PR/Award #: S419B150010

1(a) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of Eligible Children served in 

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant. Describe the State's progress in meeting 

this Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measure based on enrollment of Eligible 

Children in High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant as of December 1, 2017.

As a result of the PDG, Virginia has had continued success in increasing the number of eligible children served 

in high-quality preschool programs funded by the Preschool Development Grant (PDG). VPI+ (Virginia Preschool 

Initiative Plus, the name Virginia gave to its Preschool Expansion Grant) augments the already existing statefunded Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI). Virginia's original PDG application stated a Year 3 (2017-2018) target 

of 1,637 new slots and 1,470 improved slots, for a combined total of 3,107 VPI+ children to be served above

those children already being served by the state-funded VPI program. The actual 2017-2018 VPI+ enrollment as 

of December 1, 2017, shows 1,445 children in new VPI+ classrooms and 2,009 in improved classrooms, for a 

combined total of 3,454 children being served by Virginia's PDG grant. This represents an increase of 11 

percent above Virginia's original goal of 3,107 new and improved preschool slots. As of December 1, 2017, the 

following data are of interest: 

VPI+ Combined New and Improved Slots 

Enrollment Totals 

Year 3 goal at point of grant proposal submission (October 2014) - 3,107 new and improved slots 

Actual Enrollment as of December 1, 2017 - 3,454 new and improved slots 

Gender 

 Male - 50% 

 Female - 50% 

Race/Ethnicity 

Black or African American children - 55% 

Hispanic children - 24% 

White children - 13% 

Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander children - 4% 

American Indian/Alaska Native children - Too small to report 
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Children from two or more races - 3% 

Race not specified - Too small to report 

Home Language 

 English - 73% 

 Spanish - 20% 

 Arabic - 3% 

 Other languages - 4% 

Language not specified - Too small to report 

Other Demographic Data 

 Children in public programs - 97% 

 Children in private programs - 3% 

 Children with disabilities - 5% 

 Children from military families - 3% 

 Children from homeless families - 1% 

 Children from foster families - Too small to report 

Detailed enrollment data are available in the Annual Performance Report Excel workbook that accompanies 

this report. 

Virginia has been successful in meeting, and in fact exceeding, the Year 3 enrollment goals for the grant. In Year 

2, two Subgrantees, Fairfax County and Prince William County, added a total of four unplanned VPI+ 

classrooms. In Year 3, VPI+ was expanded to two additional Subgrantees, Frederick County and Virginia Beach 

City, thus adding 6 VPI+ classrooms serving 108 children. All Subgrantees have made progress in meeting their 

targets, however, some are still having difficulty recruiting eligible children for participation in the VPI+ 

program. Difficulties include inconsistent transportation services, declining kindergarten enrollments, and lack 

of classroom space in the areas of the locality where the eligible children live. While there has been interest in 

collaboration from private partners, several of these private providers are faith-based organizations and 

Virginia's constitution prohibits public funds to flow to such entities. 

In Year 2, some Subgrantees that met their enrollment targets were slow to spend down their funds, resulting 

in unused grant funds. VDOE staff members have continued to provide technical assistance to Subgrantees - 

both statewide and on an individual basis - regarding effective spending strategies. In January 2017, the two 

new Subgrantees were approached and subsequently submitted documentation to support their intent to 

participate in VPI+. Visits to these divisions followed in March 2017 to share the Memorandum of 

Understanding, provide details surrounding grant requirements, and build an annual plan and related budget. 

Frederick County and Virginia Beach City launched their VPI+ classes in fall 2017. This strategy increased the 

number of students served in additional high-need communities and ensures efficient and effective spending 

for quality improvement. 

News Coverage 

Virginia's continued participation in the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) has been widely reported and 

well-received on the local, state, and national levels. 

At the national level, Virginia was featured as a PDG Spark State on a national webinar on April 25, 2017, 
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highlighting successful strategies Virginia is using to recruit and enroll children from hard-to-reach families for 

its VPI+ program. 

At the October 17-19, 2017 Joint Early Learning Meeting of the Preschool Development Grantees and Early 

Learning Challenge Grantees, Celebrating Innovations and Building on Successes, VPI+ state partners presented 

at sessions on sustainability and on creating equity in preschool programs. 

Virginia's evaluator, SRI, has also used Virginia as a sample case in making national presentations on the value 

and methods of the cost study it is conducting as part of Virginia's PDG. 

Examples of state and local coverage include: 

- Governor McAuliffe Announces Second Round of Preschool Grants, January 16, 2017 

Governor McAuliffe announced that the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF), in consultation with the 

Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), would award five grants to local communities that have proposed 

innovative approaches to ensure all children eligible for the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) are able to access 

programs. The funding for the grants was included in the 2016-2018 biennial budget that was introduced by 

the Governor and approved by the General Assembly. 

- Cameron invests in Sussex Schools through family engagement programming and gifted education curriculum, 

February 16, 2017 

Sussex County Public Schools is building on its recent academic gains with new support from The Cameron 

Foundation whose Board approved a grant of $37,700 to the school system to introduce two new resources to 

its offerings for students and family engagement. 

- Petersburg classrooms to incorporate performing arts, March 23, 2017 

A staff member from the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts spent a week as a teaching 

artist-in-residence at Westview Elementary School to show Petersburg teachers how to incorporate the 

performing arts into early-childhood education. 

- A league of their own: WPS starts prekindergarten soccer program, March 27, 2017 

The family coordinator for the Virginia Preschool Initiative Program (VPI) noticed parents of prekindergarten 

children asking for more programs, including sports, so she organized a free soccer league for nearly 40 

prekindergarten children to learn the fundamentals of the game.

- Shawn Brann Visits VPI+ at Victory Elementary, March 31, 2017 

The Prince William County Brentsville District School Board representative visited a VPI+ classroom at Victory 

Elementary School and shared how the program is benefiting the youngest students. 

- Frederick County Preschool Initiative, September 29, 2017 

Staff from Frederick County Public Schools discuss their new preschool program, launched in the 2017-18 

school year. 

- Governor McAuliffe to visit a VPI+ preschool program serving at-risk four-year olds, October 4, 2017 

Governor McAuliffe visited a VPI+ program in Richmond City to show his support for early learning. 

- Prince William County Board Brief Video Highlighting VPI+, October 4, 2017 

The Woodbridge District School Board representative highlights the VPI+ program at Featherstone Elementary 

School and other success stories with the help of its principal and other staff. 
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- Frederick revotes, approves preschool program grant, October 26, 2017 

After a groundswell of public support, the Frederick County Board of Supervisors reversed an earlier vote and 

accepted grant funds to expand a preschool program aimed at at-risk four-year-olds. 

Outgoing Governor Terry McAuliffe's administration, including retired Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. 

Steven Staples and outgoing Secretary of Education Dietra Trent, consistently demonstrated an interest in and 

support for early childhood development. Examples include: 

- Governor McAuliffe Unveils New Child Care Website

- Governor McAuliffe Announces Mixed Delivery Preschool Grants

- Governor McAuliffe Announces Establishment of Early Childhood Development Institute, in Partnership with 

Community College System 

Incoming Governor Ralph Northam has voiced support for expanding early childhood education, and First Lady 

Pam Northam has declared early childhood development to be one of her major areas of interest. 

The 2018 Virginia General Assembly has several bills and language amendments related to early childhood 

under consideration, including: 

- Proposed new Appropriation Act language, which would allow, subject to available funds each year, 

allocation of additional VPI (Virginia Preschool Initiative) slots to school divisions that have utilized 100 

percent of their calculated slots from the previous year and have a waiting list of unserved children as 

certified on the Department of Education's October 1 Fall Verification Report in the previous year; and 

- HJ 108, which would ask the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the amount of 

funds required to make preschool available to all four-year-olds in the Commonwealth through the 

Virginia Preschool Initiative. 

In addition to its legislative and fiscal support for early childhood programs, the Virginia General Assembly also 

passed legislation designating the Friday before Mother's Day each year as a day to recognize early childhood 

professionals 

Technical Assistance and Professional Development 

The VDOE has maintained close contact with Subgrantees, communicating regularly with each of the 13 VPI+ 

Subgrantee school divisions. In spring 2017, a letter was sent to each division superintendent outlining 

monitoring, data collections, and reporting that would occur in the spring; and reviewing recruiting 

commitments, budget activity, the VPI+ Memorandum of Understanding, and the grant award process. 

Subgrantees are required to report to the VDOE on a regular basis the number of filled VPI+ slots and how they 

are making progress in addressing the unfilled slots. Phone calls and site visits by VDOE staff provide the 

opportunity for discussions with each Subgrantee on progress made in engaging at-risk families and children 

for the VPI+ program and strategizing ways to fill empty VPI+ slots. 

The VDOE also provided individualized technical assistance to several Subgrantees, including face-to-face 

meetings with school division leadership teams, to address the challenges and develop strategies to improve 

enrollment. Smart Beginnings, a community network committed to ensuring school readiness, has also assisted 

in providing ideas for recruitment plans and in making phone calls to engage support. 

Expansion of Family Outreach Services 

Virginia's PDG has promoted and enabled expanded family outreach services to assist in identifying and 

supporting children eligible for the VPI+ program and their families. Selected examples include: 

 
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Chesterfield County Public Schools 

Each Chesterfield VPI+ classroom holds an orientation meeting during the week before school starts. VPI+ 

families are notified by a letter and a phone call from the teacher inviting them to the event. Materials are 

translated into the language of need. At the orientation, the calendar of family events is shared. Meals and 

snacks, field trips, and transportation are addressed. Translators and interpreters are available. There are two 

parent teacher conferences, one in the fall and one in the spring. 

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) 

FCPS has formal recruitment/outreach protocols that target families who meet the income guidelines. Flyers 

are sent home with families at identified schools and "feeder schools." Relationships have been developed 

between family service staff and school staff, such as parent liaisons and registrars. Family service technicians 

also work closely with the FCPS Homeless Liaisons Office and the four local family shelters to identify potential 

children who are eligible for VPI+ and are in high need of quality preschool. Along with working with the Fairfax 

County Child Care Assistant and Referral Program, community programs recruit eligible children through a 

variety of methods including distribution of program information, open house events, and word of mouth. All 

families are invited to the Family Orientation at their center prior to the start of the school year. All families are 

given a schedule of family events throughout the year, to include: Orientation (fall), Transition to Kindergarten 

(spring). Regularly scheduled parent center meetings are provided on a variety of topics, based on parent 

interests (e.g., curriculum implementation and healthy eating). 

Petersburg City Public Schools 

The VPI+ Team develops a recruitment plan of action. Attention is given to advertising (radio, television, 

Blackboard robocalls, newspaper ads, flyers, banners, door hangers), connecting with community stakeholders, 

and off-site recruitment. Preschool orientations are held several times prior to the start of school. The Family 

Engagement Coordinator, VPI+ Coordinator, and School Principal share information about the VPI+ program 

and collect information about parent goals. Curriculum, activities, and parent involvement activities are also 

addressed once a month (3rd Tuesday of the month). 

Prince William County Public Schools 

The VPI+ program provides summer health fairs and parent orientations. Children receive developmental and 

health/nutrition screenings, and parents/guardians are provided with information on community resources 

(adult education, Medicaid providers, hospitals, dental providers, community health centers, as well as 

information on parents' roles and responsibilities, curriculum, and parent engagement activities. The following 

family engagement activities are offered throughout the school year: parent/child field trip to the public 

library, planetarium, and fire station; parenting classes; ESOL/GED classes; holiday assistance (food, toys, 

coats); and information on financial literacy and stress management. Parents also participate on advisory 

committees and policy council meetings. 

Sussex County Public Schools 

The Sussex VPI+ program has four layers of providing information and support to VPI+ families: 1) Preschool 

Advisory Committee, 2) Family Access Consortium, 3) PTA, and 4) family home visits conducted by the parent 

engagement coordinator. Information is disseminated to families during “K Camp” for incoming students and 

parents in August at the beginning of the school year. During home visits, the parent engagement coordinator 

reviews this information, explains the curriculum, discusses the calendar of family engagement events, and 

provides other information about the VPI+ program. 

Public-Private Partnerships 

Several Subgrantees have made effective use of public-private partnerships to increase their VPI+ enrollments 

and to promote their preschool work to a wider audience. Selected examples include: 
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Fairfax County Public Schools 

Fairfax has two community partners, Main Street Child Development Center (MSCD) and the Creative Learning 

School (CLS). MSCD houses several preschool classrooms for the school division including VPI, VPI+, early 

childhood special education, and local preschool classes. A unique feature of the MSCD center is the senior 

center located just down the hall. They share common spaces in the facility and some of the seniors volunteer 

in the preschool classrooms. Opportunities for collaboration at MSCD positively impact the preschoolers. The 

director coordinates events for the preschoolers with the seniors because they enjoy shared special events. For 

example, preschoolers perform for the seniors and attend the senior talent shows. CLS occupies a converted 

house shared with VPI and VPI+ students. CLS offers wrap around services including before/after school care 

and a summer program. 

Norfolk City Public Schools 

Norfolk has a partnership with Norfolk State University (NSU) and its Child Development Lab (CDL) to host a 

class. Eligible VPI+ children are enrolled from the community. The CDL offers a preschool class for three-yearold children in the center as well as a class for four-year-old children. The center is bright and spacious with 

ample room for young children to explore and learn with the bonus of welcoming NSU students into the 

classroom in various supportive capacities. 

Richmond City Public Schools 

Richmond has three VPI+ partnerships in the community located at the Virginia Commonwealth University 

Health System Child Care Center, the YWCA-Richmond, and the Imani Learning Center. 

Early Childhood Mixed-Delivery Pilots 

With funding from the Virginia General Assembly, Virginia has awarded two rounds of mixed-delivery pilot 

grants to localities that proposed innovative approaches to ensure all children eligible for VPI are able to access 

programs. Two of the VPI+ Subgrantees (Fairfax and Chesterfield Counties) received $250,000 grants. Overall, 

the pilot program has increased the number of preschool slots in private programs, helped stabilize 

participating small businesses that provide child care, and provided a work support to families through access 

to preschool in private settings with flexible and longer hours, thus preventing the need to transport children 

from one provider to another. 

Policy Implementation 

Virginia has also established several policy practices that contributed to successful recruitment of at-risk fouryear-olds for its VPI and VPI+ programs. Among these are the opportunities for Subgrantees to blend 

classrooms (for example, including children from Title I, Head Start, Part B of 619 IDEA, VPI, and VPI+ in the 

same classroom as long as funding is cost-allocated). Also available is the use of a single point of entry for 

registration of four-year-olds for preschool programs, meaning that a uniform registration form is used across 

programs, and program administrators collaborate when holding registration events. After an eligibility review, 

children are placed in the program that best meets their needs, which maximizes the number of children that a 

Subgrantee can serve. Most Subgrantees now offer a single point of entry for child enrollment in preschool, 

and others are exploring collaborative enrollment strategies where multiple programs exist. 

Future Plans 

Virginia is pleased to have received a supplemental Preschool Development Grant award in 2017 to augment 

the funds originally awarded. With these additional resources, Virginia intends to expand VPI+ in a number of 

ways, including: 

- Work on the preschool data system architecture that would enable individual records (teacher to 

student, parent to child, student to school) to be connected; 

- Online classes for teachers on improving quality interactions with children; 
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- Addressing disparities in resources between VPI+ new and improved classrooms; and 

- Additional part-time VDOE staff to assist with communications and web development modifications 

and project management. 

Please describe, as required in Program Requirement (k)(2) in the Notice Inviting Applicants (NIA), 

how the State established policies and procedures that ensure that the percentage of Eligible Children 

with disabilities served by the High-Quality Preschool Programs is not less than either the percentage 

of four-year-old children served statewide through part B, section 619 of IDEA (20 U.S.C. 1400 et 

seq.), or the current national average, whichever is greater. 

Note: The current national percentage of four year-old-children receiving services through part B, section 619 of 

IDEA is 6.4%. Source: 2012 IDEA Part B Child Count (www.ideadata.org). States should include detailed 

information on ALL structural elements.

Describe at a high level the efforts that you made to set the expectation for Subgrantees to intentionally plan 

for including children with disabilities within each of its centers, programs, and/or classrooms. 

In their annual plans, Subgrantees are required to address the following question: 

Describe how the division's VPI+ program will maximize inclusion of students with disabilities in VPI+ 

classrooms and how families of these students will be engaged and supported. 

The VDOE and its grant partners are keenly aware of the grant requirement to enroll a target percentage of 

children with disabilities, and the early identification and inclusion of children with disabilities in the VPI+ 

programs is a continuing focus of technical assistance, professional development, and monitoring. 

Virginia exceeded the target in Years 1 and 2 of the grant, with 7 percent of VPI+ children identified with a 

disability by spring of 2016, and 8 percent by spring of 2017. All Subgrantees indicate they are working toward 

meeting the target for inclusion of children with disabilities in their VPI+ programs. School divisions indicate 

that children are being screened and observed for possible disabilities. As of December 1, 2017, enrollments for 

2017-2018 (Year 3) indicate that 5 percent of VPI+ children have been identified with a disability (8 percent of 

children in new VPI+ classrooms and 3 percent in improved VPI+ classrooms). It is reported that children are 

still going through the formal identification process, and eligibility for special education services had not been 

completed by early December. It is anticipated that the end-of-school-year data reports will show increased 

participation of children with disabilities. 

Describe more specifically your efforts to support full inclusion of eligible children with disabilities in the HighQuality Preschool Program. 

All Subgrantees certified in their annual plans that eligible children with disabilities would be included and 

supported in VPI+ activities. Monitoring visits during spring 2017 and enrollment data corroborate these 

certifications. 

At the state level, the VPI+ Implementation Team, Virginia's grant management team, includes the VDOE's 

instructional specialist for Section 619 of IDEA (Preschool Grants for Children with Disabilities). She and the 

VDOE's early childhood team have collaborated carefully to support inclusion through activities such as the

Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Program Administrator Spring Institute in April 2017, the Early 

Childhood Education Leaders Collaborative Institutes in fall 2017, and the creation of a website dedicated to 

early childhood special education. 

The 619 instructional specialist and VDOE VPI+ staff have been instrumental in providing guidance to 

Subgrantees on ways to ensure that children with disabilities and their families have access to and are able to 

fully participate in the VPI+ program. Virginia's Special Education Training and Technical Assistance Centers (T/
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TACs) often participate in or assist with professional development in this area. 

In addition to the technical assistance provided to Subgrantees, members of the VPI+ Implementation Team 

participate in the following agency and statewide groups that promote access to and provide services for 

children with disabilities: 

The Early Childhood Special Education Network, created by the VDOE, has four goals: 

- To create a system of partnerships with leaders in early childhood special education; 

- To promote collection and use of valid, reliable, and accurate data; 

- To promote the use of quality curriculum-based assessment practices; and 

- To explore how preschool VTSS (Virginia Tiered Systems of Support) will be implemented and 

connected to K-12 VTSS. (VTSS is a framework and philosophy that provides resources and support to 

help every student to be successful in academics and behavior.)

Membership consists of representatives from stakeholders that serve Virginia's special education population, 

including education, social services, mental health, professional development consortia, special education 

Training and Technical Centers (T/TACs) housed in Virginia colleges and universities, and entities that serve 

specific populations such as homeless, autistic, deaf, and blind students. The network meets monthly. 

Attendees use the opportunity to share resources and voice needs that might be met through collaborative 

work. VPI and VPI+ representatives are part of this network. 

The Virginia Cross-Sector Professional Development (VCPD) Team promotes planning, development, 

implementation, and evaluation of professional development to ensure coordination of all early childhood 

professional development in Virginia. VCPD team members are committed to building a unified system to 

support families and their children (prenatal to age 5) in Virginia. This includes but is not limited to infants, 

toddlers, and preschoolers who may experience risk factors for school readiness, economic disadvantages, and 

cultural and linguistic differences; English learners; and young children with disabilities and special health 

needs. Members provide professional development to early childhood practitioners who serve children and 

families in home, school, and community settings. VPI and VPI+ representatives serve on this team. 

In 2017, the VCPD hosted its biannual early childhood birth through five conference, “Creating Connections to 

Shining Stars.” The conference was a collaborative effort between many state agencies and early childhood 

programs in Virginia. It focused on promoting and supporting the implementation of evidence-based practices 

in inclusive settings for young children, both with and without disabilities. At the 2017 conference, members of 

the VPI+ Implementation Team and other staff members made presentations on Virginia Quality (Virginia's 

QRIS) and innovative professional development formats used in implementation of Virginia's PDG. 

The Virginia Department of Education's Inclusive Practices Workgroup was formed as a workgroup within the 

Virginia Cross-Sector Professional Development Team to focus on four goals: 

- To provide a common understanding of the definitions, laws, and regulations governing students with 

disabilities as they relate to least restrictive environment and inclusion; 

- To identify barriers to more inclusive practices; 

- To review state and division policies and procedures for support of students with disabilities in regular 

classrooms and more inclusive settings; and 

- To recommend strategies, accommodations, and instructional practices that increase access to more 

inclusive settings. 

 
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Additional Subgrantee Efforts to Promote Participation of Children with Disabilities 

The VDOE continues to work closely with Subgrantees to help them increase their services to preschool 

children with disabilities. One barrier, in particular, has been the transportation of early childhood special 

education children to VPI+ classrooms, which are not always in the same location as other preschool programs. 

As Subgrantees are planning for the next school year, they are encouraged to consider proximity in determining 

VPI+ classroom locations. A review of Subgrantee annual plans provides several examples of ways they ensure 

that children with disabilities are included in the VPI+ program. 

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) 

The Disabilities Specialist (DS) works closely with Special Education staff to identify children who meet the 

income qualification of VPI+. Once the children are enrolled, the DS works with the teacher and Family 

Engagement coordinators to support the families. Children with identified disabilities continue to receive 

services on-site in partnership with their family and the community-based VPI+ program. Special 

accommodations are made available when needed. Families are invited to attend all the program's and FCPS 

Department of Special Services' events. 

Henrico County Public Schools 

Five collaborative model classrooms serve 40 children identified with developmental delays along with 50 

typically developing peers. These classrooms are staffed with an ECSE teacher, a licensed PK-Early Elementary 

teacher, and an instructional assistant. In addition to IEP objectives, children with disabilities participate in all 

aspects of the preschool educational, family engagement, and comprehensive services program. In 2017-2018, 

a push-in model of inclusion is being piloted at one school, which will serve 8-10 additional identified students 

in typical preschool classrooms. An ECSE teacher will push in services for support, case management of the 

IEPs, as will all related service providers (Speech, OT, PT, Visual Impairment, Audiological Services, etc.). During 

recruitment, families are encouraged to share information related to developmental concerns (Child Find) or if 

their child is currently being seen by Early Intervention services in the community. Family Advocates provide a 

personal contact during the recruitment process. A licensed school psychologist reviews all developmental 

checklists prior to the beginning of school and Health Coordinators review all physicals to determine if 

physicians have indicated an area of need/concern. Students who are identified as potentially facing a 

developmental delay or learning challenge are monitored closely. Results of 45-day sensory screenings are also 

reviewed, and teachers are contacted to talk with family members/observe students who potentially may need 

to participate in the Child Study Process. 

Sussex City Public Schools 

The Director of Pupil Personnel is actively involved in PreK registration and seeks to identify student 

applications that fit VPI+ requirements in terms of income, age, and students with disabilities. As applications 

are reviewed, students in need of early intervention services are provided an opportunity to enroll in the 

program to ensure that they are prepared as much as possible to enter kindergarten. Registration information 

is sent out to the community, in both English and Spanish, using the media such as the newspaper and flyers. 

The need for services is captured and caught using the parental informational input on the VPI+ application. 

Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) 

The VPI+ program works in collaboration with the VBCPS Child Find office. The Child Find office refers children 

to the VPI+ program. Students enrolled in the VPI+ program are screened following the VBCPS student 

response team process. Children who needed further screenings for speech, language, or developmental delays 

are referred to Child Find for screening and/or full evaluations. Enrollment priority is given to children with 

IEPs. Children with IEPs are supported in the classroom by special education resource teachers who work in 

collaboration with the VPI+ teacher to implement the goals of the IEP.
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Describe the State's progress in increasing the number and percentage of Eligible Children served in 

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant.

Describe your efforts to increase the overall number and percentage of Eligible Children served in High-Quality 

Preschool Programs funded by the grant in 2017. Describe or list the most influential factors that contributed to 

creating new and/or improving existing state preschool program slots. 

Virginia has been successful in increasing the number and percentage of eligible children served in high-quality 

preschool programs funded by the grant. As of December 1, 2017, Virginia has added 1,445 slots in new VPI+ 

classrooms and 2,009 in improved classrooms, above those supported by the already existing state-funded VPI 

program. To date, Virginia's PDG grant is serving 3,454 children, exceeding by 11 percent the original Year 3 

target of 3,107 children. 

The response to the previous two questions outlines actions and policies that Virginia and its Subgrantees have 

taken to increase the number and percentage of eligible children served by the grant. Subgrantees are required 

to meet the VPI+ enrollment targets to which they committed in their annual plans and to describe in their 

continuous improvement plans how they will meet any unfulfilled targets. VDOE staff members provide 

targeted technical assistance to Subgrantees that struggle to meet their targets. Virginia has also expanded 

VPI+ to two new Subgrantees for Year 3 (2017-2018), thus increasing the number of children served by the 

PDG. 

A number of policy and partnership actions have contributed to Virginia's success in bringing attention to 

preschool options in the Commonwealth, leading to new and/or improving existing state preschool program 

slots. 

Virginia's Children's Cabinet 

In August 2014, Governor Terry McAuliffe created by Executive Order a Children's Cabinet dedicated to the 

education, health, safety, and welfare of Virginia's children. Its 2015 annual report made recommendations 

related to strengthening the Virginia Preschool Initiative. The 2016 annual report highlighted accomplishments 

of the Children's Cabinet, including advancing policy to enable greater access to early childhood programs. The 

Cabinet's 2017 Annual Report established a fiscal map of children's services to ensure long-term investments in 

children's programs. It recommended greater state-local partnerships to enhance educational outcomes in 

challenged school divisions such as Petersburg and Richmond (two VPI+ Subgrantees). It also recommended 

increased state investment in services for children that are currently funded by vulnerable or expiring funding 

streams, particularly noting the expiration of VPI+ federal funding in 2019. 

Legislative Interest in Preschool 

The following is a summary of support for early childhood education taken during the 2016 Virginia General 

Assembly, with implementation continuing in 2017 and beyond. 

Budget Items - Invested a total of $25.4 million in early childhood education over the 2016-2018 biennium. 

- Expansion of home visiting parent and health education services; 

- Increase to early intervention services to keep pace with referrals; 

- Increase to the VPI per pupil amount by 2 percent, from $6,000 per pupil to $6,125; 

- Established VPI income eligibility at or below 200 percent of poverty while allowing school divisions to 

enroll up to 15 percent of their VPI students above the income cut-off if they meet locally established 

risk factors; 

- Established a two-year pilot for testing new approaches to mixed-delivery public-private preschool 
ED 524B Page 21 of 75

partnerships to provide preschool education; and 

- Provided funding for the creation of training scholarships for the child care workforce and a 

competency-based credentialing system through the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. 

Studies and governance 

- Established the School Readiness Committee (HB46), an early learning council comprised of 

legislators, business leaders, and stakeholders to make recommendations around cross-cutting issues 

of innovation in early childhood; 

- Created a Department of Social Services workgroup to review the health and safety standards of 

license-exempt child care programs (SJ63); 

- Requested of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) a two-year study of the early 

childhood programs in place in Virginia, prenatal to age five (SJ88), to determine the best strategy for 

future early childhood development investments (see outcome below); 

- Asked the Department of Health to prepare a report on the best methods for improving birth 

outcomes, low birth weight, and out-of-wedlock births (HB30); and 

- Established the Joint Subcommittee on Public Education/Standards of Quality (HJR112) to look at the 

future of public education in Virginia. 

In particular, the School Readiness Committee and JLARC's report on early childhood programs in Virginia have 

brought increased attention to preschool programs. The School Readiness Committee has as a goal “the 

development and alignment of an effective professional development and credentialing system for the early 

childhood education workforce in the Commonwealth.” The Committee met regularly over the last year, and its

2017 report summarized its goals, findings, and recommendations. In November 2017, Virginia's deputy 

secretary of education delivered a report on the Committee's work to the Virginia Board of Education. The first 

recommendation of the Committee was to update Virginia's Competencies for Early Childhood Professionals, 

with attention to teacher-child interactions; social and emotional development; special education inclusion; 

support for English learners; diverse family engagement; and cultural and linguistic competencies. 

In December 2017, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee presented the results of its report,

Improving Virginia's Early Childhood Development Programs, requested by the 2016 Virginia General Assembly. 

Its findings suggest that more than one-third of Virginia children are not ready for kindergarten. Included 

among the recommendations of the report are: 

- Require more comprehensive assessments of kindergarten readiness and more useful data about 

children at risk for poor developmental outcomes. 

- Improve the design, quality, and performance data of early childhood programs to ensure efficient 

and effective use of funds. 

- Require and provide sufficient resources for the Virginia Department of Education to have a more 

meaningful role in ensuring the quality of VPI implementation. 

Collaboration among Partners in Early Childhood Services 

State agencies that serve young children (Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Department of Social 

Services, and Virginia Department of Health) and other partners have improved their communication and 

collaboration as a result of Virginia's Preschool Development Grant (PDG), particularly through the regular 

meetings of the VPI+ Core Planning Team. The team meets at least quarterly to discuss the roles of each 

partner in the grant implementation. Of note are the following grant partners and a brief description of their 

roles. 
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- Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) - administers the VPI and VPI+ programs and serves as the PDG 

grant lead agency; also administers Virginia's Title I preschool program, Part B of Section 619 of IDEA, and 

programs for homeless, migrant, and foster children as well as for English learners. 

- Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) - provides collaboration and leadership with Virginia's Head 

Start program; has developed and maintains the Virginia Early Childhood Professional Development Registry 

(IMPACT), a voluntary, statewide tool to document and recognize the professional achievements of 

practitioners and trainers who work in early childhood education in Virginia. The IMPACT Registry gathers and 

maintains data submitted by individuals and reviewed by Registry staff. The registry offers the option for 

members to apply for a Professional Development Certificate designating their placement level on the Career 

Pathways for Early Childhood and Out-of-School Time Practitioners. Each Level represents increased training 

and education, indicating a commitment to early childhood education and professional development, and 

creating a pathway to career growth. Representatives from the VDSS serve on the VPI+ data team to improve 

access to statewide preschool data. The agency also serves as the lead on the state website,

www.childcareva.com, which provides information on child care options, requirements and benefits of licensed 

providers, and guidance for selecting quality child care. 

- Virginia Department of Health (VDH) - provides guidance to Subgrantees in funding opportunities for required 

daily snacks and other nutritional and well-being needs as part of comprehensive services. Representatives 

from the VDH serve on the VPI+ data team to improve access to statewide preschool data. 

- Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF) - serves as the lead on the implementation of Virginia's Quality 

Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), Virginia Quality, which establishes quality ratings of early childhood 

programs for parents and families and provides support so that programs can voluntarily improve the quality of 

the services they provide. VECF also supports Virginia's Smart Beginnings network, which brings public and 

private leaders together to collaborate on priorities for young children. Representatives from the VECF serve on 

the VPI+ Cross-Organizational Data Team to improve statewide preschool data. Beginning in 2018, this team 

will be reorganized as the Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) Committee, and it will work to 

include preschool data on Virginia's School Quality Profiles (formerly, the School Report Cards). VECF will 

provide leadership for the committee. 

- Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia - provides support to 

Subgrantees through a process of continuous quality improvement, including setting goals with a focus on 

professional development, and using data to inform changes at the program-, teacher-, and classroom-levels. 

CASTL provides ongoing technical assistance and professional development for VPI+ coaches. 

- SRI International - conducts the evaluation of the VPI+ program providing for quality improvement planning 

and also administers the direct summative assessments.

1(b) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children served overall in the 

State Preschool Program. Please describe any increases or decreases in this GPRA measure

based on fall enrollment in the State Preschool Program for the 2017-18 school year.

Describe what you did that led to an increase in the number and percentage of children served overall in the 

State Preschool Program. Describe the most influential factors that contributed to your success. 

Virginia's state preschool program, the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI), has been in existence since 1996, 

beginning with an appropriation from the Virginia General Assembly in FY 1995. At that time, VPI served 30 

percent of unserved at-risk four-year-olds (i.e., not in Head Start, Title I preschool, Early Childhood Special 

Education, or other programs for at-risk four-year-olds) as determined by locally established risk factors. 

By 2006, 100 percent of eligible at-risk four-year-olds were included in the funding formula. Beginning in FY 

2009, the General Assembly funded an increase in the per pupil rate from $5,700 to $6,000, and effective in FY 

2010, the local required match was capped at 0.5000, whereas previously it had been based solely on the 

composite index of local-ability-to pay, which resulted in a sizeable match from more affluent school divisions. 
ED 524B Page 23 of 75

The 2016 General Assembly funded an increase in the per pupil rate from $6,000 to $6,125 in FY 2017, and it 

remains the same in FY 2018. 

The state appropriation has increased steadily from $9.3 million in FY 1995 to $69.1 million in FY 2018. As a 

result, the number of budgeted VPI slots has also increased from 7,938 in FY 2002 (earliest available data) to 

24,847 in FY 2018. The actual number of VPI slots used in FY 2018 is 17,959. Based on the VPI funding formula, 

some school divisions do not receive enough slots to support all of their unserved at-risk children while others 

do not use all their slots. School divisions cite the following reasons for not using all their VPI slots: 

- Difficulty or inability to meet the required local match; 

- Insufficient space to house additional preschool classrooms in school facilities; and/or 

- A minimal number of children eligible for the program by state allocation formula, resulting in a 

program that may not be cost effective. 

Virginia's participation in the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) has helped remove some of these barriers to 

participation by eliminating a local cash match required by Subgrantees, and facilitating options to offer 

preschool in locations outside of school facilities. One of the 2017-2018 PDG Subgrantees, Frederick County, is 

offering public preschool for the first time as a result of support from the PDG. 

For the 2017-2018 school year, 124 of 128 eligible divisions participate in VPI. Of those participating, 72 use 

100 percent of their VPI slot allocation (an increase of six divisions over the previous year); 20 divisions use 

76-99 percent of their slot allocation; 16 divisions use 50-75 percent of their slot allocation; and 16 divisions 

use less than 50 percent of their slot allocation. Seven of Virginia's 135 school divisions are not eligible for 

funding under the state formula. 

The 2006 General Assembly also added new language to the Appropriation Act that authorized the Department 

of Education to use unexpended balances of state VPI funding each year to provide grants to qualifying 

divisions/localities for one-time expenses, other than capital, related to the start-up or expansion of their VPI 

programs. The 2015 General Assembly modified this provision for FY 2016 to give priority for such grants to VPI 

programs expanding the use of private partnerships. Due to a budget shortfall, these funds were not awarded 

in FY 2018. 

Beginning in FY 2015, the number of unserved at-risk four-year-olds in each school division is based on the 

projected number of kindergarten children. The division-level free lunch eligibility percentage is used as the atrisk criterion in the funding formula. 

The 2015 General Assembly also adopted new eligibility criteria for children participating in the VPI program 

and new reporting requirements beginning in school year (SY) 2015-2016. Whereas previously school divisions 

could establish their own at-risk criteria for VPI participation, the new eligibility criteria are: 1) family income at 

or below 200 percent of poverty, 2) homelessness, 3) student's parents or guardians are school dropouts, or 4) 

family income is less than 350 percent of federal poverty guidelines in the case of children with special needs 

or disabilities. Up to 15 percent of a division's slots may be filled based on locally established eligibility criteria 

so as to meet the unique needs of at-risk children in the community. The 2017-2018 report from school 

divisions indicates that almost 95 percent of the children served in VPI met at least one of the eligibility criteria 

prescribed by the General Assembly. A little over 5 percent of the children served were identified as eligible 

based on local criteria. 

At a high level, describe your efforts to improve the quality of existing preschool programs that receive State 

funding and by what methods. 

Virginia's Children's Cabinet 

In August 2014, Governor Terry McAuliffe created by Executive Order a Children's Cabinet dedicated to the 

education, health, safety, and welfare of Virginia's children. Its 2015 annual report made recommendations 
ED 524B Page 24 of 75

related to strengthening the Virginia Preschool Initiative. The 2016 annual report highlighted accomplishments 

of the Children's Cabinet, including advancing policy to enable greater access to early childhood programs. The 

Cabinet's 2017 Annual Report established a fiscal map of children's services to ensure long-term investments in 

children's programs. It recommended greater state-local partnerships to enhance educational outcomes in 

challenged school divisions such as Petersburg and Richmond (two VPI+ Subgrantees). It also recommended 

increased state investment in services for children that are currently funded by vulnerable or expiring funding 

streams, particularly noting the expiration of VPI+ federal funding in 2019. 

Legislative Interest in Preschool 

The 2016 Virginia General Assembly made a total investment of $25.4 million to support early childhood 

education over the 2016-2018 biennium. This included 

- Expansion of home visiting services; 

- Increase to early intervention services; 

- Increase to the VPI (Virginia Preschool Initiative) per pupil amount; 

- Creation of a two-year pilot for testing new approaches to mixed-delivery public-private preschool 

partnerships; and 

- Providing funding for Project Pathfinders to fund scholarships for the child care workforce and a 

competency-based credentialing system. 

Studies and governance 

- Established the School Readiness Committee (HB46) comprised of legislators, business leaders, and 

stakeholders to make recommendations around issues in early childhood; 

- Created a Department of Social Services workgroup to review the health and safety standards of 

license-exempt child care programs (SJ63); 

- Requested of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) a study of the early childhood 

programs in place in Virginia, prenatal to age five (SJ88); 

- Asked the Department of Health to prepare a report on the best methods for improving birth 

outcomes, low birth weight, and out-of-wedlock births (HB30); and 

- Established a Joint Subcommittee (HJR112) to look at the future of public education in Virginia. 

In particular, the School Readiness Committee and the JLARC report on early childhood programs in Virginia 

have brought increased attention to preschool programs. The School Readiness Committee has as a goal “the 

development and alignment of an effective professional development and credentialing system for the early 

childhood education workforce in the Commonwealth.” The Committee met regularly over the last year, and its

2017 report summarized its goals, findings, and recommendations. In November 2017, Virginia's deputy 

secretary of education delivered a report on the Committee's work to the Virginia Board of Education. 

In December 2017, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee presented the results of its report,

Improving Virginia's Early Childhood Development Programs, requested by the 2016 Virginia General Assembly. 

Its findings suggest that more than one-third of Virginia children are not ready for kindergarten. Included 

among the recommendations of the report are: 

- Require more comprehensive assessments of kindergarten readiness and more useful data about 

children at risk for poor developmental outcomes. 

- Improve the design, quality, and performance data of early childhood programs to ensure efficient 
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and effective use of funds. 

- Require and provide sufficient resources for the Virginia Department of Education to have a more 

meaningful role in ensuring the quality of VPI implementation. 

The Work of Virginia's VPI+ Core Planning and Implementation Teams 

The integrated management team established to oversee Virginia's preschool program consists of agency 

partners, both public and private and state and local, to intentionally integrate the components of high-quality 

preschool programs to provide supports and services for Virginia's at-risk children. This team has been active in 

all aspects of grant management and implementation, including curriculum implementation, professional 

development and coaching, assessments, data collection and reporting, state policy proposals, and technical 

assistance to Subgrantees. 

Data Collection and Reporting 

Preschool data have been brought into Virginia's Master Schedule Collection (MSC) and the Student Record 

Collection (SRC). Beginning in fall 2016, school divisions participating in the VPI program were required to 

assign a Student Testing Identifier (STI) to publicly funded and enrolled preschool students. Additionally, plans 

are in place to include preschool data on Virginia's K-12 School Quality Profiles (formerly, the School Report 

Cards). 
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1(c) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children in the High-Need 

Communities served by the grant that are ready for kindergarten as determined by the State's 

Kindergarten Entry Assessment or, if the State does not yet have a Kindergarten Entry Assessment, 

other valid and reliable means of determining school readiness.

 

In the Year 3 APR, grantees will provide disaggregated data on the school readiness of the children enrolled 

and served by the grant. This may include information collected about the children enrolled and received 

services by the grant during the 2016-17 preschool year. States may provide data from a sample of children 

(e.g., a sample being used for any evaluation).

In the Year 3 APR, grantees must describe their progress towards identifying the measures, methods, 

and data on the school readiness of children served by the Preschool Development Grant. In the 

narrative below provide the following information: 

 • The name of the assessment tool(s) and the Essential Domains of School Readiness 

measured; 

 • When the assessment tool(s) is/are given (e.g., in preschool and/or kindergarten); 

 • Whether the assessment is mandated by the State, and for which children; 

 • How long the State has been using the assessment tool(s); 

 • Whether the assessment tool(s) is/are implemented throughout the High-Need Community 

and/or Statewide; 

 • Whether the State provides or will provide training for local staff administering the assessment. 

If so, describe the requirements including processes to ensure continued reliability in the 

administration of the measure; 

 • If school readiness data is reported to the State, describe when and how data are reported. 

Also, please describe, if applicable: 

 • The State's definition of "school readiness;" 

 • Disaggregated information about children's school readiness on individual domains or 

subsets of the measure; 

 • School readiness data for children disaggregated by subgroup (e.g., students who are 

American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian, not Pacific Islander; Native Hawaiian/other 

Pacific Islander; Black or African American; Hispanic/Latino; White, not Hispanic; two or 

more races; with disabilities; English learners; and from any other subgroups the state 

determines appropriate; and 

 • How the State will continue to make progress in meeting this GPRA measure. 

Virginia's Definition of School Readiness 

The Virginia Board of Education has adopted a definition of school readiness. An abbreviated version follows: 

“School readiness” describes the capabilities of children, their families, schools, and communities that 

will best promote student success in kindergarten and beyond. Each component . . . plays an essential 

role in the development of school readiness. No one component can stand on its own. 

Ready Children. A ready child is prepared socially, personally, physically, and intellectually within the 

developmental domains addressed in Virginia's six Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: literacy, 

mathematics, science, history and social science, physical and motor development, and personal and 

social development. . . . 

Ready Families. A ready family has adults who understand they are the most important people in the 

child's life and take responsibility for the child's school readiness. . . . 
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Ready Schools. A ready school accepts all children and provides a seamless transition to a high-quality 

learning environment by engaging the whole community . . . . 

Ready Communities. . . . . Ready communities . . . work together to support children's school and longterm success by providing families affordable access to information, services, high-quality child care, 

and early learning opportunities. 

The full definition and additional indicators for each component are available at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/

instruction/early_childhood/school_readiness/va_school_readiness_definition.pdf. 

Virginia has adopted a number of systems and supports for VPI+ to assess children's school readiness: 

- A standardized preschool curriculum (The Creative Curriculum for Preschool) aligned with Virginia's 

Foundation Blocks for Early Learning and the Kindergarten Standards of Learning and access to 

formative assessments (Teaching Strategies GOLD); 

- Professional development and coaching to support implementation of the curriculum and 

assessments; 

- A comprehensive summative assessment system and evaluation; and 

- Inclusion of preschool data on Virginia's School Quality Profiles (School Report Cards). 

VPI+ Evaluation Advisory Board (EAB) 

An EAB was established to provide guidance on Virginia's VPI+ PDG. The group has met five times, with a set of 

recommendations that guide the evaluation design and implementation. For purposes of the PDG and on the 

recommendation of the EAB, Virginia operationalized its definition of school readiness by setting cut-points on 

each of the summative assessments. More information on the cut-points is provided below. 

Assessments 

Assessment instruments were selected to assess the five Essential Domains of School Readiness. All 

assessments are required to be administered to preschool children in new VPI+ classrooms in the fall and 

spring and again in the fall when they enter kindergarten. 

The domains are assessed as follows: 

1. Language and literacy development - Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) 

In Kindergarten through Grade 3, Virginia school divisions must use the nationally validated PALS instrument as 

the diagnostic literacy screening instrument. (Fairfax County requested and received approval from the VDOE 

to use the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) in lieu of PALS.) School divisions participating in the 

Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI and VPI+) are required to use the PALS-PreK assessment for literacy screening 

in preschool classes during the fall and spring of each school year. The PALS office at the University of Virginia 

provides training to Virginia teachers (including VPI+ teachers) on the administration of PALS-PreK and the 

submission of data. 

Classroom teachers administer the PALS-PreK to assess children's phonological awareness, print and word 

awareness, name writing ability, and alphabet recognition. Starting in fall 2017, assessments of lower-case 

alphabet recognition and letter sounds were added. Also beginning in fall 2017, trained assessors administered 

the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-4) to measure receptive language development. 

2. General knowledge and cognition - Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement Revised (Applied Problems 

Subtest) 

For validity and reliability of assessment results, trained field assessors conduct this assessment of numeracy 

and counting. 
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3. Approaches toward learning - Teacher-Child Rating Scale (T-CRS-2.1) 

The T-CRS-2.1 items ask about a child's behavior and social skills, including how well he/she gets along with 

other children and how well he/she can pay attention and persist in classroom activities. Classroom teachers 

complete the task orientation subscales T-CRS-2.1 to rate the children's enjoyment in learning, task 

persistence, and curiosity levels, especially when confronted with new skills or tasks. 

4. Social and emotional development - Head Toes Knees Shoulders (HTKS) Task and T-CRS-2.1 

Trained field assessors administer the HTKS Task to assess self-regulation. The peer social skills and behavior 

control subscales of the T-CRS-2 are used to assess children's skills and abilities in peer relations and behavior. 

5. Physical well-being and motor development 

Teacher Survey 

Teachers completed ratings of children's health in the fall and spring through an online survey. Children's 

health rating is not considered an outcome of VPI+ but is used as a measure of risk. 

Preschool Motor Development Direct Assessment 

To assess fine motor skills, trained assessors ask children to copy a line and copy a circle. During these tasks, 

assessors also record whether the child holds a pencil properly and demonstrates control from the wrist and 

fingers. To assess gross motor skills, children are asked to hold each foot off the ground for five seconds, hop 

three times on each foot, and jump in the air and clap their hands while airborne five times consecutively. 

The assessor records whether or not the child successfully completes each fine and gross motor skill. Children 

who pass all four fine motor task are identified as proficient in fine motor skills. Children who pass all three 

gross motor tasks are identified as proficient in gross motors skills. This process provides an assessment of 

children's developing motor skills. 

Cut-Points for School Readiness 

There is very little consensus on the exact definition of kindergarten readiness. To inform reporting of 

kindergarten readiness for the PDG annual report, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) received input 

from its VPI+ evaluator, SRI and early childhood assessment experts from the VPI+ EAB. For the exclusive 

purpose of VPI+ Annual Progress Reporting, the VDOE uses a comprehensive definition of kindergarten 

readiness that combines results across school readiness domains into a single index. VPI+ children are 

considered “kindergarten ready” if they are in the expected developmental range in at least three of the four 

identified domains: 

- language and literacy development (literacy); AND 

- general knowledge and cognition (mathematics); AND 

- at least one of the following: 

- approaches to learning; 

- social and emotional development. 

Cut-points denoting “within or above developmental range” for each domain and assessment are as follows: 

- Language and literacy development (Literacy) - PALS-K Summed Score that is at or above the 

benchmark score for fall of kindergarten (i.e., 29 or above) 

- Cognition and general knowledge (Numeracy and Counting) - Woodcock-Johnson Tests of 

Achievement Applied Problems subtest standard score that is within or above the developmental range 
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(i.e., 90 or above) 

- Social and emotional development - Both T-CRS 2.1 Peer Social Skills subscale and Behavior Control 

subscale scores are within or above the developmental range (i.e., 26th percentile or higher) 

- Approaches to learning - T-CRS 2.1 Task Orientation subscale score is within or above the 

developmental range (i.e., 26th percentile or higher) 

Although motor development is critical for children to be ready for kindergarten, delays in these areas are less 

common and not necessarily the primary focus of the VPI+ program. Based on consensus from a subcommittee 

of the EAB, motor development is not included in the criteria for kindergarten readiness. The percentage of 

children who passed all fine and gross motor tasks is used to describe the level of proficiency in motor 

development at preschool entry. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of VPI+ children passed the kindergarten motor 

development screener. 

Sampling 

For Virginia's kindergarten readiness calculations, exclusively for the purpose of the APR, Cohort 2 students 

were included in the calculations if they: 

- were enrolled in a VPI+ classroom during the 2016-2017 school year, AND 

- were enrolled in a kindergarten classroom in the same school division in fall 2017, AND 

- had scores for all four domains. 

(Fairfax County uses different measures for assessing literacy skills in kindergarten - the iReady screener and 

the word analysis task of the DRA. Thus, VPI+ Cohort 2 participants from Fairfax do not have data for literacy at 

kindergarten entry and do not have data for overall kindergarten readiness because they are missing data on 

one of the two required domains.) 

The resulting sample is 1,325 students. 

Child Outcomes 

Using the criteria described above, the following percentages of Cohort 2 VPI+ children were identified as ready 

for school. 

- VPI+ Cohort 2 

Children who participated in the VPI+ program during the 2016-2017 school year and started kindergarten in 

fall 2017 

Overall - 67% 

Gender 

 Male - 63% 

 Female - 71% 

Race/Ethnicity 

Black or African American children - 67% 

Hispanic children - 63% 
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White children - 77% 

Other Subgroups 

 Children with disabilities - 42% 

English learners - 60% 

By Domain 

Language Development and Literacy - 87% 

Cognition and General Knowledge (Mathematics) - 82% 

Social and Emotional Development - 69% 

Approaches to learning - 82%
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For Preschool Development Grants - Development Grants States ONLY: 

1(d) GPRA Performance Measure: The number of States that collect and analyze data on State 

Preschool Program quality, including the structural elements of quality specified in the 

definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs.

 

For Preschool Development Grants - Development Grants States ONLY: N/A for Virginia
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Section A: Part B - Selection Criteria 

In this section of the APR, States will report on their progress addressing the Preschool Development Grant's 

selection criteria. The State should read the questions carefully and report in the narrative fields directly below the 

questions. Please include any data, data notes or formulas to help the readers understand the State's narrative 

responses.

1. Ensuring Quality in Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria “C” of the application) 

Describe the State's use of funds received over the grant period for State Preschool Program 

infrastructure and quality improvements, including the State's efforts to implement a system of 

monitoring and support at the State level toward activities such as those described in Section (C)(1)(ak) of the NIA. 

 

Note: States will report amounts and percentage of funds for State Preschool Program infrastructure 

and High-Quality Preschool Programs in the Competitive Preference Priority 3 Chart.

The following preschool infrastructure elements benefit from Virginia's Preschool Development (PDG) funds: 

- Approved preschool curriculum with aligned formative and summative assessments; 

- Increased availability of instructional materials, including a website, VPIplus.org, with videos 

showcasing best practices in early childhood instruction, other professional development resources, 

and a blog for PreK-3 administrators and their teaching teams with the best content on high-quality 

preschool; 

- Evaluation and monitoring from the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS); 

- Intensive coaching and professional development; 

- Expanded comprehensive services and family engagement; 

- Development of guidelines for the prevention of suspension/expulsion of children in early childhood 

settings; and 

- Improvements to preschool data quality and availability. 

Investment in the Structural Elements of Quality 

Describe how funds will be applied to the structural elements listed below. 

a. Early Learning and Development Standards 

Virginia fully implemented the Virginia Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for 

Four-Year-Olds in 2013, which serve as Virginia's Early Learning and Development Standards. PDG funds are 

supporting work with an expert consultant to revise the Foundation Blocks with an added focus on adaptations 

for children with disabilities and English learners. 

b. Program Standards that are consistent with a High-Quality Preschool Program 

Virginia's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), called Virginia Quality, was created to provide a 

consistent way to assess the level of quality in early care and education settings. All VPI+ programs received a 

baseline Virginia Quality rating during the 2015-2016 school year and a followup rating in 2017-2018. 

 
ED 524B Page 33 of 75

c. Programs for children with disabilities and English learners

The VPI+ Implementation Team includes the VDOE's instructional specialist for Section 619 of IDEA (Preschool 

for Children with Disabilities). Her work and assistance from Virginia's Special Education Training and Technical 

Assistance Centers (T/TACs) have strengthened services to children with disabilities. Additionally, Virginia's 

English as a Second Language (ESL) specialist helped provided services to English learners. Specific examples are 

provided elsewhere in this Annual Performance Report (APR). Also, each Subgrantee's Annual Plan contains a 

Comprehensive Services Plan that addresses how it provides preschool services to children with disabilities and 

English learners. 

d. Methods to determine the availability of High-Quality Preschool Programs 

Many school divisions in Virginia offer a single point of entry registration for public preschool, allowing school 

divisions to maximize the preschool slots available. In 2016, a new website, www.childcareva.com, was created 

to provide information to parents on child care options. VECF maintains a web site to search for quality rated 

early childhood facilities in Virginia. The Virginia Head Start Association, offers a Head Start Locator that allows 

users to locate a nearby Head Start program. 

e. Preschool teacher education and early childhood education in teacher certification and/or requirements 

for licensure 

Virginia issues several teaching licenses related to preschool: Early/Primary Education PreK-3 and Elementary 

Education PreK-6. Teachers with these licenses have completed an approved teacher preparation program or 

have a bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university in the liberal arts and 

sciences and fulfill specific requirements related to PreK-3 or PreK-6. Licensed elementary teachers may add an 

Early Childhood for Three- and Four-Year-Olds endorsement by completing nine semester hours of graduatelevel coursework in early childhood education and completing a supervised practicum in a preschool setting. 

f. Improvement to teacher and administrator early education professional development 

A significant component of Virginia's PDG is the development of high-quality professional development. In 

2015, the VDOE established a list of approved professional development offerings that all preschool providers 

in the Commonwealth may use in continuing education for preschool teachers. 

A VPI+ website, VPIplus.org, was launched in fall 2016. It houses an extensive library of videos showcasing best 

practices in early childhood instruction and other high-quality print and multimedia professional development 

resources. In 2017, an administrator blog was added as a tool to engage more school administrators in an effort 

to improve PreK-Grade 3 alignment by sharing information about quality PreK and alignment with older grades. 

Responses to other questions in this APR provide greater detail about professional development supported by 

the PDG. 

The 2016 Virginia General Assembly passed HB 46, creating the School Readiness Committee, which has as a 

goal “the development . . . of an effective professional development and credentialing system for the early 

childhood education workforce in the Commonwealth.” The Committee met regularly over the last year, and its

2017 report summarized its goals, findings, and recommendations. In November 2017, Virginia's deputy 

secretary of education delivered a report on the Committee's work to the Virginia Board of Education. 

Three subcommittees were created to facilitate the work of the Committee: state priorities, workforce 

pathways, and professional development standards. The first recommendation of the Committee was to 

update Virginia's Competencies for Early Childhood Professionals, last revised in 2012, with specific attention to 

effective teacher-child interactions; social and emotional development; special education inclusion; support for 

English learners; diverse family engagement; and cultural and linguistic competencies. Additionally, the VECF 

funded a research report - Pathways and Competencies for Early Educational Professionals - to further inform 

work in this area. 

The 2016 Virginia General Assembly appropriated funding for Project Pathfinders, which offers current child 

care and preschool teachers and providers financial support to pursue credentials and degrees through 
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Virginia's Community College System. 

g. Use of a Longitudinal Data System to link preschool and K-12 school data 

Virginia established a Cross-Organizational Data Team to facilitate the addition of preschool data into the 

Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS). During the last two years, the Data Team guided Virginia's efforts to 

merge preschool data with K-12 school data. After hours of discussion and exploration of the requirements to 

do so, it was determined that the changes required in the data architecture to connect multiple exposures 

(parent-child-teacher-school) would be cost-prohibitive with current funds. Virginia sought and received 

permission from the U. S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to adjust the PDGsupported tasks related to data. Rather than continue efforts to merge preschool and K-12 data, the new plan 

calls for including preschool data on Virginia's K-12 School Quality Profiles (formerly, the School Report Cards). 

As a result of this change, the Cross-Organizational Data Team will be replaced by a new committee, the Early 

Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) Committee, facilitated by the VECF, to continue to advocate for and 

work towards greater usability and integration of early childhood data. 

h. A Comprehensive Early Learning Assessment System 

Summative assessments were administered to examine changes in the five essential domains of school 

readiness for children in new VPI+ classrooms. Details about the assessments and their outcomes are available 

in other sections of this APR. 

i. Building preschool programs' capacity to engage parents in decisions about education and development, 

build protective factors, and support children's learning at home 

Each Subgrantee's Annual Plan contains a Family Engagement Plan that addresses culturally and linguistically 

responsive outreach, home visits, parent conferences, logs of family activities, and a Family Access Consortium. 

The 2017 VPI+ Leadership Academies featured peer-to-peer breakout groups where successful family 

engagement strategies and resources were shared. Additionally, VDOE VPI+ staff facilitated a family 

engagement coordinator training day in the fall. 

VPI+ Subgrantees work with Smart Beginnings partners to assist at-risk families at the local level. Subgrantees 

can access resources and make connections to assist family engagement coordinators in communicating with a 

wide network of family-serving organizations. 

Additionally, the VDOE conducts an annual survey of VPI+ parents each spring. Results indicate that a majority 

of families received information about health care and nutrition options, insurance, parenting skills, adult 

education, mental health and social services, and emergency housing. 

j. Building State- and community-level support for High-Quality Preschool Programs through systemic 

linkages to other early learning programs and resources 

In August 2014, Governor Terry McAuliffe's Executive Order created a Children's Cabinet dedicated to the 

education, health, safety, and welfare of Virginia's children. The Cabinet's 2017 Annual Report established a 

fiscal map of children's services to ensure long-term investments in children's programs. The 2017 report 

recommended an increased state investment in services for children that are currently funded by vulnerable or 

expiring funding streams, noting the expiration of VPI+ federal funding in 2019. 

The 2016 Virginia General Assembly established the School Readiness Committee to address the development 

and alignment of an effective professional development and credentialing system for Virginia's early childhood 

education workforce and make recommendations to policymakers. 

In December 2017, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee presented the results of its report,

Improving Virginia's Early Childhood Development Programs, requested by the 2016 Virginia General Assembly. 

Its findings suggest that more than one-third of Virginia children are not ready for kindergarten. Included 

among the recommendations of the report are: 
ED 524B Page 35 of 75

- Require more comprehensive assessments of kindergarten readiness and more useful data about 

children at risk for poor developmental outcomes; 

- Improve the design, quality, and performance data of early childhood programs to ensure efficient 

and effective use of funds; and 

- Provide sufficient resources for the Virginia Department of Education to have a more meaningful role 

in ensuring the quality of VPI implementation. 

2. Expanding High-Quality Preschool Programs in Each High-Need Community (Selection 

Criteria D of application) 

 

Describe the progress the State has made during the reporting year to implement and sustain 

voluntary high quality preschool programs for eligible children in two or more High-Need Communities 

(Selection Criteria D(4) of the application) that include ALL structural elements listed below that are 

included in the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. States should include detailed 

information on ALL structural elements.

High staff qualifications, including a teacher with a bachelor's degree in early childhood 

education or a bachelor's degree in any field with a State-approved alternative pathway, 

which may include coursework, clinical practice, and evidence of knowledge of content and 

pedagogy relating to early childhood, and teaching assistants with appropriate credentials;

✔

✔ High-quality professional development for all staff; 

✔ A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1;

✔ A class size of no more than 20 with, at a minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications;

✔ A Full-Day program;

Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all 

opportunities; ✔

Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and evidencebased curricula, and learning environments that are aligned with the State Early Learning and 

Development Standards, for at least the year prior to kindergarten entry;

✔

Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children can access and participate 

fully in learning activities; ✔

✔ Instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff;

✔ Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement;
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On-site or accessible Comprehensive Services for children and community partnerships that 

promote families access to services that support their children's learning and development; 

and

✔

✔ Evidence-based health and safety standards.
ED 524B Page 37 of 75

Please describe the progress the State has made in establishing High-Quality Preschool Programs 

that include ALL structural elements listed above that are evidence-based and nationally recognized 

as important for ensuring program quality.

Opening Paragraph 

Describe at a high level the most significant efforts or activities that you did in 2017 to implement High-Quality 

Preschool Programs for Eligible Children in two or more High-Need Communities. 

Virginia's Preschool Development Grant (PDG) application noted in Section (C)(1) that it would use PDG 

momentum and funding to enhance the elements of its existing statewide preschool program, called the 

Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI). The enhanced model being implemented with PDG funds in 11 participating 

school divisions (Subgrantees) in 2016-2017 is called VPI+. Two additional Subgrantees were added beginning 

in 2017-2018. 

Major accomplishments in the implementation of VPI+ for 2017 included: 

- Increase in the Number of Children Served in VPI+ 

VPI+ augments the already existing state-funded Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI). Virginia's original PDG 

application stated a Year 3 (2017-2018) target of 1,637 new slots and 1,470 improved slots, for a combined 

total of 3,107 VPI+ children to be served above those children already being served by the state-funded VPI 

program. The actual 2017-2018 VPI+ enrollment as of December 1, 2017, shows 1,445 children in new VPI+ 

classrooms and 2,009 in improved classrooms, for a combined total of 3,454 children being served by Virginia's 

PDG grant. This represents an increase of 11 percent above Virginia's original goal of 3,107 new and improved 

preschool slots. 

- Addition of two new Subgrantees, resulting in increased preschool access for underserved children 

Virginia received permission to add two new Subgrantees, Frederick County Public Schools and Virginia Beach 

City Public Schools, to its PDG in Year 3. They were identified early enough in 2017 to participate in effective 

planning for operation in the 2017-2018 school year. Coach training and teacher professional development 

have been differentiated for new and returning teachers and coaches in all VPI+ school divisions. As a result of 

the participation of additional Subgrantees, Virginia exceeded its overall VPI+ enrollment goals not only in the 

original grant application but also in the proposed Scope of Work enrollment targets. 

- Successful coordination of grant partners in support of a statewide infrastructure for early childhood 

education in Virginia 

Virginia's PDG has many partners that each play critical roles in delivery of instructional, professional 

development, and quality control aspects of the Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus (VPI+). The Virginia 

Department of Education (VDOE) serves as the lead grant administrator, coordinating the services of all 

partners to ensure they run smoothly and meet the needs of the Subgrantees. The VDOE provides technical 

assistance to VPI+ coordinators, coaches, and family engagement coordinators on all components of grant 

implementation. The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF) provides training on the use of Virginia's QRIS, 

including the CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) and the ECERS-R (Early Childhood Environment 
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Rating Scale - Revised), to guide program improvement efforts. The Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and 

Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia provides coach training and support and technical assistance to 

school division leaders on the development of continuous improvement plans, improving teacher practices, 

and selecting coaching models. SRI International (SRI), assisted by School Readiness Consulting (SRC) and RAND 

Corporation, is conducting a comprehensive evaluation of VPI+, including a formative evaluation of VPI+ 

implementation, a summative evaluation of VPI+ impact on children's school readiness, and a cost analysis (still 

in progress) to determine investments needed for desired outcomes. To date, Virginia has been successful in 

maintaining the effectiveness of all partners, which have met or exceeded the expectations outlined in the 

grant application. 

- Improved Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) ratings

As part of Virginia's tiered quality rating and improvement system (QRIS), called Virginia Quality, the VECF 

conducted observations of VPI+ classrooms using CLASS and ECERS-R in Years 1 and 3 of the PDG. A full CLASS 

and ECERS-R rating is required for Virginia's QRIS in one out of three classrooms at each site. If there is more 

than one VPI+ classroom at a site, classrooms are randomly selected on the day of the observation. To guide 

teacher-level professional development, any VPI+ classroom that was not selected for the full Virginia's QRIS 

rating was provided with a CLASS-only rating so that every VPI+ classroom teacher had CLASS results. In 

2017-2018, 58 schools (program sites) received full CLASS and ECERS-R ratings. The remaining 12 VPI+ 

classrooms received only a CLASS rating (for a total of 70 VPI+ classrooms with CLASS ratings by December 

2017). 

Virginia's QRIS awards quality levels from 1 to 5 based on nationally recognized standards and best practices. 

VPI+ classrooms showed substantial improvement in their QRIS ratings from Year 1 to Year 3, with the number 

of classrooms rated at Quality Level 4 or 5 increasing from 20 in Fall 2015 to 30 in Fall 2017. 

Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Scores 

CLASS is a tool that measures the daily interactions between teachers and students and among students in 

three domains: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. CLASS scores range from 

1 to 7, grouped into three ranges: low-range scores fall between 1.00 and 2.99; mid-range scores fall between 

3.00 and 5.99; and high-range scores fall between 6.00 and 7.00. The Virginia QRIS set thresholds at 5.00 or 

higher in the Emotional Support/Classroom Organization domains and 3.25 or higher in the Instructional 

Support domain for programs to receive a Level 4 rating (the minimum goal for VPI+ programs). 

Almost all VPI+ classrooms met the established thresholds for the emotional support and classroom 

organization domains (96% and 91%, respectively), and 59% of classrooms met the threshold for the 

instructional support domain. In fact, VPI+ classrooms, on average, exceeded the minimum thresholds set by 

the Virginia QRIS in every domain. They received high quality ratings on the emotional support domain, with an 

average score of 6.20, and moderate quality ratings on the classroom organization and instructional support 

domains (5.86 and 3.37, respectively). 

Most notable is grant wide progress in the area of instructional support, moving from an average below the 

threshold in Year 1 to above the threshold in Year 3. All 11 Subgrantees increased their CLASS averages in at 

least one domain, and 9 of the 11 saw averages increase in all three CLASS domains. 

 
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Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale - Revised (ECERS-R) Scores 

The ECERS-R is an observation tool that is designed to measure the process quality of early childhood 

classrooms serving children ages 2 through 5. Process quality focuses on the interactions that happen in a 

classroom between children and staff, parents, other children, and the materials and activities in the learning 

environment. Process quality also looks at features such as space, schedule, and materials that relate to these 

interactions. 

The ECERS-R has seven subscales, however, only four were used for the purposes of the Virginia QRIS: 

Language-Reasoning, Activities, Interaction, and Program Structure. ECERS-R scores range from 1.00 to 7.00, 

grouped into four ranges: scores that fall between 1.00 and 1.99 are considered “inadequate”; those between 

2.00 and 3.99 are considered “minimal”; those between 4.00 and 5.99 are considered “good”; and scores that 

fall between 6.00 and 7.00 are considered “excellent.” The Virginia QRIS set minimum thresholds at 4.00 or 

higher across the four ECERS-R subscales. 

Overall, VPI+ program sites received a good quality rating (5.06) when the four ECERS-R dimensions were 

averaged together. Program sites received good quality scores for language reasoning (5.33), activities (4.23), 

and program structure (4.52), and they received an excellent quality score (6.15) for the interaction dimension. 

Most program sites met the Virginia QRIS thresholds for language reasoning and interaction dimensions (90% 

and 93%, respectively). Just under three-fourths of program sites met the threshold for the activity dimension 

(72%), and about two-thirds of program sites met the threshold for the program structure dimension (68%). 

Again, on average, VPI+ classrooms exceeded the minimum thresholds set by the Virginia QRIS in every 

dimension, with particularly strong performance in language-reasoning and interaction (1.33 and 2.15 points, 

respectively, above the threshold). Of the 11 original Subgrantees, 10 increased their ECERS-R average in at 

least one dimension, and 7 of the 11 divisions saw averages increase in all four ECERS-R dimensions. 

- Use of evaluation data to inform professional development and coaching 

As a result of assessment data analysis and by teacher request, more emphasis in professional development 

and coaching has been placed on promoting social-emotional skills of young children and preventing/reducing 

challenging behaviors. The topic was included across all major meetings and activities, including VPI+ 

Implementation Team meetings, monthly learning community calls conducted by CASTL with the Subgrantees, 

training for coaches, and other professional development activities. Additionally, CASTL is developing a series 

of online learning modules for teachers that target early childhood development and education for free public 

use in 2018. 

Description of Progress on Each Structural Element 

1 - High staff qualifications, including a teacher with a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or a 

bachelor's degree in any field with a State-approved alternative pathway, which may include coursework, 

clinical practice, and evidence of knowledge of content and pedagogy relating to early childhood, and 

teaching assistants with appropriate credentials 

SRI's comprehensive evaluation report for 2016-2017 noted that all VPI+ teachers held a bachelor's degree, 

and over half (53%) held a master's degree. Nearly all VPI+ teachers (97%) had prior experience teaching 

preschool and most (84%) had taught in a VPI+ class during the prior year. 
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2 - High-quality professional development for all staff 

January-May 2017 

Virginia state agencies and partners provided technical assistance and professional development to VPI+ 

Subgrantees in a number of ways. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) provided technical assistance 

to VPI+ coordinators, coaches, and family engagement coordinators on all components of grant 

implementation. The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF) provided training on use of Virginia's QRIS, 

including the CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) and the ECERS-R (Early Childhood Environment 

Rating Scale - Revised) to guide program improvement efforts. The Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and 

Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia provided coach training and support and technical assistance to 

school division leaders on the development of continuous improvement plans, improving teacher practices, 

and selecting coaching models. 

SRI's comprehensive evaluation report for Year 2 summarized the following technical assistance and 

professional development Subgrantees received from state partners from January-May 2017. 

Technical Assistance from the VDOE 

Throughout the year, the VDOE engaged in in-person meetings, webinars, phone calls, visits, and emails with 

school divisions' VPI+ teams. Several examples are cited below.

Meetings - In May 2017, the VDOE hosted a day-long implementation team meeting focused on a variety of 

topics, including family engagement, CLASS and QRIS data, behavior and social-emotional needs, executive 

functioning, mathematics, and meeting the needs of English learners. Presenters included representatives from 

eight school divisions, the VDOE, Teaching Strategies - GOLD, and the VECF. 

Webinars - The VDOE held a webinar providing updates on the grant and reviewed evaluation activities and 

results. The VDOE also sponsored webinars on topics such as professional-family partnerships, family 

engagement, inclusion, curriculum fidelity, and mental health resources. In addition, technical assistance was 

provided on fiscal requirements for the grant. 

Phone calls and site visits - VDOE staff also conducted quarterly phone calls and annual site visits with each 

school division. These contacts provided opportunities to discuss divisions' progress in engaging at-risk families 

and children for the VPI+ program, recruitment of children for available VPI+ classroom slots, grant and budget 

compliance, and plans for Year 2 of VPI+. 

Email updates - VDOE also regularly (twice a month) provided information to divisions through an email update 

on other relevant opportunities for professional development including conferences and institutes (i.e., Infant 

and Early Childhood Mental Health Institute, Virginia Head Start Institute, and National Early Childhood 

Inclusion 2017 Institute). 

Technical Assistance from CASTL 

CASTL's Year 2 activities were developed based on observations during division site visits, communication with 

VPI+ division leadership and coaches, and the formative and summative VPI+ reports developed by SRI in Year 
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1. CASTL provided technical assistance to school division leaders on planning for Year 2, including using their 

evaluation data, developing continuous improvement plans, and identifying division-specific coaching 

priorities. CASTL staff members also provided professional development for coaches. These activities included 

regional consultation meetings, on-site visits to VPI+ school divisions, and individual and group phone calls. 

School division consultation and technical assistance - School division VPI+ coordinators received consultation 

and technical assistance from CASTL, which included: 

- Two regional VPI+ Leadership Academies for VPI+ coordinators, coaches, and family engagement 

coordinators (each division team attended one) in February 2017. The Academies focused on planning, 

both in division teams and by roles across divisions (e.g., coaches, VPI+ coordinators, family 

engagement coordinators). Topics included reviewing and interpreting data sources using data to 

support transitions, and reflecting on strengths and challenges with creating sustainable, high-quality 

preschool programming. 

- Several consultation calls across the preschool year with each division's VPI+ team to discuss progress 

and challenges with continuous improvement plans; review fall 2016 SRI evaluation data and GOLD

data; get feedback about Leadership Academies; discuss the plans for each division for supporting 

transition to kindergarten; and identify areas in which divisions wanted to build sustainability. 

Coach Training and Support from CASTL - CASTL provided professional development to VPI+ coaches, with 

three objectives: 1) promoting coaching intensity (contact frequency and use of intensive support strategies), 

2) supporting ongoing coaching focus on effective teacher-child interactions and content area practices aligned 

with divisions' continuous improvement plans, and 3) building a community of learning among coaches across 

VPI+ divisions. These activities included: 

- Monthly learning community calls focused on math and social-emotional practice; 

- Coaching calls for each division's coach or coaches to discuss coaching focus and intensity through 

case studies and databased feedback, motivational interviewing strategies, and coaching models for 

some divisions; and 

- Special training for new coaches in three divisions that introduced them to practice-based coaching 

and professional development planning. 

Professional Development Resources from CASTL - Based on Year 1 Implementation findings, CASTL developed 

several tools to improve the focus and intensity of coaching including one-page briefs on teaching practices for 

specific content and observational tools to use when observing certain content domains (e.g., language, 

literacy, mathematics) and a website (www.vpiplus.org) that includes a searchable database of professional 

development resources and videos. A new monthly VPI+ Administrator blog was launched in May 2017 as a 

tool to engage more participation by school administrators in an effort to improve PreK-Grade 3 alignment by 

sharing information about quality PreK and alignment with older grades. The initial subscriber lists (May-June 

2017) were generated from 1) lists of building administrators (i.e., opting in every principal and assistant 

principal with a VPI+ classroom in their building), 2) Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) specialists, and 3) 

lists of VPI+ core division team members (coordinators, coaches, family engagement coordinators). Blog 

participation has increased from 314 at the time of the May 2017 launch to 409 in January 2018. 

 
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Technical Assistance from VECF 

VECF staff built the capacity of VPI+ coordinators and coaches to use data from classroom observations for 

improving program quality. VECF staff members provided support to VPI+ coordinators and coaches through 

trainings on the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and the Early Childhood Environment Rating 

Scale-Revised (ECERS-R). At coaching training, VECF partnered with CASTL to present on: 1) ways teachers can 

maximize learning opportunities during transition times (an area of concern on quality ratings); 2) ways to get 

children thinking and moving more in their learning centers; and 3) how to observe and assess change in 

teacher-child interactions through video review. At the spring 2017 VDOE implementation meeting, VECF 

presented on using the CLASS to measure and improve academic rigor. 

At the request of divisions, VECF held ten individual or regional trainings for VPI+ coaches and teachers about 

the use of quality rating scales for program improvement: five trainings on ECERS-R; two trainings on the CLASS 

domains of Emotional Support and Classroom Organization, and three trainings on the CLASS PreK observation 

tool (one for teachers and one for teaching assistants). 

VECF also held a one-hour call with VPI+ coordinators, family engagement coordinators, and Smart Beginnings 

to discuss how VECF can support divisions with birth to third grade alignment and division successes, 

challenges, and strategies or assistance needed to be successful in their work related to birth to third grade 

alignment. 

Other State Partner Training 

In spring 2017, VPI+ staff had access to Preschool Development Grant webinar presentations on family 

engagement by the Center for the Study of Social Policy; supporting English Learners by the National Institute 

for Early Education Research and AEM Corporation; supporting children with incarcerated parents by Missouri 

Department of Corrections; and language and literacy development by various state representatives. They also 

received an introduction to the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration's Toolbox for Infant 

and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation by the Early Childhood Mental Health Institute, and a Health 

and Human Service resource, Enhancing Trusting Partnerships at the Systems and Practice Levels: Reciprocal 

Opportunities for Professionals and Families. In addition, they had opportunities to participate in the National 

Early Childhood Inclusion Institute Conference, the Early Childhood Mental Health Institute Conference, the 

Virginia ASCD PreK-Kindergarten conference on creating age-appropriate classrooms, and a webinar sponsored 

by the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center on family engagement. 

Local Coaching and Professional Development 

To help VPI+ classrooms achieve implementation of all the components of a high-quality preschool program, 

VPI+ coaches are tasked to help teachers implement evidence-based curricula to target learning in the five 

essential domains of school readiness, engage in effective teacher-child interactions, and individualize 

instruction based on formative assessments. 

Professional Development 

Local school divisions offered professional development through a procured list of options or through other 

vendors approved by VDOE and through local VPI+ coaches. These opportunities included local in-person 

training sessions, online modules, webinars, and coaching. 
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The Creative Curriculum and GOLD - Four different curricula have been adopted and implemented across the 11 

VPI+ school divisions participating in the PDG in 2016-2017. (See #7 below.) Most teachers (80%) reported 

receiving some professional development on the use of their respective curricula during 2015-2016 and/or 

2016-2017. Teachers using The Creative Curriculum received an average of 18.7 hours of professional 

development across the two years of implementation. Teachers using the other curricula received an average 

of 7.6 hours of professional development on their respective curricula during the same time period. 

Almost all (98%) teachers received some professional development on GOLD, receiving an average of 16.3 

hours of professional development on GOLD over the two years combined. 

Instructional Content and Strategies - Most VPI+ teachers received professional development on the content 

areas of literacy and language combined (89%) and mathematics (74%). Fewer teachers received professional 

development in the content areas of approaches to learning (53%), science (52%), arts (38%), and physical 

health and motor development (24%). 

Overall, a similar percentage of teachers reported receiving professional development on various content areas 

and domains in 2016-2017 as in 2015-2016. However, there was an increase in the percent of teachers 

receiving professional development on social and emotional development and a decrease in those receiving it 

on physical and motor development. 

More teachers reported receiving professional development on a variety of instructional strategies in 

2016-2017 compared to the previous year, especially strategies related to social and emotional development. 

In 2016-2017, almost all VPI+ teachers received professional development on supportive environments (95%), 

teacher-child interactions (92%), classroom organization and management (87%), and supporting children with 

challenging behaviors (73%). The emphasis on social-emotional well-being and skills increased between the 

first and second years of implementation. Also, in 2016-2017, about two-thirds of VPI+ teachers received 

professional development on incorporating learning into transition activities (65%) and collecting and using 

formative assessment data (65%). About half of VPI+ teachers received professional development on family 

engagement (60%) and supporting the transition to kindergarten (48%). About a third received professional 

development on working with dual language learners (39%) and children with special needs (29%). 

Coaching 

In 2016-2017, 13 (11.6 FTE) coaches supported 118 VPI+ teachers. On average, each coach FTE was responsible 

for 10.2 VPI+ teachers (including both new and Improved VPI+ classrooms), but this varied considerably by 

school division (ranging from 2 to 32 VPI+ teachers per coach). Some coaches played other roles in their 

divisions, as well. 

In 2016-2017, coaches served 98% of teachers in the 118 VPI+ classrooms compared to 88% of teachers in the 

110 VPI+ classrooms in the previous year. In 2016-2017, VPI+ teachers, on average, received 28.6 coaching 

contacts totaling 21.1 hours of coaching between mid-August 2016 and May 31, 2017. Coaching intensity was 

greater for the 18 teachers who joined VPI+ in 2016-2017 than for the 100 teachers who also taught for VPI+ 

the previous year. 

Coaches supported VPI+ teachers using three types of contacts: 1) working with them in classrooms with 

students present, 2) holding individualized coaching sessions in person or by phone, and 3) facilitating group 

trainings. The emphasis on group training increased from 2015-2016 to 2016-2017, and the focus on 
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individualized coaching sessions conversely decreased. 

According to VPI+ coordinators and coaches, coaching often was tailored to meet individual teachers' needs, 

and a given contact could include work on more than one focus area. In most of their contacts in 2016-2017, 

coaches addressed teacher-child interactions and domain-specific content related to the five essential domains 

of school readiness. More than a third of coaching contacts in 2016-2017 addressed supportive environments, 

and there was an increase in the emphasis on assisting English learners and children with special needs from 

2015-2016 to 2016-2017. 

June-December 2017 

PDG grant partners continued to provide professional development and technical assistance during the 

summer and into the 2017-2018 school year. Examples are provided below: 

- June 19, 2017 - VASCD's Annual PreK-Kindergarten Conference, Newport News, VA 

Age-Appropriate Classrooms for Young Learners: Sessions addressed ways in which classroom environments, 

instructional design, approaches to solving problems, and other factors influence children's abilities to manage 

their behaviors and their learning. 

- July 25-26, 2017 - Training on CLASS for PreK 

The VECF provided training toward certification as a rater for CLASS, pending a passing score on the 

certification exam. 

- Summer Phone Interviews Related to Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in VPI+ 

The VDOE conducted technical assistance phone interviews with Subgrantees that had not served the required 

6.4 percent of children with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in their VPI+ classrooms. The purpose of 

the interviews was to discuss expectations of the Preschool Development Grant, identify unique barriers to 

inclusion, and identify resources and strategies to support improved inclusive practices. 

- August 23 or 24, 2017 - Virginia's Year 3 PDG Kickoff Webinar

Participants received program updates and reminders, fiscal notes, monitoring timelines, evaluation updates, 

and reminders of future activities. 

- October 18-20, 2017 - VPI+ Coach Training 

As a result of assessment data analysis, activities focused on promoting social-emotional skills of young 

children and preventing/reducing challenging behaviors. Separate sessions were held for new coaches and 

returning coaches. 

- October 26, November 6, and November 9, 2017 - Early Childhood Education Leaders Collaborative Institutes 
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These regional institutes targeted technical assistance and professional development to leaders in early 

childhood programs who act as 1) the program administrator for Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) 

programs, 2) the program coordinator for the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) or the Virginia Preschool 

Initiative Plus (VPI+) programs, and/or 3) the Disabilities Specialist for Head Start programs. 

- October 30, 2017 - Family Engagement Strategies Professional Development 

Dr. Steven Constantino, recognized internationally for his work in family engagement, presented his research 

and strategies for successful family engagement. Dr. Constantino is the Acting Superintendent of Public 

Instruction at the VDOE. The results of the Year 2 family engagement survey were also presented to 

participants, along with a discussion on how to use the data to improve services. 

- December 7, 2017 - Technical Assistance Webinar on Sustainability 

CASTL facilitated a technical assistance webinar featuring Dr. Lori Connors-Tadros of the Center on Enhancing 

Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO), who shared a sustainability model applicable to VPI+ as well as a selfassessment tool designed to guide sustainability planning priorities. 

- December 2017 - STEM in Early Childhood 

Preschool Development Grant Technical Assistance and AEM Corporation offered an 11-module series 

featuring national experts' webinar recordings, suggested research readings and practical application 

experiences/activities, designed to enhance professionals' confidence in supporting young children's higher 

order thinking, and STEM learning. 

- Monthly emails to VPI+ Administrator Blog Subscribers 

These emails apprised subscribers of the topic of the monthly blog entry, outlined the main points of the 

article, and provided additional resources related to the topic. As of January 2018, topics included the 

importance of investing in preschool, what to look for and how to support a quality preschool program, 

fostering active engagement for young learners, things to start off the year right in preschool, early literacy, 

do's and don'ts of using kindergarten readiness data, preschoolers' self-regulation and challenging behaviors, 

and the top 10 high-quality preschool resources of 2017. 

- TS GOLD online course 

Participants in this online course practice applying learning to typical classroom scenarios, build knowledge 

about child development and developmentally appropriate practice, and engage in short tutorials that enable 

interaction with the material in new ways. They may earn 10 continuing education units (CEU) for successful 

completion of the course. 

 

 
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Plans for 2018 

- VPI+ Coach Training 

This three-day training in January 2018 will assist VPI+ coaches as they continue to deliver support to VPI+ 

teachers. 

- CLASS PreK Training 

Participants at this two-day January 2018 training will be trained on the CLASS PreK observational tool, with the 

potential to achieve reliability on the tool, translating to certification as a rater. 

- Early Childhood Communities of Learning 

Five online sessions will be held in January, February, March, May, and October 2018. Two additional live 

events will occur: 1) a one-day funding workshop in April on braiding funding to support early childhood 

programs, and 2) a two-day summer institute in July designed to apply what has been learned through the 

online sessions. 

- VPI+ Leadership Academy 

Planned for April 2018, the Academy will focus on how to successfully communicate the value of high-quality 

preschool programming to key stakeholders in preparation for sustaining an effective preschool program 

beyond the period of the PDG grant. 

- Showcase PreK in VA Pilot 

The showcase planned for July 2018 will 1) cultivate a model for regional peer learning and networking, 2) 

share best practices that demonstrate the elements of high-quality preschool, and 3) recognize success to 

garner attention for local sustainability. Approximately six VPI+ sites will host two visiting days in Year 4 with 

curated experiential professional development for a wide audience, including day care providers, teachers, 

elementary leaders, center directors, superintendents, etc. 

- Statewide PreK Teachers' Institute 

This two-day Institute for PreK teachers, focused on social-emotional learning and mathematics, is tentatively 

scheduled for July 2018 in Williamsburg, VA. 

- Development of Video Resources 

CASTL is developing a series of learning modules on a variety of high-need topics, including the socialemotional development of young learners. They will be accompanied by PowerPoint presentations for VPI+ 

coaches and others to use, especially as they begin to transition away from the federal support provided by the 

preschool development grant funds. 
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- Development of Sustainability Resources 

CASTL is also developing a three-part set of sustainability resources: 1) conceptual model of key components 

for successful sustainability; 2) an accompanying Sustainability Needs Assessment; and 3) a set of linked highquality sustainability resources aligned to the needs assessment areas. 

3 - A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1 

4 - A class size of no more than 20 with, at a minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications 

SRI's comprehensive evaluation report for 2016-2017 confirmed that the average child-to-instructional staff 

ratio in VPI+ classes was 8.5 children to 1 teacher or assistant teacher. Nearly all classes had 18 or fewer 

children, averaging 17.3 children. 

5 - A full-day program 

SRI's comprehensive evaluation report for 2016-2017 confirmed that all VPI+ programs offer a full-day 

schedule. Seven Subgrantees extended the full-day VPI+ program through summer 2017, implementing all 12 

elements of a high-quality preschool program. 

6 - Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all opportunities 

Virginia has made a strong effort to identify and include children with disabilities in its VPI+ program in order to 

meet the PDG commitment to enroll a percentage of children with disabilities not less than the current national 

average of 6.4 percent. As a result, by spring 2017, 8 percent of children served in Virginia's VPI+ programs 

were identified as children with disabilities, exceeding the national average. At the state level, a large part of 

this work was achieved through collaboration among stakeholders to ensure that the features and availability 

of VPI+ are known, accessible, and can be replicated. As of December 1, 2017, 5 percent of the 2017-2018 VPI+ 

children had been identified as having a disability; however, Subgrantees indicated that the identification 

process was ongoing. It is anticipated that this number will increase by the end of school year 2017-2018. 

Collaboration with Section 619 of IDEA 

The VPI+ Implementation Team, Virginia's grant management team, includes the VDOE's instructional specialist 

for Section 619 of IDEA (Preschool Grants for Children with Disabilities). She and the VDOE's early childhood 

team have collaborated carefully to support inclusion through activities such as the development of a website 

dedicated to early childhood special education and attention to several legislative actions that have an impact 

on early childhood special education such as the creation of the School Readiness Committee and the Mixed 

Delivery Pilots. 

The 619 instructional specialist and VDOE VPI+ staff have been instrumental in providing guidance to 

Subgrantees on ways to ensure that children with disabilities and their families have access to and are able to 

fully participate in the VPI+ program. Virginia's Special Education Training and Technical Assistance Centers (T/

TACs) often participate in or assist with professional development in this area. 

 

 
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Professional development examples include: 

 - April 26, 2017 - Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Program Administrator Spring Institute 

The Institute targeted technical assistance and professional development to school division leaders who act as 

the program administrator for ECSE programs. The LEADS (Leadership in Effective and DevelopmentallyAppropriate Services) spring institute provided support to school division leaders in the implementation of 

programs for preschool children with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and the collection, reporting, 

and use of ECSE indicator data. Participants increased their knowledge and skills about recommendations for 

developing and refining a consistent process to collect preschool outcomes data; ways to increase accuracy of 

the collection and reporting of preschool outcomes data; strategies to use the process and preschool outcomes 

data to improve ECSE programs; and resources that support increased data quality. 

- July 19-21, 2017 - Creating Connections to Shining Stars: Virginia's Collaborative Early Childhood Birth through 

Five Conference 

This Conference was a collaborative effort between many state agencies and early childhood programs in 

Virginia, including VDOE's early childhood team. The conference focused on promoting and supporting the 

implementation of evidence-based practices in inclusive settings for young children, both with and without 

disabilities. At the 2017 conference, members of the VPI+ Implementation Team and other staff members 

made presentations on Virginia Quality (Virginia's QRIS) and innovative professional development formats used 

in implementation of Virginia's PDG. 

- October 26, November 6, and November 9, 2017 - Early Childhood Education Leaders Collaborative Institutes 

The Institutes focused on building and leading high-quality early childhood inclusive programs, including 

regulations and state initiatives related to increasing and improving inclusive practices for children with 

disabilities; key challenges and solutions to implementing inclusive programs; successful strategies and peer-topeer discussions about quality inclusive programs; and tools and resources to support the development of 

policies and procedures that promote preschool inclusion. 

Agency and Statewide Efforts to Promote Inclusion 

In addition to the technical assistance provided to Subgrantees, members of the VPI+ Implementation Team 

participate in the following agency and statewide groups that promote access to and provide services for 

children with disabilities. 

The Early Childhood Special Education Network, created by the VDOE, has four goals: 

- To create a system of partnerships with leaders in early childhood special education; 

- To promote collection and use of valid, reliable, and accurate data; 

- To promote the use of quality curriculum-based assessment practices; and 
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- To explore how preschool VTSS (Virginia Tiered Systems of Support) will be implemented and 

connected to K-12 VTSS. (VTSS is a framework and philosophy that provides resources and support to 

help every student to be successful in academics and behavior.)

Membership consists of representatives from stakeholders that serve Virginia's special education population, 

including education, social services, mental health, professional development consortia, special education 

Training and Technical Assistance Centers (T/TACs) housed in Virginia colleges and universities, and entities 

that serve specific populations such as homeless, autistic, deaf, and blind students. The network met regularly 

in 2017. Attendees used the opportunity to share resources and voice needs that might be met through 

collaborative work. VPI and VPI+ representatives are part of this network. 

The Virginia Cross-Sector Professional Development Team promotes planning, development, implementation, 

and evaluation of professional development to ensure coordination of all early childhood professional 

development in Virginia. VCPD team members are committed to building a unified system to support families 

and their children (prenatal to age 5) in Virginia. This includes but is not limited to infants, toddlers and 

preschoolers who may experience risk factors for school readiness, economic disadvantages, and cultural and 

linguistic differences; English learners; and young children with disabilities and special health needs. Members 

provide professional development to early childhood practitioners who serve children and families in home, 

school, and community settings. VPI and VPI+ representatives serve on this team. 

The Virginia Department of Education's Inclusive Practices Workgroup was formed as a workgroup within the 

Virginia Cross-Sector Professional Development Team to focus on four goals: 

- To provide a common understanding of the definitions, laws, and regulations governing students with 

disabilities as they relate to least restrictive environment and inclusion; 

- To identify barriers to more inclusive practices; 

- To review state and division policies and procedures for support of students with disabilities in regular 

classrooms and more inclusive settings; and 

- To recommend strategies, accommodations, and instructional practices that increase access to more 

inclusive settings. 

Subgrantee Efforts to Promote Participation of Children with Disabilities 

A review of Subgrantee annual plans provides several examples of ways they ensure that children with 

disabilities are included in the VPI+ program. 

Norfolk City Public Schools 

The VPI+ staff work in partnership with parents, teachers, the Learning Support-Special Education Services, and 

other educational agencies to ensure that families of children with disabilities are provided the opportunity to 

be active participants on the Student Assessment Team. The Student Assessment Team ensures that students 

with disabilities are placed in the least restrictive environment. The VPI+ staff work with parents to identify 

resources in the community that will provide services for students with disabilities. The VPI+ program 
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maintains a positive dialogue with collaborative agencies. In addition, the VPI+ program manager works closely 

with the Senior Coordinator of Early Childhood Special Education and the Preschool Assessment Team to 

ensure students with disabilities have full participation in the VPI+ program. The program has priority eligibility 

criteria that ensure the most vulnerable children are served, including children with disabilities. 

Petersburg City Public Schools 

VPI+ staff meet quarterly to discuss integration of special education services into the regular education 

classroom. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) defines the support for students on an individual basis. 

The special education teacher and/or speech/language pathologist collaborates with the VPI+ teacher to 

address the child's goals and objectives during regular instruction. Children are not removed from the VPI+ 

classroom to receive specialized instruction. Special education staff share individualized strategies, visual 

supports, and/or behavior management techniques with the VPI+ teacher. Programs share any staff 

development opportunities related to modifying the curriculum, working with students with special needs, and 

managing challenging behaviors. VPI+ (new and improved) and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) classes 

participate in activities together throughout the school day. Activities include field trips, resource time such as 

library, outdoor recess, eating lunch together, and instructional time that promotes social interaction. When 

applicable, IEPs are in effect prior to preschool. Representatives meet with families for transition planning of 

available services, the eligibility process, and to discuss the preschool years. 

Prince William County Public Schools 

The VPI+ program works in collaboration with the Prince William County (PWC) Child Find office, which then 

refers children to the VPI+ program. Students enrolled in the VPI+ program are screened, and children who fail 

screenings for speech, language, or development are referred to Child Find for further screening and/or full 

evaluations. Enrollment priority is given to children with IEPs. Children with IEPs are supported in the classroom 

by special education resource teachers who work in collaboration with the VPI+ teacher to implement the goals 

of the IEP. 

Winchester City Public Schools 

The regional program serving students with disabilities is asked for referrals. Staff members follow up on those 

referrals and register eligible students. As new students are screened and/or found eligible, they are contacted, 

and staff share eligibility requirements for the VPI+ program. Speech services and occupational therapy 

services for eligible students are provided during school hours. Child Study and eligibility meetings are 

scheduled and held at times convenient for parents, and they involve VPI+ staff, as well. Transportation for 

families is provided or arranged, as necessary. 

7 - Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and evidence based 

curricula, and learning environments that are aligned with the State Early Learning and Development 

Standards, for at least the year prior to kindergarten entry 

Curriculum Implementation 

Eight of Virginia's original 11 Subgrantees and one new Subgrantee use The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, 

which includes resources to assist teachers to plan and deliver content-rich programs for children from diverse 

backgrounds and developmental levels. 
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Three original Subgrantees and one new Subgrantee requested to use a preschool curriculum other than 

Creative Curriculum. These Subgrantees submitted their proposed curricula to the Center for Advanced Study 

of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia for review of alignment with the curriculum 

selected for use in the state. These curricula were approved as follows: 

- Fairfax County Public Schools - Locally-developed curriculum 

- Henrico County Public Schools - Houghton Mifflin PreK 

- Prince William County Public Schools - High Scope 

- Virginia Beach City Public Schools - Locally-developed curriculum 

SRI's comprehensive evaluation report for 2016-2017 noted that across Virginia's Subgrantees, in contrast to 

Year 1 of implementation, when fewer than one-third (32%) of teachers had prior experience with their 

division's curriculum, in Year 2, a large majority (88%) of VPI+ teachers were using a curriculum they had used 

the past year. A large majority (93%) of VPI+ teachers reported their classrooms had the materials to support 

their curriculum, and they were confident in their ability to teach the curriculum (93%). 

VPI+ teachers reported allocating similar amounts of instructional time to child-directed (34%) and teacherdirected (37%) activities. They reported that children engaged in lessons or projects in the areas of language, 

literacy, and physical education more often than in other areas. Most VPI+ teachers also reported that their 

children participated daily in projects or lessons focused on mathematics, dance or creative movement, music, 

and art. 

All 13 Subgrantees use Teaching Strategies GOLD as a formative assessment. GOLD is an observation-based 

system for assessing the development and learning of children from birth through kindergarten. The 

instrument helps teachers document children's development and learning at particular points in time, use that 

information to inform instruction, and communicate findings to families and other stakeholders. 

SRI's comprehensive evaluation report for 2016-2017 found that over 90 percent of VPI+ teachers felt 

confident collecting data using the GOLD formative assessment and interpreting the results. The majority of 

VPI+ teachers also felt that GOLD was useful for informing curricular and lesson planning, individualizing 

instruction for students, and evaluating the effectiveness of their practice. 

Child Outcomes 

SRI's comprehensive evaluation report found that VPI+ children in 2016-2017 made statistically significant gains 

from fall 2016 to spring 2017 across all domains: literacy, mathematics, approaches to learning, and social and 

emotional development, as well as in assessment of gross and fine motor skills. 

Literacy skills (PALS-PreK) - VPI+ children in Year 2 made statistically significant gains over the course of their 

preschool year. In fall 2016, VPI+ children's average scores for all PALS-PreK skills (uppercase alphabet 

recognition, beginning sound awareness, name writing, print and word awareness, rhyme awareness, and 

nursery rhyme awareness) were below the expected developmental thresholds for the spring of preschool. By 

the spring 2017, VPI+ children's average scores for all PALS-PreK skills met or exceeded the expected 
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developmental thresholds. 

General knowledge and cognition - To measure general knowledge and cognition, the evaluation examined 

growth in early mathematics skills using the Woodcock-Johnson III Applied Problems subtest. VPI+ children in 

Year 2 experienced significant gains on the Applied Problems subtest of early mathematics skills between fall 

and spring based on W scores, which consider both the child's ability as well as the difficulty of each item. 

Children increased an average of 8.9 W units from fall to spring. These data suggest children are entering the 

VPI+ program with at least some basic knowledge of counting, and are showing small but statistically significant 

gains in their knowledge across the year. 

Approaches to learning - The teacher-reported Task Orientation subscale of the T-CRS 2.1 (Teacher-Child Rating 

Scale) was used to assess gains in the approaches to learning domain. Teachers were asked to rate the 

children's enjoyment in learning, task persistence, and curiosity levels, especially when confronted with new 

skills or tasks. Statistically significant gains occurred overall for VPI+ children in Year 2, from a 55.8 percentile 

rank in the fall to a 59.3 percentile rank in the spring. These mean rank scores are within or above the 

developmental ranges for these scales. 

Social and emotional development - The teacher-reported T-CRS 2.1 was also used to measure gains in 

children's social and emotional development, i.e., their ability to get along with others (Peer Social Skills 

subscale) and their ability to regulate their emotions and frustrations (Behavior Control subscale). The HTKS 

(Head, Toes, Knees, Shoulders) task was used to measure self-regulation. VPI+ children in Year 2 experienced 

small but significant increases in their peer social skills from fall to spring. They had small but statistically 

significant increases in their behavior control skills, and they made statistically significant improvements in 

their self-regulation scores as measured by the HTKS from fall to spring. 

Motor skills - Based on direct assessment of children's motor skills, most children were able to perform gross 

motor, fine motor, and balance/coordination tasks in the spring of preschool. Most children (69%) could jump, 

land on both feet, and clap while airborne, over half (56%) could balance on one foot and then the other, and 

nearly all children (98%) were able to copy a circle at the end of preschool. 

8 - Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children can access and participate fully in 

learning activities 

Research conducted for The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and Teaching Strategies GOLD has shown the 

formative assessment product to be valid and reliable for children of diverse cultures, languages, and 

socioeconomic backgrounds. They have been used successfully with all children, including children who are 

developing typically, children with disabilities, and children who demonstrate competencies beyond typical 

developmental expectations. Teaching Strategies GOLD meets the National Research Council's indicators for 

appropriate assessment, and its comprehensiveness supports understanding of children's progress toward 

school readiness and their developmental status at kindergarten entry. 

All Virginia Subgrantees have addressed ways they accommodate the needs of and support all children to allow 

full participation in learning activities. Selected examples from specific Subgrantees include: 

Fairfax County Public Schools 

The Disabilities Specialist (DS) or special education teacher assigned to community programs provides 

professional development training and ongoing supports to VPI+ coach and teaching teams on the 
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administration of the program's developmental screening tool. This includes on-site support and program-wide 

trainings using videos and voice-over PowerPoint presentations posted in the program's online system 

(Blackboard). Direct and Turn-Around training is provided to VPI+ coach and central office staff that target 

specific developmental delays and concerns that include identification, strategies and interventions, data 

collection, and outcomes in order to target specific individual needs. The DS team, VPI+ coach, VPI+ teaching 

team and early childhood special education teacher (if appropriate) conduct professional development 

trainings at support-team meetings that target individual students needs to include modeling of strategy, 

sharing of information, and providing resources appropriate to needs. Other targeted professional 

development trainings for staff include monthly leadership meetings, coaching meetings, webinars, and 

resources available through the local and state educational associations. 

Giles County Public Schools 

IEP teams consider placement of students with disabilities who meet the age requirement and 200 percent 

poverty requirement in VPI+ slots. Additional funding has been budgeted for part-time staff to provide the 

supports needed for students with disabilities who exhibit significant behavioral challenges that impact the 

student's ability to access and progress in the curriculum and interfere with the other preschool students' 

access to instruction. Families are supported by preschool staff special education case managers, related 

service providers, and preschool staff. 

Henrico County Public Schools 

Each classroom is provided with a Family Advocate who acts as both a support for families as well as a gateway 

to resources. Family advocates assist families that are in need of additional help and/or resources such as 

clothing, medical assistance, transportation services, employment information, etc. Families and family 

advocates work together on an individual Family Needs Assessment in order to identify needs and goals. 

Families define the level of support/information and what is helpful to them. Translators are available for home 

visits, school meetings, parent-teacher conferences, and whenever needed. English learners are provided for 

and welcomed into all classrooms, as classrooms all utilize visuals and culturally rich materials (books, 

literature, puzzles, toys, and other items representative of a variety of cultures). English language webinars and 

staff development sessions are provided by the County and also by community resources. All families who 

enter the school system who speak another language are provided information and support by the Henrico 

County Public Schools "Welcome Center,” which supports families as they navigate signing children up for 

school, access adult language courses (English), and need pairing with community resources. 

9 - Instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff 

Since Virginia's Subgrantees are all school divisions, preschool teachers who teach in preschool programs 

operated by school divisions are paid according to the school division's pay scale. SRI's comprehensive 

evaluation report for 2016-2017 found that VPI+ teacher salaries averaged $48,463, and ranged from $34,445 

to $88,127. The average salary of K-12 teachers in Virginia was $54,486, and VPI+ teachers' annual salary was 

$6,000 lower, despite being paid on the same scale as K-12 division staff. The report noted that this may have 

been due to VPI+ teachers having fewer years of experience, thus being placed lower on their school divisions' 

salary scales. 

Subgrantees that contract with private providers indicate that salaries of teachers who work in private provider 

settings are comparable to those working within public school settings. 
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10 - Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement; 

To measure impact and support program improvement, in August 2015 Virginia contracted with SRI 

International (SRI), assisted by School Readiness Consulting (SRC) and RAND Corporation, to conduct a 

comprehensive evaluation of VPI+, including a formative evaluation of VPI+ implementation, a summative 

evaluation of VPI+ impact on children's school readiness, and a cost analysis (still in progress) to determine 

investments needed for desired outcomes. The spring 2017 Formative Evaluation Report was delivered on June 

30, 2017. SRI's Annual Report was finalized on August 31, 2017.

Additionally, in July 2017, the University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning 

(CASTL) provided a Year 2 Implementation Report on the technical assistance and professional development it 

provided for VPI+ coordinators, coaches, and family engagement coordinators. Data and information from 

these implementation and evaluation reports have been used to complete this Annual Performance Report. 

11 - On-site or accessible Comprehensive Services for children and community partnerships that promote 

families' access to services that support their children's learning and development 

All Subgrantees outlined their approach to comprehensive services in the development of their annual plan, 

including Title I of ESEA; Part B of IDEA; Part C of IDEA; Head Start; and programs for homeless children, foster 

children, migrant children, and English Language Learners (ELLs). SRI's comprehensive evaluation report noted 

that VPI+ coordinators reported that large majorities of children enrolled in VPI+ programs and their families 

had readily available access to a wide range of local services and supports. Results of a survey conducted by the 

VDOE in spring 2017 found that 64 percent of parents reported receiving information about dental care, 

medical health care, parenting skills, where to receive healthy food, adult education classes or job training, and 

health insurance. 

Examples of how Subgrantees approached this requirement for Parts B and C of IDEA are included in #6 and #8 

above. Additional selected examples include: 

Brunswick County Public Schools - Head Start 

VPI+ staff work collaboratively with Head Start since the division has a VPI+/Head Start classroom in which 

students are dually enrolled. VPI+ funds provide the salary match for the classroom teacher. The two programs 

share professional development activities and family engagement events. Staff meet at least twice a year, and 

the programs hold joint registrations. 

Chesterfield County Public Schools - Title I, Head Start, Early Childhood Special Education 

The VPI+ program conducts a spring transition workshop for parents of all students in Head Start, VPI, VPI+, 

early childhood special education, and Title I preschool. The preschool teachers at each site conduct the 

workshop for parents to receive information pertinent to their home schools. Parents are given materials to 

help with transitioning, early literacy, and mathematics in preparation for kindergarten. 

Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) - English Learners 

The VPI+ program follows the English Language Learner policy and procedures for supporting children in their 
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acquisition of English. The VPI+ Coordinator/Coach works with the ESOL Coordinator, the teachers, the Family 

Engagement Specialist, and the Preschool Advisory Council at the elementary schools to provide support for 

students, training for teachers, communication with parents, and coordination of services for the families of 

the students across the division. VPI+ surveys families during the application process on the extent of language 

acquisition that the applicant may have and the probability of support needed for their child. Information 

about the prekindergarten programs and the services available are shared with families at that time. 

Interpreters are on-site for all events to provide support to ensure families fully understand the process, the 

programs, and general information. Once a determination is made, necessary interpreters and translators are 

provided for all parent events: open house, orientation, conferences, home visits, etc., as well as written 

translation of documents in home languages for clarity of understanding. The FCPS ESOL Department provides 

assistance with this process especially when an uncommon language is needed. 

Richmond City Public Schools - Foster Children 

VPI+ works closely with the Department of Social Services and foster parents to develop a family plan to meet 

the individual needs of each child and family. The family engagement coordinator assists with biological 

reunification when needed by meeting with the biological parents to explain the program and offer any 

assistance with community resources. The family engagement coordinator also provides support services as 

needed for changes in foster care homes and/or adoption. 

Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) - Health Screenings and Nutrition 

Health screenings took place during summer health fairs in August 2017. For families that did not attend 

summer health fairs, children were screened during the first 60 days of the program year. The program works 

with each family to obtain a physical and dental examination for their child that is needed. The school division 

food service department provides breakfast, snacks, and lunch to children in new VPI+ classrooms. The VPI+ 

classes are in a school that participates in the Community Eligibility Provision program, and program leaders 

work with VBCPS Department of Food Services to have the snacks provided at no cost to the families. 

12 - Evidence-based health and safety standards 

All of Virginia's PDG Subgrantees are public school divisions. Preschool programs operated by public school 

divisions in Virginia must adhere to school health and safety standards as required by the Code of Virginia and 

other regulations. Three Subgrantees (Fairfax County, Norfolk City, and Richmond City) are partnering with 

state-licensed community-based organizations or private providers. All state-licensed preschool providers 

comply with state health and safety standards that were revised in October 2016. 

Health 

Virginia school divisions have annual requirements for school health. School health programs support the 

physical and emotional well-being of students through school nursing services, health education covering a 

range of developmentally appropriate topics, and other services that promote a healthy learning environment. 

Below are the topics addressed in the Virginia School Health Guidelines. Included in the health guidelines are 

specific health requirements dictated by the Code of Virginia. 

 
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Virginia School Health Guidelines Manual (by chapter) 

- Forward - School Health Guidelines (PDF) 

- School Health Programs 

- The Components of a School Health Program (PDF) 

- Developing a Program: Infrastructure and the Planning Process (PDF) 

- Parent and Community Involvement (PDF) 

- School Health Services 

- Overview (PDF) 

- Conducting Health Assessments (PDF) 

- Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) and Medicaid/CMSIP (PDF) 

- Implementing Special Education: Students with Special Needs (PDF) 

- General Guidelines for Administering Medication in School (PDF) 

- Infectious Disease Control (PDF) 

- Other School Health Services (PDF) 

- Health Education (PDF) 

- Healthful Environment (PDF) 

- Appendices 

- Appendix A: Code of Virginia (PDF); Superintendent's Memos and etc. (PDF) 

- Appendix B: First Aid Guide for School Emergencies (PDF) 

- Appendix C: Universal Precautions and Infectious Diseases (PDF) 
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- Appendix D: Required Forms (PDF) 

- Appendix E: Sample Forms (PDF) 

- Index 

- Index to the School Health Guidelines (PDF) 

Safety 

Virginia school divisions have annual requirements for school safety as required by the Code of Virginia. The 

following reports are required: 

- Designate a Divisionwide Emergency Manager; 

- Appoint a Divisionwide Safety Audit Committee; 

- Establish Threat Assessment Teams; 

- Update the school crisis, emergency management, and medical emergency response plan; 

- Conduct school safety building inspection walk-through (3 year cycle); 

- Complete the School Safety Audit Survey; 

- Complete the Division-Level Safety Audit Survey (3 year cycle); 

- Complete the School Safety Audit Written Assessment Template; and 

- Complete the Division-Level Safety Audit Written Assessment.

Selection Criteria (D)(4) from NIA 

Describe the number and percent of Eligible Children served and the cost per slot.

Explain your efforts to provide High-Quality Preschool Program Slots for the Eligible Children and a brief 

description of expenses that contribute to the cost per slot. 

In total, for the 2017-2018 school year as of December 2017, 1,445 eligible students (41.8%) were served in 

VPI+ new classrooms, and 2,009 eligible students (58.2%) were served in VPI+ improved classrooms for a total 

of 3,454 students. This compares to December 2015 (2015-2016 school year), where 2,804 students were 
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served (1,230 new and 1,574 improved), and to December 2016 (2016-2017 school year, where 3,297 were 

served (1,406 new and 1,891 improved). 

Virginia calculated a weighted cost per slot based on a similar methodology as in Year 1, from the Notice 

Inviting Applicants (NIA), Estimated Per Pupil Expenditure (PPE) per Slot from Part III Selection Criterion (D)(4). 

In Year 1, Virginia estimated the cost per slot at $12,600 new and $900 improved (93% and 7%, respectively). 

For the Year 3 school year, annual slot costs were projected to the end of school year 2017-2018 by using 

Subgrantee approved Year 3 budgets. Given the total costs and student counts, for Year 3, the cost per slot 

equates to $10,654 ($15,395,643 ÷ 1,445) for new slots and $577 ($1,158,812 ÷ 2,009) for improved slots - or 

across both types of slots - $4,793 per slot. Virginia's cost per new slot has decreased since Year 1, and it 

remains higher than for improved slots, reflecting start-up costs of new classrooms and a broader spectrum of 

allowable costs to eligible VPI+ funded students. Additionally, improved classroom rates are expected to 

remain low since prior to the VPI+ program, Virginia's (state-funded) preschool programs already met most of 

the VPI+ elements of a high-quality preschool program. 

Explain any differences between your Year 2 Actuals and Year 2 Target that you reported in your application. 

Not applicable. 
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3. Collaborating with Each Subgrantee and Ensuring Strong Partnerships (Selection Criteria E 

of the application) 

Describe the extent to which the State has collaborated with each Subgrantee to ensure that each 

Subgrantee is effectively implementing High-Quality Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria E 

(1-9) of the application) and how the State ensures strong partnerships between each Subgrantee 

and LEAs or other Early Learning Providers, as appropriate.

Overview 

Provide a high-level description of the key activities and efforts that you have made in 2017 to strengthen 

partnerships with each Subgrantee. Explain the extent to which you are able to monitor the current status of 

each Subgrantee's Preschool Programs. 

Each agency/organizational member of Virginia's VPI+ Core Planning Team has maintained close contact with 

each Subgrantee during the grant period. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has served as the lead 

agency, providing guidance by reviewing and approving Subgrantees' annual plans and budgets; convening the 

Implementation Team; and coordinating data collection and reporting. Other agencies/organizations interact 

regularly with the Subgrantees to discuss any required corrections as the second school year (2016-2017) 

ended. 

The VDOE implemented a monitoring protocol based on the annual planning process. The protocol includes the 

same areas as those in the annual plan, with indicators in each area that align with those in Virginia's PDG 

Statement of Work approved by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. The VDOE 

conducted site visits to all 11 Subgrantees in 2016-2017 to monitor grant compliance and discuss VPI+ 

implementation. 

Progress by Topic 

(1) Establishment of roles and responsibilities of the State and Subgrantee; 

Virginia has defined clear roles for the state and Subgrantees in detailed Memoranda of Understanding that the 

Superintendent of Public Instruction and each school division's superintendent signed. Additionally, the VPI+ 

Core Planning team meets regularly to discuss the progress of each partner. The member agencies/

organizations of the Implementation Team are the VDOE, Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS), 

Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF), Center for Advanced Study of 

Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia, and SRI International. More information about the 

team members and their roles is available in other sections of this report. 

(2) Increasing organizational capacity and infrastructure of the Subgrantee to provide High-Quality Preschool 

Programs; 

The state's close contact with each Subgrantee through site visits and monitoring, regular phone calls, 

individualized support, and meetings helps build capacity and potential for sustainability beyond the PDG 

period. Additionally, each VPI+ Implementation Team agency/organization maintains regular contact with the 

Subgrantees, receiving formal and informal updates, and apprising the VDOE of the Subgrantees' progress. The 

VDOE is then able to provide direction and technical assistance as needed or signal to another grant partner 

how its help is required. 

(3) Ensuring that each Subgrantee minimizes administrative costs; 

The VDOE has worked with each Subgrantee to determine a budget for each grant year. Attention was devoted 

to ways Subgrantees would use in-kind staff and resources; existing transportation and facilities resources; and 

existing health, social services, and private partner resources. The VDOE maintains regular contact with 
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Subgrantees on these issues through phone calls, site visits, and monitoring. 

(4) Monitoring Early Learning Providers to ensure they are delivering High-Quality Preschool Programs; 

Virginia designed a VPI+ monitoring protocol based on the annual planning process for each Subgrantee. Each 

Subgrantee is required to submit a VPI+ Annual Plan to the VDOE for approval that addresses its capacity to 

administer the VPI+ grant program; implement the VPI+ early learning curriculum; support professional 

development for teachers and staff; provide for children with disabilities, English learners, and other children in 

need; identify and recruit eligible children to fill VPI+ slots; provide comprehensive services; participate in 

assessments and report data; facilitate connections between VPI+ and kindergarten teachers and programs; 

coordinate services in rural and military communities, if applicable; participate in the QRIS; ensure the health 

and safety of students; and support the goals of VPI+ beyond the grant period. 

(5) Coordination of plans related to assessments, data sharing, instructional tools, family engagement, crosssector and comprehensive services efforts, professional development, and workforce and leadership 

development; 

The VDOE serves as the lead agency on Virginia's PDG and coordinates the work of all partners. VECF is the 

QRIS coordinator, and CASTL assists school divisions on their selection of professional development services 

based on formative and summative assessments and provides technical support to VPI+ coaches and 

coordinators. The preschool curriculum for most VPI+ classes, the professional development options for 

Subgrantees, and the formative assessment used for VPI+ classes were all selected using a RFP process. 

A great strength of the PDG leadership structure is in the interagency Core Planning Team that meets regularly 

and communicates even more frequently to ensure alignment across agency efforts. Key events are planned 

collaboratively for the broader implementation team that includes Subgrantee leadership. 

Additionally, CASTL developed a Continuous Improvement Plan template to focus Subgrantees' efforts around 

school readiness goals, sustainability, and PK-Grade 3 alignment. This document is completed at the 

Subgrantee level, collaboratively with CASTL's support, and fully integrates formative and summative data 

sources. 

At large scale, PDG funds have enabled compilation of a rich, extensive data set on VPI+ students, housed at 

the VDOE, with great potential for researchers and subsequent cross-sector work in data integration. 

Professional development and technical assistance efforts have focused on building Subgrantees' capacity to 

utilize these data. 

(6) Coordination and delivery of High-Quality Preschool Programs funded under this grant with existing services 

for preschool-aged children; 

Each Subgrantee's annual plan, as well as the monitoring process, addresses the approach to comprehensive 

services including Title I, IDEA, McKinney-Vento, Head Start, and the Child Care and Development Block Grant. 

During annual budget development, the VDOE works with each Subgrantee on ways to supplement, not 

supplant, public funding in order to maximize services provided to high-need children and their families. If 

issues arise, the VPI+ Implementation Team works to develop strategies to support the ability of local 

communities in effective use of existing funding. 

(7) Integration (to the extent practicable) of High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children within 

economically diverse, inclusive settings, including those that serve children from families with incomes above 

200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line; 

Virginia's team is committed to ensuring that VPI+ addresses the needs of children with disabilities, with a 

strong focus on inclusion and individualized instruction in the professional development and technical 

assistance offered to Subgrantees. A strong partnership exists with the VDOE's Early Childhood Special 

Education Coordinator as well as multiple Training and Technical Assistance Centers (TTACs), and VPI+ leaders 

actively participate in the Early Childhood Special Education Network. 
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With regard to economic diversity, some of Virginia's improved VPI classrooms may include students above 200 

percent of the federal poverty level, since the state eligibility requirements permit the use of local eligibility 

requirements for up to 15 percent of a school division's regular VPI+ slots. 

(8) Delivery of High-Quality Preschool Programs to Eligible Children who may be in need of additional supports; 

The annual plans and monitoring process address the approach to services provided to children who need 

additional supports. As part of the enrollment process in VPI+, school division personnel assess and develop 

plans to meet the needs of children and families, especially in the case of children with learning disabilities or 

learning delays; English learners; migrant, homeless, or foster children; and children from rural or military 

families. 

(9) Subgrantees will implement culturally and linguistically responsive outreach and communication efforts to 

enroll children from families with Eligible Children, including isolated or hard-to-reach families; helps families 

build protective factors; and engages parents and families; 

As part of their annual plan, Subgrantees address how they will engage with families to identify and recruit 

VPI+ eligible children, and they collect extensive documentation of their efforts. Examples of responsive 

outreach and communication efforts include: 

- Conducting at least one home visit per child each year and logging topics discussed (in addition to 

parent conferences on the school site); 

- Hosting families on school sites; 

- Meeting with Family Access Consortia and leveraging resources to serve families; 

- Utilizing social media, such as Facebook pages and groups, to share classroom happenings and connect 

families with each other; and 

- Sending reminders and invitations to family events to parents via text message. 

Each Subgrantee has designated a Family Engagement Coordinator to provide leadership for and serve as a 

contact for these activities. 

Additionally, a parent survey was administered in spring 2016 and 2017 in English and Spanish, both on paper 

and electronically, with a response rate of over 60 percent. Response reports were created at the Subgrantee 

and state levels, along with a framework for reflecting on lessons learned. The VDOE uses the reports and 

framework as the basis for training for VPI+ and family engagement coordinators. Follow-up questions are used 

to ensure Subgrantees are planning actions based on information from parents at the local level. 

4. Alignment Within a Birth Through Third Grade Continuum (Section F of the application) 

Describe progress the State has made for alignment within a birth through third grade continuum in 

activities for birth through age five programs ((F)(1)(a-b) in the NIA) and kindergarten through third 

grade ((F)(2)(a-d) in the NIA).

Overview 

Virginia continues to make progress in aligning programs that serve children from birth to third grade through 

the work of: 

- The VPI+ Implementation Team - to maximize grant implementation and ensure coordination of 

services that merge seamlessly as children advance into kindergarten and beyond; 

- The Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) Committee, which replaced the Cross-
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Organizational Data Team - to develop a means to report the outcomes of students who enroll in 

preschool through third grade and beyond; 

- VPI+ teachers, coaches, and administrators - to implement the preschool curriculum and assessments 

that are aligned with Virginia's Standards of Learning for kindergarten through grade 3; 

- The VPI+ Administrator Blog - to provide PreK-Grade 3 administrators and their teaching teams with 

the best content on high-quality preschool and transitions into K-3; and 

- Smart Beginnings, Virginia's preschool network of public and private stakeholders - to collaborate on 

priorities for young children, review existing partnerships and community learning resources, and 

identify areas for improvement. 

Additional opportunities for communication and alignment have occurred with gubernatorial and legislative 

interest in preschool, specifically the work of Virginia's Children's Cabinet and School Readiness Committee and 

legislation and budget support for preschool. 

Provide examples of your efforts to improve transitions for children as follows: 

1. Transitions for Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age Five 

(a) Indicate the key activities for alignment of birth through age-five programs. 

Prior to receipt of the PDG grant, Virginia had in place several important components that laid the foundation 

for alignment of services for children from birth through age five, including: 

-- Early Learning and Development Standards 

Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds 

(2013) offer standards for early learning aligned with Virginia's Kindergarten Standards of 

Learning. 

- Comprehensive Services 

There is active collaboration between state agencies and school divisions to offer 

comprehensive services to preschool children as needed, including Title I preschool; IDEA 619; 

Head Start; and support for English learners, and foster, migrant and homeless children. 

- Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS) 

The VLDS serves as a robust source of data related to students in kindergarten through grade 

12 and their teachers. 

Virginia's infrastructure for improved coordination of early education and care programs has been further 

strengthened as a result of interest in preschool options demonstrated by outgoing Governor Terry McAuliffe, 

incoming Governor Ralph Northam and First Lady Pam Northam, who has declared early childhood 

development as one of her major interest areas, and the Virginia General Assembly. 

(b) Indicate how the State is working to ensure that High-Quality Preschool Programs will not diminish services 

or increase costs to families. 

Virginia's Children's Cabinet 

In August 2014, Governor Terry McAuliffe created by Executive Order a Children's Cabinet dedicated to the 

education, health, safety, and welfare of Virginia's children. Its 2015 annual report made recommendations 

related to strengthening the Virginia Preschool Initiative. The 2016 annual report highlighted accomplishments 

of the Children's Cabinet, including advancing policy to enable greater access to early childhood programs. The 

Cabinet's 2017 annual report established a fiscal map of children's services to ensure long-term investments in 

children's programs. It recommended greater state-local partnerships to enhance educational outcomes in 
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challenged school divisions such as Petersburg and Richmond (two VPI+ Subgrantees). It also recommended 

increased state investment in services for children that are currently funded by vulnerable or expiring funding 

streams, particularly noting the expiration of VPI+ federal funding in 2019. 

Legislative Interest in Preschool 

The 2016 Virginia General Assembly made a total investment of $25.4 million to support early childhood 

education over the 2016-2018 biennium. This included 

- Expansion of home visiting services; 

- Increase to early intervention services; 

- Increase to the VPI per pupil amount; 

- Creation of a pilot to test new approaches to mixed-delivery public-private preschool; and 

- Funding for Project Pathfinders to fund scholarships for the child care workforce and a competencybased credentialing system. 

Studies and governance 

- Established the School Readiness Committee (HB46) to make recommendations around issues in early 

childhood; 

- Created a DSS workgroup to review the health and safety standards of license-exempt child care 

programs (SJ63); 

- Requested of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee a study of the early childhood 

programs in Virginia (SJ88); 

- Asked the Department of Health to prepare a report on the best methods for improving birth 

outcomes, low birth weight, and out-of-wedlock births (HB30); and 

- Established a Joint Subcommittee (HJR112) to look at the future of public education in Virginia. 

VPI+ Implementation Team 

Virginia's state-level cross-agency VPI+ Implementation Team supports alignment of high-quality state 

preschool programs in Virginia. The Virginia Department of Education leads the team, which includes 

representatives from the Virginia Department of Social Services, the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, the 

Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, and the Virginia Department of Health. This team of 

agency partners works to create a seamless progression of supports and services for Virginia's at-risk children, 

and they have authority and/or influence over a wide range of related programs and services that contribute to 

the continuum for services for children from birth to third grade. 

Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) Committee (Formerly the Cross-Organizational Data Team) 

Virginia established a Cross-Organizational Data Team to facilitate the addition of preschool data into the 

Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS). During the last two years, the Data Team guided Virginia's efforts to 

merge preschool data with K-12 school data. After hours of discussion and exploration of the requirements to 

do so, it was determined that the changes required in the data architecture to connect multiple exposures 

(parent-child-teacher-school) would be cost-prohibitive with current funds. Virginia sought and received 

permission from the U. S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to adjust the PDGsupported tasks related to data. Rather than continue efforts to merge preschool and K-12 data, the new plan 

calls for including preschool data on Virginia's K-12 School Quality Profiles (formerly, the School Report Cards). 

As a result of this change, the Cross-Organizational Data Team will be replaced by a new committee, the Early 

Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) Committee, facilitated by the VECF to continue to advocate for and 
ED 524B Page 64 of 75

work towards greater usability and integration of early childhood data. 

Preschool Curriculum and Assessments 

Through a RFP process, Virginia selected a single curriculum and formative assessment system, aligned to 

Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning, for VPI+ classrooms. The Creative Curriculum for Preschool is a 

comprehensive set of resources that assists teachers in planning developmentally-appropriate instruction for 

preschool children. Additionally, summative assessments have been administered to assess the Essential 

Domains of School Readiness to ensure that preschool children are ready for kindergarten. 

Development of Resources to Engage and Inform PreK-Grade 3 Administrators 

In 2017, an Administrator Blog was added to the VPI+ website as a tool to engage more participation by 

preschool/elementary school administrators in an effort to improve PreK-Grade 3 alignment. This blog shares 

the best content and resources on high-quality preschool and transitions into K-3. Topics included the 

importance of investing in preschool, how to support a quality preschool program, fostering active engagement 

for young learners, rigor in elements of rigorous preschool, and preschoolers' self-regulation and challenging 

behaviors. 

(b) Indicate how the State is working to ensure that High-Quality Preschool Programs will not diminish services 

or increase costs to families for other programs serving children from birth through age five. 

Virginia's current VPI program prevents diminution of other services and controls cost by utilizing three key 

strategies: 

- Technical assistance for layering funding and coordinating efficiencies; 

- Establishing integrated enrollment processes for families who qualify for multiple services; and 

- Leveraging comprehensive services. 

2. Transitions for Programs Serving Children from Kindergarten to Grade 3 

Indicate progress during the reporting year for activities supporting children from kindergarten through third 

grade. 

A preschool curriculum and formative assessments aligned with Virginia's Standards of Learning in kindergarten 

through grade 3 help to ensure that preschool children will be ready for kindergarten. Additional professional 

development provided to teachers and encouragement of collaboration between preschool and kindergarten 

teachers supports a smooth transition from preschool to kindergarten. Each Subgrantee's annual plan 

addresses how it will facilitate connections and promote partnership between VPI+ and kindergarten programs. 

In addition to the VPI+ summative assessments, the Virginia General Assembly allocated funds for The 

University of Virginia (UVA) to pilot a kindergarten readiness assessment. The Virginia Kindergarten Readiness 

Program offers a set of coordinated assessments in literacy, mathematics, self-regulation, and social skills to 

provide preschool teachers with a more comprehensive picture of students' skills at the beginning of 

kindergarten. In fall 2014, UVA partnered with 16 school divisions on a voluntary basis to implement the 

expanded assessments. The number of participating divisions has increased each year, with 64 divisions 

participating in 2017. The graduated rollout permits continued input from stakeholders to enhance feasibility 

and utility of the assessment. The results will inform public policy and funding decisions related to early 

childhood education.
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Section A: Part C - Competitive Preference Priorities

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Contributing Matching Funds (if included in the State's 

approved application). 

Describe the progress the State has made on its credible plan for obtaining and using non-Federal 

matching funds to support the implementation of its ambitious and achievable plan during the grant 

period. For progress not made in this area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that 

measurable progress will be made by the end of the grant period. Please describe any changes made 

to the data reported in Table 7(a); explain if your Year 3 Target differs from the Year 3 Actual.

Describe whether you were successful at obtaining the matching funds from State, local and philanthropic 

resources that you reported in your application. Include updates made to your plan for obtaining and using nonFederal matching funds to support the implementation of your plan during the grant period. 

Virginia's PDG application proposed $4,318,790 in match for Year 1, $6,689,193 for Year 2, and $3,090,549 for 

Year 3. After the application was submitted, Virginia increased the match proposal to $5,133,618 in Year 1, 

$7,653,086 in Year 2, and $4,060,534 in Year 3. 

In Year 1, Virginia attained $5,742,528, exceeding the match goal by $608,910. In Year 2, Virginia attained 

$9,085,016, exceeding the match goal by $1,431,930. Thus far in Year 3, this APR reports $2,165,061 or 53 

percent attainment of the Year 3 match goal, including state, local, and philanthropic resources. 

Unspent Year 3 funds were carried forward from 2017 and Subgrantees will continue to execute Year 3 plans 

through the school year ending in June 2018. It is anticipated that by June 30, 2018, matching funds will be 

reported to fully meet and exceed the Year 3 goal. Virginia is forecasting to meet or exceed the match goals in 

Years 3 and 4 and is projecting a final match after Year 4 that will exceed 33 percent.

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Supporting the Continuum of Early Learning and 

Development (if included in the State's approved application). 

Describe progress made in creating a more seamless progression of supports and interventions from 

birth through third grade, such as high-quality infant and toddler care, home visitation, full-day 

kindergarten, and before and after care services for, at a minimum, a defined cohort of eligible children 

and their families within each high need community served by each Subgrantee. For progress not 

made in these areas, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be 

made by the end of the grant period.

Describe your progress to integrate High-Quality Preschool Programs within a broader continuum of 

comprehensive supports and services to create smooth transitions for children and families. 

Virginia's preschool program implementation includes a number of partnerships and strategies that provide a 

more seamless progression of supports and interventions from birth to third grade. Several of the strategies 

and partnerships noted in Virginia's PDG grant application response to Competitive Preference Priority #2 are 

outlined below: 

- An integrated management and data structure; 

- Smart Beginnings; and 

- Health and education funding and policy improvements. 
ED 524B Page 66 of 75

- Integrated management and data teams to oversee Virginia's preschool program and data collection 

VPI+ Implementation Team 

Virginia's state-level cross-agency and cross-sector system supports cohesive implementation and endurance of 

high-quality state preschool programs in Virginia. The VPI+ Implementation Team is led by the Virginia 

Department of Education's (VDOE) Early Childhood Expansion Grant (VPI+) Coordinator and includes 

representation from the VDOE's Humanities and Early Childhood office and Early Childhood Special Education 

office, the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS), the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), the Virginia 

Early Childhood Foundation (VECF), the Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the 

University of Virginia, and each of the Subgrantees' VPI+ coordinators. 

This team of agency partners, both public and private and state and local, works to integrate the components 

of a seamless progression of supports and services for Virginia's at-risk children. These representatives and 

agencies have authority and/or influence over a wide range of related programs and services that contribute to 

the continuum for services for children from birth to third grade, including the Home Visiting Consortium, the 

Infant-Toddler Specialist Network, Early Childhood Mental Health Virginia, Child Care Resource and Referral, 

Smart Beginnings, Virginia's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), and IDEA Part B services. 

Early Childhood Integrated Data Systems Committee (Formerly, the Cross-Organizational Data Team) 

Virginia established a Cross-Organizational Data Team to facilitate the addition of preschool data into the 

Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS). It consists of representatives from the VDOE, VDSS, VDH, VECF, and 

SRI International (the evaluator for Virginia's PDG), and others as needed. During the last two years, the Data 

Team guided Virginia's efforts to merge preschool data with K-12 school data. After many hours of discussion 

and exploration of the requirements to do so, it was determined that the changes required in the data 

architecture to connect multiple exposures (parent-child-teacher-school) would be cost-prohibitive with 

current funds. Virginia sought and received permission from the U. S. Departments of Education and Health 

and Human Services to adjust the PDG-supported tasks related to data. Rather than continue efforts to merge 

preschool and K-12 data, the new plan calls for including preschool data on Virginia's K-12 School Quality 

Profiles (formerly, the School Report Cards). As a result of this change, the Cross-Organizational Data Team will 

be replaced by a new committee, the Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) Committee, facilitated by 

the VECF to continue to advocate for and work towards greater usability and integration of early childhood 

data. 

Preschool data also have been brought into Virginia's Master Schedule Collection (MSC) and the Student 

Record Collection (SRC). Beginning in fall 2016, school divisions participating in the VPI program were required 

to assign a Student Testing Identifier (STI) to publicly funded and enrolled preschool students. 

- Smart Beginnings 

With assistance from the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, Virginia's PDG Subgrantees benefit from 

Virginia's Smart Beginnings network, which brings public and private leaders together to collaborate on 

priorities for their youngest citizens. Smart Beginnings partners provide assistance in connecting Subgrantees 

to supports and interventions needed for at-risk children and families at the local level. As a result, VPI+ 

Subgrantees have been able to tap into varied resources such as the following: 

 
ED 524B Page 67 of 75

Smart Beginnings Greater Richmond 

Chesterfield County: The School Readiness Coalition meetings (convened by Smart Beginnings) have provided a 

multitude of networking opportunities. The Chesterfield County library staff has shared many activities and 

experiences available to families including "Play Smart with Toddlers" and story-telling events. Two libraries are 

partnering to host two PreK application events in the spring. The VPI+ coordinator was invited to speak with 

the entire group of librarians and shared information about upcoming application events. The librarians help 

engage all Chesterfield families by promoting the events. Smart Beginnings has also connected the VPI+ 

coordinator to the Children's Museum of Richmond for services including Book Buggy and free family 

memberships for at-risk families. Community Idea Stations has facilitated family workshops where families walk 

away with many fantastic resources, including books. 

Fairfax County Office for Children (Smart Beginnings): The Family Engagement Coordinators in Fairfax have 

made progress in engaging families whose children are enrolled in VPI+. They continue to participate on 

neighborhood school readiness teams and support the implementation of the Fairfax County Equitable School 

Readiness Strategic Plan, both of which focus on the importance of establishing meaningful partnerships with 

families as they support their children's optimal development. 

Three examples of how the coordinators facilitate family learning opportunities include: 

- Parent orientations and ongoing parent meetings that have focused on how to support children's 

successful transition to kindergarten; curriculum implementation experiences that support children's 

school readiness; healthy nutrition; and social and emotional competence. 

- Parent coffees, which offer a variety of topics and presenters; and 

- Special events that provide opportunities for parents and children to have enriching experiences 

together. 

Smart Beginnings Southeast 

Brunswick VPI+: Smart Beginnings attended the VPI+ quarterly Community Engagement meetings. And 

provided family engagement materials and Jumpstart Read for the Record books and materials. Smart 

Beginnings Southeast provided a "Working with Challenging Behaviors" training for teachers and staff in 

October. 

Petersburg VPI: Smart Beginnings Southeast is in the process of scheduling ASQ SE (Ages & Stages 

Questionnaires: Social-Emotional) training for Petersburg VPI teachers as well as providing Al's Pals training, 

which is dedicated to developing young children's social-emotional skills, problem-solving abilities, and healthy 

decision-making. 

- Health and Education Funding and Policy Improvements 

VPI+'s priority for ensuring a continuum of supports for at-risk families is aligned with that of Virginia's 

Children's Cabinet. Many of the 2015 recommendations from the Children's Cabinet were funded by the 2016 

Virginia General Assembly. The Cabinet's 2017 Annual Report established a fiscal map of children's services to 

ensure long-term investments in children's programs. It recommended greater state-local partnerships to 

enhance educational outcomes in challenged school divisions. It also recommended increased state investment 
ED 524B Page 68 of 75

in services for children that are currently funded by vulnerable or expiring funding streams, particularly noting 

the expiration of VPI+ federal funding in 2019. 

The 2016 General Assembly appropriated $25.4 million for childhood education over the biennium, which 

included expansion of home visiting parent and health education services, an increase to early intervention 

(Part C) services to keep pace with referrals, an increase to the VPI (Virginia Preschool Initiative) per pupil 

amount by 2 percent, from $6,000 per pupil to $6,125, and establishment of VPI income eligibility at below 200 

percent of poverty while allowing school divisions to enroll up to 15 percent of their VPI students above the 

income cut-off if they meet locally established risk factors. 

An appropriation from the General Assembly also funded a two-year pilot for testing new approaches to mixeddelivery public-private preschool partnerships to provide preschool education. As of September 2017, ten 

localities have received grants of $250,000 each to ensure all children eligible for VPI are able to access the 

programs. 

The General Assembly also provided funding for training scholarships for the child care workforce. Project 

Pathfinders provides financial support for current child care and preschool teachers to pursue credentials, 

certificates, and degrees through Virginia's Community College System. As of September 2017, 934 scholarships 

have been awarded for participation in 1,946 courses. 

Several committees and workgroups were created to support seamless services to Virginia's children, including 

the School Readiness Committee (HB46) to make recommendations around cross-cutting issues of innovation 

in early childhood, a VDSS workgroup to review the health and safety standards of license-exempt child care 

programs (SJ63), and the Joint Subcommittee on Public Education/Standards of Quality (HJR112) to look at the 

future of public education in Virginia. 

Additionally, the General Assembly requested a report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee 

(JLARC) on a two-year study of the early childhood programs in place in Virginia (SJ88). In December 2017, 

JLARC presented the results of Improving Virginia's Early Childhood Development Programs. Its findings suggest 

that more than one-third of Virginia children are not ready for kindergarten. Included among the 

recommendations of the report are: 

- Require more comprehensive assessments of kindergarten readiness and more useful data about 

children at risk for poor developmental outcomes; 

- Improve the design, quality, and performance data of early childhood programs to ensure efficient 

and effective use of funds; and 

- Require and provide sufficient resources for the Virginia Department of Education to have a more 

meaningful role in ensuring the quality of VPI implementation. 
ED 524B Page 69 of 75

Competitive Preference Priority 3: Creating New High Quality State Preschool Slots (if included 

in the State's approved application). 

Describe progress made in using at least 50% of the State's federal grant award to create new State 

Preschool Program slots that will increase the overall number of new slots in State Preschool 

Programs that meet the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. For progress not made in this 

area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be made by the 

end of the grant period.

Describe your progress to add new State Preschool Program slots in 2016 that meet the definition of HighQuality Preschool Programs. 

In Year 1, Virginia's Preschool Development Grant (PDG) application estimated Subgrantees would use 

$15,283,800 for new VPI+ slots and $1,323,000 for improved VPI+ slots, for a total of $16,606,800. Virginia 

awarded 95.21 percent ($16,661,897) of the $17,500,000 PDG award to Subgrantees to support 1,230 new 

slots and 1,574 improved slots. 

In Year 2, it was estimated Subgrantees would use $15,292,328 for new VPI+ slots and $1,366,320 for improved 

VPI+ slots, for a Subgrantee award of $16,658,648 or 95.2 percent of the total $17,500,000 award. This 

Subgrantee award supported 1,406 new slots and 1,891 improved slots. 

In Year 3, it was estimated Subgrantees would use $15,395,643 for new VPI+ slots and $1,158,812 for improved 

VPI+ slots, for a Subgrantee award of $16,554,455 or 94.6 percent of the $17,500,000. This Subgrantee award 

supported 1,445 new slots and 2,009 improved slots. 

All of Virginia's 13 VPI+ Subgrantees implemented or expanded high-quality preschool programs in the 

following ways: 

- Employed highly qualified instructional staff (teachers with at least a bachelor's degree); 

- Provided high-quality professional development for staff; 

- Ensured a child-to-instructional ratio of no more than 10 to 1; 

- Limited class size to no more than 20 with a teacher; 

- Provided a full-day program; 

- Included children with disabilities; 

- Provided developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and 

evidence-based curricular and learning environments aligned with the state Early Learning and 

Development standards; 

- Provided individualized accommodations and supports for equal access and participation; 

- Compensated instructional staff comparable to salaries of other local K-12 instructional staff; 

- Implemented program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement; 

- Provided on-site comprehensive services for children and family engagement activities to support 

child learning and development; and 

- Provided evidenced-based health and safety standards. 

As the costs above demonstrate, costs far surpass the 50 percent goal. The relatively small investment for 

improved VPI+ classrooms is attributed to Virginia's (state funded) preschool programs, which already met 

most of the elements of a high-quality preschool program. Therefore, the cost to improve a classroom to meet 
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the VPI+ standards was significantly lower than the cost to open a new VPI+ classroom. 

Provide specific examples for the structural elements of a high-quality program as listed in (2) above, and in the 

NIA, Selection Criteria D. 

All 13 Subgrantees budgeted specific strategies to support the structural elements of a high-quality program. 

Several examples are provided below and additional examples are included in Section A: Part B, #1 of this 

report. 

Norfolk City Public Schools 

As a part of comprehensive services, Norfolk budgeted to provide backpacks filled with nutritional items for 

students to take home over winter and spring breaks. 

Richmond City Public Schools 

Richmond budgeted to extend the high-quality VPI+ into the summer while continuing to provide all elements 

of a high-quality program. 

Winchester City Public Schools 

Winchester is providing family engagement activities supported through its budget, including literacy activities, 

educational software, cooking supplies, and a lending library for students and families. 

Fairfax County Public Schools 

Fairfax is targeting improvement of students' executive functioning skills and has budgeted to provide families 

with training to support skill development in this area. 

Petersburg City Public Schools 

Petersburg is providing children with learning experiences that include trips to the theatre, museum, farm, zoo, 

and fitness center. 
ED 524B Page 71 of 75

Section B: Budget Information

Budget and Sustainability (Section G in the application) 

1. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies between the State's approved budget and 

its total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that have not been expended or 

obligated from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

Virginia's Year 3 Preschool Development Grant (PDG) totaled $17,500,000. Unspent Year 3 funds, as of 

December 31, 2017, were requested and approved for carryforward into 2018. Year 3 program 

implementation and expenditures continued from 2017 into 2018 uninterrupted. Virginia has committed and 

fully expects to expend all VPI+ funding on eligible VPI+ activities. 

Describe how you are defining actual expenditures, and indicate whether you are tracking your expenditures by 

the calendar year or by another basis. 

Virginia's state fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30, and expenditures are recorded in the agency's 

accounting system as realized. Expenditures and obligations recorded in the accounting system January 1 

through December 2017 (Year 3 grant period) totaled $16,836,180. The state approved Year 3 budget includes 

Subgrantee detailed line item budgets approved by the SEA. The detailed Year 3 budget is used to monitor 

grant expenditures and ensure only approved, eligible costs are reimbursed. Tracking of Subgrantee 

expenditures is performed with an online program (OMEGA - Online Management of Education Grant Awards) 

showing details and available balances of expenditures against the budget. Subgrantee reimbursement 

requests are reviewed and approved at designated LEA and SEA levels. Tracking of SEA expenditures is 

managed directly using the agency's financial system with available reports to support further reporting and 

reconciliation requirements. The Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE) accounting system, OMEGA and 

custom VPI+ databases, allow reporting on the state fiscal year, grant year, or a periodic basis (daily, monthly, 

quarterly, etc.). 

For budget expenditures made with federal grant funds, you must provide an explanation if funds have not 

been drawn down from the G5 System to pay for the budget expenditure amounts reported in budget tables. 

Going into Year 4 of the grant, the PDG grant authorization was $71,375,218 and VDOE recorded expenditures 

totaling $37,458,985.54 as of January 2018. The G5 system showed a total of $37,445,898.35, indicating VDOE 

had not drawn $13,087.19. Pending items will correct this difference, which is attributed to a timing issue 

between state expenditure submission and receipt of federal reimbursement drawdown. 

Provide an explanation if you did not expend funds at the expected rate during the reporting period. 

To start the school year in September 2017, Virginia's Subgrantees (LEAs) budgeted Year 3 funds and remaining 

Year 2 carryforward funds. Based on actual expenditures in Year 2 and remaining funds, expended funds were 

somewhat less than originally projected. VDOE addressed this issue by reprogramming excess LEA funds to two 

new school divisions, which added a total of six new VPI+ classrooms. 

If you expect to have any unexpended funds at the end of the current budget period, provide an estimate and 

indicate how you plan to use the unexpended funds (carryover) in the next budget period. 

Virginia's unspent Year 3 balance was authorized and carried forward from 2017 into 2018, and spending and 

program activities continued uninterrupted. Both the SEA and Subgrantees will continue to utilize available 

Year 3 funds for approved grant activities in school year 2017-2018. The carryforward authorization did not 
ED 524B Page 72 of 75

have an end date. When Year 3 activities cease or the unexpended amount can be estimated by LEA, Virginia 

will determine if there are any remaining balances and redirect those funds to cover unmet needs. When Year 

3 funds are exhausted, use of Year 4 funding will begin. The carryforward authorization from the U.S. 

Departments of Education (USED) and Health and Human (HHS) Services provided Virginia with the flexibility to 

respect the grant period and the Subgrantees' operating needs to budget and expend based on the school year 

(versus the calendar year). 

 

The financial activities of the VPI+ grant are reviewed closely. Subgrantees with low reimbursement rates and/

or programming issues have been coached for months, provided training, and Subgrantee leadership has been 

involved in telephone calls, meetings, and email correspondence. Based on LEA spending for the remainder of 

the school year, LEAs with more than 20 percent below their expected spend target may have those unspent 

funds reprogrammed in grant Year 4, along with adjusting underperforming LEA budgets to actual spend rates. 

As the school year is completed, this unspent estimate will be firmly established by June 2018. 

2. Please describe any substantive changes that you anticipate to the State's Preschool Development 

Grant budget in the upcoming fiscal year (January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018).

Describe any anticipated changes in your budget for the next budget period that require prior approval from 

the Department (see EDGAR, 34 CFR 74.25 and 80.30, as applicable). Include an explanation of any substantive 

budget changes that you anticipate in future years. 

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) does not anticipate any major budget changes in future years. 

VDOE staff have provided technical assistance - statewide to Subgrantees and individualized to each 

Subgrantee regarding effective spending strategies - throughout 2017. Subgrantees have been informed of the 

possibility of reallocating money based on any unspent funds in excess of 20 percent of their Year 3 grant 

award as of May 31, 2018 - both for Year 3 as well as Year 4. Given the technical assistance provided and the 

ample notice of implications for unspent funds, VDOE VPI+ staff feel comfortable recouping and reallocating 

unspent Year 3 funds and reducing or increasing grant awards for some Subgrantees in Year 4, so that 

additional students may be served elsewhere in high-need areas of the Commonwealth. In addition, the 

spending plan for Virginia's supplemental award in Year 4 is currently on track to meet spending deadlines. 

3. Describe the State's progress on its plan for sustainability at the end of the grant period to ensure 

that the number and percentage of Eligible Children with access to High-Quality Preschool Programs 

in the State will be maintained or expanded, including to additional High-Need Communities.

Describe how you will sustain programs and activities at the end of the grant period to maintain or increase 

service levels for Eligible Children to access High-Quality Preschool Programs in the High-Need Communities. 

Virginia has taken steps to prepare for sustained preschool services beyond the terms of the PDG grant in a 

number of ways: 

- Outgoing Governor Terry McAuliffe's Children's Cabinet prioritized preschool expansion as a major initiative 

to turn around underperforming school divisions and reduce economic disparities in educational outcomes in 

the Commonwealth. Incoming Governor Ralph Northam has voiced his support for preschool education, and 

First Lady Pam Northam has declared early childhood development to be one of her major areas of interest. 

- The 2016 Virginia General Assembly took significant legislative action to ensure the continuation of public 

preschool programs in the Commonwealth into 2017 and beyond. Among its actions are: 

Budget Items - Invested a total of $25.4 million in early childhood education over the 2016-2018 

biennium, including: 

- Increased the VPI per pupil amount by 2 percent, from $6,000 per pupil to $6,125; 
ED 524B Page 73 of 75

- Established VPI income eligibility at or below 200 percent of poverty while allowing school 

divisions to enroll up to 15 percent of their VPI students above the income cut-off if they meet 

locally established risk factors; 

- Established a two-year pilot for testing new approaches to mixed-delivery public-private 

preschool partnerships to provide preschool education; and 

- Funded training scholarships for the child care workforce and a competency-based 

credentialing system through the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. 

Studies and governance 

- Established the School Readiness Committee (HB46), an early learning council comprised of 

legislators, business leaders, and stakeholders to make recommendations around cross-cutting 

issues of innovation in early childhood. 

The School Readiness Committee has as a goal “the development and alignment of an effective 

professional development and credentialing system for the early childhood education 

workforce in the Commonwealth.” The Committee met regularly over the last year, and in its

2017 report, the first recommendation was to update Virginia's Competencies for Early 

Childhood Professionals. 

- Requested of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) a two-year study of 

the early childhood programs in place in Virginia, prenatal to age five (SJ88), to determine the 

best strategy for future early childhood development investments. 

In December 2017, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee presented the results of 

its report, Improving Virginia's Early Childhood Development Programs. Its findings suggest that 

more than one-third of Virginia children are not ready for kindergarten. Included among the 

recommendations of the report are: 

- Require more comprehensive assessments of kindergarten readiness and more useful 

data about children at risk for poor developmental outcomes. 

- Improve the design, quality, and performance data of early childhood programs to 

ensure efficient and effective use of funds. 

- Require and provide sufficient resources for the Virginia Department of Education to 

have a more meaningful role in ensuring the quality of VPI implementation. 

 

- The 2018 Virginia General Assembly has several bills and language amendments related to early childhood 

under consideration, including: 

- Proposed new Appropriation Act language, which would allow, subject to available funds each year, 

allocation of additional VPI (Virginia Preschool Initiative) slots to school divisions that have utilized 100 

percent of their calculated slots from the previous year and have a waiting list of unserved children as 

certified on the Department of Education's October 1 Fall Verification Report in the previous year; and 

- HJ 108, which would ask the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the amount of 

funds required to make preschool available to all four-year-olds in the Commonwealth through the 

Virginia Preschool Initiative. 

- The topic of sustainability is being included in the agendas for PDG leadership academies and teacher 

conferences. VPI+ staff members have worked with the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) 

to provide technical assistance and communication toolkits to Subgrantees as they seek increased local and 

state support to maintain the success of their preschool programs. 
ED 524B Page 74 of 75

 

- A new monthly VPI+ Administrator blog was launched in May 2017 as a tool to inform and engage more 

participation by local school administrators and leaders. The VPI+ website also provides resources that are 

available to all Subgrantees as they begin to transition to locally-provided professional development and 

coaching for teachers. 

- CASTL is developing a three-part set of sustainability resources to use with school divisions: 1) conceptual 

model of key components for successful sustainability; 2) an accompanying Sustainability Needs Assessment, 

and 3) a set of linked high-quality sustainability resources aligned to the needs assessment areas. 

- The restructuring of the VPI+ Data Team into the Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) Committee 

provides the opportunity to include preschool data on Virginia's K-12 School Quality Profiles (formerly, the 

School Report Cards). This cross-agency team, facilitated by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, will 

continue to advocate for and work towards greater usability and integration of early childhood data. 

- Beginning in fall 2016, school divisions were required to assign a Student Testing Identifier to publicly funded 

and enrolled preschool students in the Master Schedule Collection (MSC) and report them in the Student 

Record Collection (SRC). 

- The data-driven professional development plans created for VPI+ teachers serve as a model for future 

professional development and upskilling of preschool teachers. 

- Virginia's selected high-quality preschool curriculum, formative assessments, and professional development 

for use in the VPI+ program can also be used by other preschool programs statewide, thus contributing to 

improved program quality in other preschool programs statewide.

- In January 2018, the Virginia Board of Education adopted Guidelines for the Prevention of Suspension and 

Expulsion of Young Children: Supporting Children with Challenging Behaviors in Early Childhood Settings, which 

provide guidance regarding policies and best practice in implementing developmentally appropriate 

experiences for children in early care and education programs (0-5 years), that can prevent suspension and 

expulsion. 

- Virginia's statewide early childhood professional development registry, IMPACT, provides the means to 

document and recognize the professional achievements of practitioners and trainers who work in early 

childhood education in Virginia. 

- The results of summative assessments administered to children in the VPI+ program will help to inform work 

around setting standards or thresholds for kindergarten readiness. 

- The wider use of the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) to evaluate preschool program 

effectiveness offers information and data that can be used on a broader scale for general statewide program 

improvement. Training to earn a CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) rater certification is now being 

offered to a wider audience than just the VPI+ teachers. 

- Subgrantees' annual plans must address ways they intend to support the goals of VPI+ beyond the grant 

period. Some examples of ways they intend to continue services to at-risk preschool children include: 

- Use of local and Title I funds to support preschool for high-need children; 

- Close collaboration among staff members and programs that provide services to children, including 

Title I, Head Start, special education programs, and programs for English learners; 

- Development of capacity of school division staff to continue to provide professional development and 

coaching to preschool teachers; 

- Joint professional development activities for preschool and kindergarten teachers; and 
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- Continued meetings of the Family Access Consortium to promote community partnerships in support 

of young children and their families. 

Many of the lessons learned from the implementation of VPI+ are transferable and available to other high-need 

communities in the implementation of high-quality preschool programs. 

4. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies, if any, between the Subrecipients' 

approved budgets and their total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that 

have not been expended or obligated from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

Describe any changes to your budget that affected your ability to achieve your approved project activities and/

or project objectives. 

As of December 31, 2017, Virginia's Subgrantee budgets remain unchanged for Year 3. Close monitoring will 

continue as Year 3 funds are expended. Accordingly, at this point, there were no budget-related impediments 

to project success. 

If you expect to have any unexpended funds at the end of the current budget period, provide an estimate and 

indicate how you plan to use the unexpended funds (carryover) in the next budget period. 

Virginia's unspent Year 3 balance was authorized and carried forward from 2017 into 2018 and spending and 

program activities continued uninterrupted. Subgrantees will continue to utilize available Year 3 funds for 

approved grant activities in school year 2017-2018. The carryforward authorization did not have an end date. 

When Year 3 activities cease or the unexpended amount can be estimated by LEAs, Virginia will determine if 

there are any remaining balances and redirect those funds to cover unmet needs. When Year 3 funds are 

exhausted, use of Year 4 funding will begin. The carryforward authorization from the U.S. Departments of 

Education and Health and Human Services provided Virginia with the flexibility to respect the grant period and 

the Subgrantees' operating needs to budget and expend grant funds based on the school year (versus calendar 

year). 

The financial activities of the VPI+ grant are reviewed closely. Subgrantees with low reimbursement rates and/

or programming issues have been coached for months, provided training, and Subgrantee leadership has been 

involved in telephone calls, meetings and email correspondence. Based on LEA spending for the remainder of 

the school year, LEAs with more than 20 percent below their expected spend target may have those unspent 

funds reprogrammed in Year 4, along with adjusting underperforming LEA budgets to actual spend rates. As 

the school year is completed, this unspent estimate will be firmly established by June 2018. See Response #2 

above for the plan to reallocate and use unexpended funds.