PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
 

2015 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT
 

Virginia 

Preschool Development Grants SEPTEMBER 2016 
U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Grant Performance Report Cover Sheet 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 06/30/2017 

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

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: Cheryl P. Strobel 

Title: Project Director 

Phone #: 804-371-7578 Ext.: Fax #:804-786-1587 

Email Address: cheryl.strobel@doe.virginia.gov 

Reporting Period Information 

7. Reporting Period: From: 01/01/2015 To: 12/31/2015 

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 

b. Current Budget Period $1,609,679.42 $3,204,550.71 

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: 07/01/2015 To: 06/30/2016 

Approving Federal agency: ED Other Specify other: 

Type of Rate: (Final Performance Reports only) Provisional Final Other 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)? 

10. Performance Measures Status 

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

Project Status Chart? 

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

Yes No 

✔

✔

✔

ED 524B Page 1 of 54 
U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Annual Performance Report 

Executive Summary 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 06/30/2017 

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 

Virginia's receipt of the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) has been highly publicized, generating much 

excitement and discussion across sectors about the value of preschool services. Governor Terry McAuliffe 

released a press release announcing the grant award, which aligned well with his Executive Orders to create 

the Virginia Children's Cabinet and the Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success. Among the priority areas 

of the Cabinet and the Council is the improvement of early childhood care and education. Additionally, the 

2015 General Assembly established a joint subcommittee on the Virginia Preschool Initiative to consider 

increasing accountability, flexibility, and innovation related to providing preschool for economically 

disadvantaged children, and to further develop partnerships between school divisions and private providers for 

the Virginia Preschool Initiative. Legislation has been introduced in the 2016 General Assembly related to 

improving the skills of the early education work force and to expanding opportunities for mixed-delivery 

preschool services in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Secretary of Education and the state Superintendent of 

Public Instruction also continue to make preschool education a priority and participate frequently in meetings 

and press events to maintain visibility of early learning, especially for at-risk children. 

- Increase in the Number of VPI+ Combined New and Improved Slots 

As a result of the PDG, Virginia has been successful in increasing the number of eligible children served in highquality preschool programs. Since VPI+ (Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus, the name Virginia gave to its 

Preschool Expansion Grant) augments the already existing state-funded Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI), the 

number of additional slots available for at-risk four-year-olds in a preschool setting has increased by 1,230 new

slots across 65 newly-opened high-quality preschool classrooms for Year 1 of the grant (2015-2016). One 

hundred thirty-five (135) Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) classrooms with 1,574 eligible children have been 

improved by providing additional comprehensive services to children and families and by providing high-quality 

professional development to teachers and assistants. The total 2,804 new and improved preschool slots served 

by PDG funds represents an increase of 5 percent over Virginia's original goal of 2,683 new and improved 

preschool slots. As of December 2015, the following data are of interest: 

ED 524B Page 2 of 54 
 

 

Enrollment Totals 

Goal at point of grant proposal submission (October 2014) - 2,683 new and improved slots 

Actual Enrollment as of December 2015 - 2,804 new and improved slots 

 Percentage of new and improved slots filled as of December 2015 - 105% 

Gender 

Male - 49% 

Female - 49% 

Gender Not Specified - 1% 

Race/Ethnicity 

Hispanic children - 18% 

Black or African American children - 63% 

White children - 11% 

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

American Indian/Alaska Native children - Too small to report 

Children from two or more races - 2% 

Children with race not specified - 3% 

Home Language 

English - 80% 

Spanish - 14% 

Arabic - 1% 

Other language - 3% 

Language not specified - 1% 

Other Demographic Data 

Children in public programs - 98% 

Children in private programs - 2% 

Children with disabilities - 4% 

Children from military families - 1% 

Children from migrant families - Too small to report 

Children from homeless families - 2% 

Children from foster families - 1% 

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

this report. 

- Development of a Statewide Infrastructure for Early Childhood Education in Virginia 

In addition to the focus on increasing preschool enrollment, the most significant efforts and accomplishments 

in the implementation of VPI+ occurred largely in the development of a statewide infrastructure that will 

ensure implementation of a high-quality preschool program in Virginia's VPI+ classrooms, with options for 

school divisions to use many of the features (professional development, curriculum, assessments, etc.) in their 

non-VPI+ preschool programs as well. Thus the stage is set for enhancing the quality of all early childhood 

programs in the Commonwealth. Significant elements of this infrastructure are described below. 

- Development of the VPI+ Implementation Team 

An integrated management team to oversee Virginia's preschool program has been established. The VPI+ 

Implementation Team 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 atrisk children. 

ED 524B Page 3 of 54 
 

 

 

 

 

- Provision of Professional Development Opportunities 

Virginia has provided broad technical assistance and professional development to VPI+ subgrantees in a 

number of ways. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has conducted a series of webinars and 

meetings on numerous topics related to early childhood development and education. The Center for Advanced 

Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia has provided technical assistance to 

subgrantees in the development of an individualized professional development plan for each VPI+ teacher, and 

teachers will record the professional development they received in a professional development registry 

maintained by the Virginia Department of Social Services. Additionally, through a competitive Request for 

Proposals (RFP) process, Virginia established a menu of approved professional development opportunities on a 

number of topics related to early childhood education that subgrantees may purchase for use in the 

individualized professional development plans being developed for each VPI+ teacher. 

- Selection of an Early Childhood Curriculum 

Through a competitive RFP process, Virginia selected a curriculum and formative assessment system to be 

implemented in its VPI+ classrooms. The Creative Curriculum for Preschool is a comprehensive set of resources 

that assists teachers as they plan content-rich programs for children with diverse backgrounds and 

developmental levels. Accompanying The Creative Curriculum for Preschool is Teaching Strategies GOLD, an 

observation-based system for assessing the development and learning of children from birth through 

kindergarten. 

- Procurement of a Rigorous Program Evaluation (Including Formative Measures, Summative Assessments, 

and Cost-Effectiveness) 

- Integration of Early Childhood Data into the Virginia Longitudinal Data System 

Through a competitive RFP process, Virginia selected SRI International (SRI) to provide evaluation services that 

will support the implementation of VPI+. SRI has subcontracted with School Readiness Consulting (SRC) to 

assist with this work. SRI and SRC will collect and use formative program measures, summative child 

assessments, cost-effectiveness data, and data from the Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS) to provide 

feedback for continuous improvement of instruction and program implementation, administer predictive tests 

and analyze results to answer pressing questions, and communicate results with VDOE, school divisions, and 

teachers. Additionally, new VPI+ classrooms were rated with the Quality Rating and Improvement System 

(QRIS) in fall 2015 as a baseline measure for future improvement. 

- Additional Positive Outcomes of VPI+ Implementation 

In addition to major organizational and procurement accomplishments associated with Virginia's PDG grant, 

other successes have occurred: 

Increased Interest in and Use of Early Learning and Development Standards and High-Quality Preschool 

Program Standards - The focus on high-quality preschool resulting from implementation of VPI+ has 

encouraged renewed attention to Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for 

Four-Year-Olds and Milestones of Child Development. These two documents, developed respectively by the 

Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Department of Social Services, serve as Virginia's early 

learning standards and preschool program standards. Both documents were revised in 2013. 

Increased Interest in the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) The implementation of VPI+ has 

expanded awareness and understanding of Virginia's QRIS with a variety of partners and stakeholders. For 

example, some subgrantees have asked to have their state VPI programs rated as participants in QRIS. 

Expanded Comprehensive Services - Subgrantees are identifying more ways to provide services to children with 

disabilities, English learners, and others in need as they identify Family Engagement Coordinators and develop 

strategies for family engagement in their annual plans to serve these children and families. 

ED 524B Page 4 of 54 
 Opportunities and Lessons Learned 

Describe any broad setbacks, such as unanticipated delays or changes in scope. Explain the factors that 

contributed to the situation, your response and the net effect your efforts had on improving the situation. 

- Recruiting Children for Participation in VPI+ and Accuracy in Enrollment Reporting by Subgrantees 

Subgrantees reported VPI+ student enrollment numbers (new and improved slots) weekly to the Virginia 

Department of Education (VDOE) beginning in October 2015, using an Excel spreadsheet. Subgrantees were 

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

progress in addressing the unfilled slots. Phone conferences and site visits by VDOE staff throughout fall 2015 

provided 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. 

As some subgrantees continued to struggle with filling their VPI+ slots, the VDOE conducted a webinar devoted 

specifically to recruitment of at-risk preschool children to offer school, division-level, and community strategies 

to identify and recruit children eligible for VPI+ into the program. VDOE staff also conducted targeted 

assistance in the development of recruitment plans for some subgrantees. 

While the weekly enrollment reports showed increasing VPI+ enrollments in December 2015, subgrantees were 

required to submit detailed student demographic information for all enrolled children. During the data review, 

it became clear that there were challenges with some of the data submitted - data entry errors with birthdates 

of children, missing income levels, missing children as compared with enrollment numbers submitted via the 

weekly Excel spreadsheet, and other missing or unspecified data elements. The VDOE worked with 

subgrantees throughout January 2016 to correct entry errors and to submit missing data elements. These 

corrections revealed that the number of eligible (200 percent of poverty level, age requirement) children in 

new VPI+ classrooms was lower in some school divisions than had been submitted weekly through the first 

week of December. 

Resolution: The VDOE will continue to provide assistance with recruitment, and Smart Beginnings, a 

community network committed to ensuring school readiness, will assist in providing ideas for the 

recruitment plans and in making phone calls to engage support. In terms of enrollment reporting, two 

large subgrantees are taking steps to automate the VPI+ registration and enrollment process to 

improve communication between the schools and central office. All subgrantees will be required to 

verify that weekly enrollment data submitted from July 2016 to December 2016 are only for children 

who are eligible for PDG services. Any subgrantees with 2015-2016 student enrollments falling below 

their revised Statement of Work (SOW) target enrollment numbers will be required to provide a plan 

for reaching their enrollment targets in the 2016-2017 school year. 

- 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. This target for VPI+ participation is higher than the average of 5.4 percent in Virginia, and considerably 

higher than that found in some of the VPI+ subgrantees. 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. It is reported that there are children 

going through the formal identification process but eligibility for special education services had not been 

determined by early December. In addition, due to the timing of this first year of grant implementation there 

were classroom placements made for some children with disabilities in advance of VPI+ classrooms opening. 

Resolution: Subgrantees and the VDOE will continue to collaborate on ways to recruit more children 

with disabilities into the VPI+ program. With the enrollment and family engagement supports already 

in place for the 2016-2017 school year, subgrantees will be able to start the identification process 

earlier. Also, there will be a continued focus on including children with disabilities in VPI+ classrooms in 

professional development offerings. 

- Recruiting Private Providers 

The complexity of cost allocation and keeping funding streams separate has been one barrier to the ability to 

recruit private providers to serve at-risk preschool children in Virginia. Private providers may find it difficult to 

fill an entire classroom of children with VPI+ eligible children (200 percent of the poverty level or below and 

ED 524B Page 5 of 54
 

four years old). In order to add children served by other programs or who are funded through tuition payments 

into the same classroom, they must be able to cost-allocate funds for all expenditures, and private providers 

may not have the back-office fiscal staff to keep tight records of this nature. 

Resolution: The VDOE, the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, and other grant partners have provided 

technical assistance on ways to blend classrooms and braid funding to support a mixed delivery of 

preschool services to maximize the number of children served. Recent legislation introduced in the 

2016 General Assembly, if approved, would provide incentives to field-test innovative strategies and 

evidence-based practices that support a system of mixed-delivery preschool services in Virginia. 

Conclusion 

The work resulting from Year 1 of Virginia's Preschool Development Grant serves as a strong foundation for 

improved and expanded preschool services in Virginia. The VPI+ Cross-Organizational Data Team has begun to 

address issues such as increased collection and reporting of data on preschool children, teachers, and 

programs. Increased availability of data on preschool participants and programs will inform decisions about 

program development and offerings, professional development for teachers, and the effectiveness of 

preschool for all children. Data-driven professional development plans developed for VPI+ teachers will serve 

as a model for future professional development and upskilling of preschool teachers. The high-quality 

preschool curriculum, summative assessments, and professional development selected for use in the VPI+ 

program can also be used by other preschool programs statewide, thus contributing to improved program 

quality. The results of summative assessments administered to children in the VPI+ program will help to inform 

work around standards or thresholds for kindergarten readiness. The increased use of the Quality Rating and 

Improvement System (QRIS) to evaluate preschool program effectiveness will offer information and data that 

can be used on a broader scale for general statewide program improvement. Greater connections with local 

partners stand to identify local funding sources, such as educational foundations and business partnerships, to 

provide additional funding as needed to support programs, comprehensive services, and family engagement 

activities. 

Lessons learned include the importance of clear and constant communication among all grant partners, but 

especially with subgrantees around issues such as recruitment of eligible children, data collection and reporting 

and fidelity of program implementation. With so many partners and so many moving parts among the required 

grant activities, it has been useful to establish timelines and deadlines and to designate a primary point of 

contact for each component to ensure that success is being made and measured for each activity. 

Virginia looks forward to receiving the results of the summative assessments for its VPI+ children, which will 

serve as the baseline measure for progress in Years 2 through 4. With most of the start-up effort now 

completed, subgrantees and the state partners can turn their attention to effective program implementation, 

and they are already making plans for recruitment and training for the 2016-2017 school year. 

ED 524B Page 6 of 54 
 

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. 06/30/2017 

Grantee State: VA PR/Award #: S419B150010 

Section A: Performance Objectives Information and Related Performance Measures Data 

(narrative) 

1. Project Objective 

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, 2015. 

Describe what you did to increase enrollment of Eligible Children served in High-Quality Preschool Programs 

funded by the grant in 2015. Describe or list the most influential factors that contributed to your success. 

(To open Web links, right-click on the link, and then select “Open Hyperlink.”) 

Increase in the Number of VPI+ Combined New and Improved Slots 

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

programs funded by the grant. Since VPI+ (Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus, the name Virginia gave to its 

Preschool Expansion Grant) augments the already existing state-funded Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI), the 

number of additional VPI+ slots available for at-risk four-year-olds in a preschool setting has increased by 1,230 

new slots for Year 1 of the grant (2015-2016), with 1,574 improved slots as part of the VPI program, for a total 

of 2,804 slots served by the Preschool Expansion Grant funds. This represents an increase of 5 percent over 

Virginia's original goal of 2,683 new and improved preschool slots. As of December 2015, the following data are 

of interest: 

VPI+ Combined New and Improved Slots 

Enrollment Totals 

Goal at point of grant proposal submission (October 2014) - 2,683 new and improved slots 

Actual Enrollment as of December 2015 - 2,804 new and improved slots 

 Percentage of new and improved slots filled as of December 2015 - 105% 

Gender 

Male - 49% 

Female - 49% 

Gender Not Specified - 1% 

Race/Ethnicity 

Hispanic children - 18% 

Black or African American children - 63% 

White children - 11% 

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

American Indian/Alaska Native children - Too small to report 

Children from two or more races - 2% 

Children with race not specified - 3% 

ED 524B Page 7 of 54 
Home Language 

English - 80% 

Spanish - 14% 

Arabic - 1% 

Other language - 3% 

Language not specified - 1% 

Other Demographic Data 

Children in public programs - 98% 

Children in private programs - 2% 

Children with disabilities - 4% 

Children from military families - 1% 

Children from migrant families - Too small to report 

Children from homeless families - 2% 

Children from foster families - 1% 

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

this report. 

Virginia has been successful in meeting the Year 1 enrollment goals for the grant. However, it must be noted 

that there has been confusion over eligibility for VPI+ as well as challenges in reporting data, despite the fact 

that federal eligibility requirements for both new VPI+ and improved VPI slots were communicated to 

subgrantees via webinars, meetings, e-mails, and phone calls. 

Subgrantees reported VPI+ new student enrollment numbers and VPI improved slots to the Virginia 

Department of Education (VDOE) on a weekly basis beginning in October 2015, using an Excel spreadsheet. 

However, these enrollment numbers did not include student demographics. 

In December 2015, subgrantees were required to submit detailed student demographic information for all 

enrolled children. As the data were reviewed in January 2016, it became clear that there were challenges with 

some of the data submitted - entry errors with birthdates of children, missing income levels, missing children as 

compared with enrollment numbers submitted via the weekly Excel spreadsheet, and other missing or 

unspecified data elements. The VDOE worked with subgrantees throughout the month of January to correct 

entry errors and to submit missing data elements. 

Data revealed that the number of eligible children (200 percent of poverty level and age requirement) in new 

VPI+ classrooms was lower in some school divisions compared to the enrollment numbers that had been 

submitted weekly through the first week of December. Subgrantees with lower enrollment numbers for new 

VPI+ classrooms indicated various reasons for the discrepancy including: the transient nature of the at-risk 

population, resulting in frequent drops and adds of children; errors in registration paperwork; errors in income 

verification paperwork; a cumbersome paper-driven registration and enrollment system that was not 

automated at the central office level; and a registration system that first began at the central office staff level, 

with later transfer of registration forms to schools to process and enroll children. 

Resolution: The VDOE will continue to provide assistance with recruitment and Smart Beginnings, a 

community network committed to ensuring school readiness, will assist in providing ideas for the 

recruitment plans and in making phone calls to engage support. In terms of enrollment reporting, two 

large subgrantees are taking steps to automate the VPI+ registration and enrollment process to 

improve communication between the schools and central office. All subgrantees will be required to 

verify that weekly enrollment data submitted from July 2016 to December 2016 are only for children 

who are eligible for PDG services. Any subgrantees with 2015-2016 student enrollments falling below 

their target enrollment numbers will be required to provide action steps for reaching their enrollment 

targets in the 2016-2017 school year. 

A variance in the number of eligible children in VPI+ improved classrooms can be attributed to the difference in 

the federal eligibility requirements and the state VPI eligibility requirements. The 2015 General Assembly took 

action to change the eligibility requirements for VPI, with further changes implemented during summer 2015 

resulting from concerns expressed by school divisions. The issue became complex as VPI children were being 

ED 524B Page 8 of 54 
enrolled in the participating VPI+ school divisions in the midst of the changes. Further details about these 

criteria changes are found in the response to GPRA Performance Measure 1(b). 

News Coverage 

Virginia's receipt of the Preschool Development Grant (PDG), was highly publicized, beginning with a press 

release from Governor Terry McAuliffe's Office on December 10, 2014. The lead agency on the grant, the 

Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), immediately notified the 11 participating school divisions and 

apprised them of the upcoming work required in early 2015 in order to ensure that VPI+ classrooms were fully 

operational in fall 2015 for the 2015-2016 school year. With the identification of the grant coordinator at the 

state level at the end of February 2015, work began in earnest to communicate more specific actions required 

of the subgrantees. 

On March 6 and 25, May 20-21, July 30, and August 4, 2015, the VDOE conducted informational webinars with 

the subgrantees, during which recruitment was a topic. The grant and some of the subgrantees were 

highlighted in news articles about recruitment of children eligible for VPI+. Examples include: 

- Virginia education secretary in Norfolk to advocate for early education, September 10, 2015 

- Ramey, Ramey and Pianta: Innovation in pre-K classrooms, November 2, 2015 

The additional focus on preschool in the subgrantee school divisions has also encouraged discussion about 

expanding preschool programs in non-subgrantee school divisions as highlighted in other news articles: 

- [Charlottesville] City School Board further mulls reconfiguration, expanded pre-K, December 2, 2015 

Technical Assistance and Professional Development 

The Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia was contracted to 

provide technical assistance and professional development for VPI+ coordinators, coaches, and teachers. In this 

capacity, CASTL staff members visited each subgrantee and provided ongoing technical assistance to address 

issues, which included help with recruitment efforts. 

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

they were making progress in addressing the unfilled slots. Phone calls and site visits by VDOE staff throughout 

fall 2015 provided 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. 

As some subgrantees continued to struggle with filling their VPI+ slots, on October 15-16, 2015, the VDOE 

conducted a webinar devoted specifically to recruitment of at-risk preschool children to offer school, divisionlevel, and community strategies to identify and recruit children eligible for VPI+ into the program. Also, ideas 

on how to tap into external community and corporate partnerships to promote the program were presented, 

and lessons learned from the Illinois Hard to Reach Families project evaluation were shared. 

During the October recruitment webinar, subgrantees shared information about specific strategies they had 

found to be successful. Of particular interest was a video created by one of the subgrantees, Henrico County 

Public Schools, to be used as a recruitment tool with various community groups and in other settings. 

The VDOE also provided technical assistance to two subgrantees, Norfolk City and Petersburg City, in the 

development of recruitment plans for VPI+. It offered webinars to private providers in these school divisions to 

increase interest, and Smart Beginnings, a community network committed to ensuring school readiness, 

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

Policy Implementation 

Virginia has also established several practices that contributed to successful recruitment of at-risk four-yearolds 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 

ED 524B Page 9 of 54 
 

subgrantee can serve. Eight subgrantees offer a single point of entry for child enrollment in preschool -

Chesterfield County, Fairfax County, Giles County, Henrico County, Petersburg City, Prince William County, 

Richmond City, and Sussex County Public Schools. Brunswick County Public Schools will begin a single point of 

entry system next year (2016-2017). Winchester City Public Schools and Norfolk City Public Schools are 

beginning discussions with Head Start to attempt a collaboration for enrollment. 

It bears mentioning that the complexity of cost allocation and keeping funding streams separate has been one 

barrier to the ability to recruit private providers to serve at-risk preschool children in Virginia. Private providers 

may find it difficult to fill an entire classroom of children with VPI+ eligible children (200 percent of the poverty 

level or below and four years old). In order to add children served by other programs or who are funded 

through tuition payments into the same classroom, they must be able to cost-allocate funds for all 

expenditures, and private providers may not have the back-office fiscal staff to keep tight records of this 

nature. 

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 within each of its centers, programs, and/or classrooms. 

In the development of their annual plans, subgrantees were required to address the following question: 

“Describe how the school division has established policies and procedures to ensure that the 

percentage of eligible children with disabilities served by VPI+ is not less than either the percentage of 

four-year-old children served statewide through Part B, Section 619 of IDEA, or the current national 

average, whichever is greater. Further within each VPI+ program the inclusion of eligible children with 

disabilities should be in proportion to their presence in the population.” 

The VDOE set 6 percent as the minimum percentage of eligible children with disabilities to be enrolled in VPI+ 

by each subgrantee. This target for VPI+ participation is higher than the average of 5.4 percent in Virginia, and 

considerably higher than that found in some of the VPI+ subgrantees. All subgrantees committed to meeting 

either the 6 percent target or inclusion of eligible children with disabilities in proportion to their student 

population. 

The VDOE and its partners in early childhood education 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 will be an increased focus of technical assistance, professional development, 

and monitoring. 

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. It is reported that there are children going through the formal identification process, but eligibility 

for special education services had not been determined by early December. In addition, due to the timing of 

this first year of grant implementation, there were classroom placements made for some children with 

disabilities in advance of VPI+ classrooms opening. 

Describe more specifically your efforts to support full inclusion of in the high-quality preschool program. 

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

supported in VPI+ activities. Site visits during fall 2015 corroborated these certifications, and monitoring 

ED 524B Page 10 of 54 
during spring 2016 will offer the opportunity to gather additional evidence. Selected examples of inclusion and 

support of children with disabilities in Virginia's VPI+ programs include: 

- The VDOE's instructional specialist for Section 619 of IDEA (Preschool Grants for Children with Disabilities) 

serves on Virginia's VPI+ Implementation Team, and she attended the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services annual PDG grantee meeting as part of Virginia's team. As attention 

turns to recruitment needs for the 2016-2017 school year, the 619 specialist will co-present with VPI+ staff at a 

professional development webinar for subgrantees and their 619 coordinators in April 2016. Additionally, staff 

from Virginia's IDEA-funded Training and Technical Assistance Centers (T-TACs) will be invited to the April 

webinar to assist with professional development and technical assistance, with further direct contact with 

subgrantees throughout the spring and summer 2016. 

- Virginia has procured at the state level a menu of professional development opportunities to assist 

subgrantees in meeting the needs of children with disabilities. This procurement was conducted with an eye to 

including ample resources to support inclusion of children with disabilities. Examples include, but are not 

limited to: Early Intervention: Children with Disabilities, Teaching Along a Developmental Trajectory, Inclusive 

and Respectful Classroom Communities, Developmentally Appropriate Practice - Guiding and Supporting Your 

Curriculum, and Challenging Behavior - Prevention and Intervention. 

- In its Preschool Development Grant application, Virginia committed to a comprehensive program of 

professional development for VPI+ teachers. Specifically, each VPI+ teacher must complete at least 30 hours of 

professional development focused on early learning environments and receive up to 40 hours of coaching. 

Additionally, an individualized professional development plan will be developed for each teacher, and teachers 

will record the professional development they received in a professional development registry. The VDOE has 

partnered with the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) to facilitate this professional 

development. CASTL conducted a two-day Leadership Academy in January 2016 that provided clear guidance 

on the approach to be used in developing the individualized professional development plans for teachers, 

including the inclusion of specific support for children with disabilities where needed. 

- Virginia's evaluation contractor, SRI, will collect extensive data on VPI+ teachers and the children they serve. 

These data will include results from the summative assessments administered to all VPI+ children, which will be 

disaggregated by subgroups, including children with disabilities. The data will be available through Virginia's 

State Longitudinal Data System, which will allow extensive linkages of children's results to teachers, classrooms, 

schools/sites, and school divisions. SRI has already established data agreements with each subgrantee and 

with the Virginia Department of Education to ensure successful data reporting and disaggregation. 

- See description of blended classrooms, cost allocation, and single point of entry enrollment described in the 

response to the question above. These options provide maximum flexibility and opportunity for inclusion of 

children with disabilities in VPI+ classes. 

- In developing their annual plans, subgrantees were required to explain their approach to offering 

comprehensive services, including ways they would maximize resources available to support children in Title I, 

Parts B and C of Section 619 of IDEA, Head Start and those who are homeless, migrant, English language 

learners, and/or in foster care. Some specific examples from subgrantees include: 

Petersburg City Public Schools 

The special education director and VPI+ coordinator collaborate to: 

- Provide VPI+ with the referral procedures and applicable forms; 

- Follow through with the school-based Child Study Referral process and evaluate according to federal 

regulations, if warranted; 

- Inform parents of their due process rights and special education procedures and obtain written 

consent to conduct evaluations, if warranted; 

- Provide VPI+ staff training on recognizing “red flags” that may warrant a school-based team meeting 

to discuss possible strategies/interventions and/or referral for a full evaluation for special education 

services under IDEA; 

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- Ensure development of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) in compliance with all federal and 

state regulations; and 

-Provide appropriate services in the least restrictive environment. 

To ensure inclusion of eligible children with disabilities, the school division: 

- Provides VPI+ staff training on recognizing “red flags” that may warrant a school-based team meeting 

to discuss possible strategies/interventions and/or referral for a full evaluation for Special Education 

Services under IDEA; 

- Require VPI+ staff to participate in IEP meetings of children who have been found eligible to receive 

services; 

- Involve VPI+ staff with the annual Child Find process; 

- Complete speech and language screenings on VPI+ children within 45 days from the date of entry into 

the program; 

- Complete all evaluations in compliance with federal and state regulations; 

- Place eligible children in the least restrictive environment; and 

- Utilize assessment data and knowledge of service capabilities to determine placement of each eligible 

child. 

Prince William County Public Schools 

A Memorandum of Agreement has been established between the VPI+ programs and Child Find to include the 

referral process, services for children, and collaborative professional development. The school division intends 

to serve all VPI+ eligible children, even if the number of children with disabilities exceeds the target set for the 

grant. 

Sussex County Public Schools 

During the establishment of the VPI+ program, a Preschool Advisory Committee was established that includes 

agencies that can assist with Child Find. These include the local Department of Social Services, Smart 

Beginnings, the school division, Head Start, local child care providers, and the local Board of Supervisors. In 

addition, the preschool application inquires about the presence of the following student indicators: physical 

health concerns, mental health concerns, developmental delays, low birth weight, aggressive behavior, and a 

diagnosed disability. If these are present, support services are put in place. 

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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 2015. 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. Since VPI+ augments the already existing state-funded Virginia 

Preschool Initiative (VPI), the number of additional VPI+ slots available for at-risk four-year-olds in a preschool 

setting has increased by 1,230 new slots for Year 1 of the grant (2015-2016), with 1,574 improved slots as part 

of the VPI program, for a total of 2,804 combined new and improved slots. 

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. As of December 2015, 

data indicate that 105 percent of the state's new and improved VPI slots were filled. Despite the fact that in 

April 2015, Virginia revised its goals for new and improved preschool slots based on revised data from the 

subgrantees, Virginia did, in fact, meet all of the original goals as stated in the grant application submitted in 

October 2014. 

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 on how they will meet any unfulfilled targets. 

Monitoring conducted by the VDOE in spring 2016 will also focus on filling remaining vacant slots for the 

2015-2016 school year and increased attention to recruitment for the 2016-2017 school year. 

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 and the Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success 

In August 2014, Governor Terry McAuliffe created by Executive Order a cabinet solely dedicated to the 

education, health, safety, and welfare of Virginia's children and youth. The Children's Cabinet, chaired by 

Secretary of Education Anne Holton and Secretary of Health and Human Resources William Hazel, is working to 

develop and implement a policy agenda that will help better serve Virginia's children and will also foster 

collaboration between state and local agencies. One of its five priority areas is to improve early childhood care 

and education. As a part of the effort, the Governor also signed a second Executive Order establishing the 

Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success. This Council is chaired by Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam 

and focuses on improving the health, education, and well-being of Virginia's youngest children. 

The 2015 annual report of the Children's Cabinet and the Council on Childhood Success made the following 

recommendations related to school readiness: 

1. Increase support for Virginia Preschool Initiative programs, including the development and 

promotion of mixed delivery systems; 

2. Modernize Virginia Preschool Initiative funding and formulas; and 

3. Ensure that children most in need can benefit from the Virginia Preschool Initiative in all 

communities. 

Legislative Interest in Preschool Opportunities 

The 2015 Virginia General Assembly requested a review of the Virginia Preschool Initiative and 

recommendations for reforming it: 

Chapter 665, 2015 Acts of Assembly (Item 1, Paragraph Q) 

Q.1. The Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees shall each appoint up to five 

members from their respective committees to a Joint Subcommittee to provide recommendations for 

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reforming the Virginia Preschool Initiative. The goals and objectives of the Joint Subcommittee will be to 

consider increasing accountability, flexibility, innovation, clarification of the state's role and policy relating to 

providing a preschool for economically disadvantaged children, and to further develop the facilitation of 

partnerships between school divisions and private providers for the Virginia Preschool Initiative. The 

Subcommittee will also review and consider possible recommendations regarding the development of a 

competency-based professional development framework for early childhood teachers in public schools and 

early learning practitioners in private early learning settings. 

The Virginia Preschool Initiative Joint Subcommittee met four times during 2015, receiving presentations on 

various aspect of the Virginia Preschool Initiative (funding, eligibility, requirements, etc.) and on Virginia's 

Preschool Development Grant (VPI+). At the end of 2015, its recommendation was to continue its work into 

2016, and it offered the materials from its four 2015 meetings as its preliminary report. 

Two bills related to preschool have been introduced into the 2016 Virginia General Assembly, which convened 

on January 13, 2016: 

House Bill 46 - Early Education Workforce Committee; Secretary of Education to establish 

Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a 21-member Early Education Workforce Committee with the 

key goal of ensuring an effective professional development and credentialing system for the early childhood 

education work force in the Commonwealth. 

HB 47 Mixed-Delivery Preschool Services Fund and Grant Program; established, report. 

Establishes the Mixed-Delivery Preschool Services Fund and Grant Program for the purpose of awarding grants 

on a competitive basis to urban, suburban, and rural community applicants to field-test innovative strategies 

and evidence-based practices that support a robust system of mixed-delivery preschool services in the 

Commonwealth. 

Collaboration among Partners in Early Childhood Services 

Building from the communication opportunities provided by the Children's Cabinet and the Council on 

Childhood Success, 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+ Implementation 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. More information about these roles is available later in this Annual Performance 

Report. 

- 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, Parts B and C 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. It awards a Professional Development 

Certificate designating an individual's placement level on the Career Pathways for Early Childhood and Out-ofSchool Time Practitioners. Each level represents increased training and education, indicating a commitment to 

early childhood education and creating a pathway to career growth. Representatives from the VDSS serve on 

the VPI+ Cross-Organizational Data team to improve statewide preschool data. 

- 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+ Cross-Organizational Data team to improve statewide 

preschool data. 

ED 524B Page 14 of 54 
- Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF) - serves as the lead on the implementation of Virginia's Quality 

Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), 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. 

- 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 2015-16 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. 

The state appropriation has increased steadily from $9.3 million in FY 1995 to $68.6 million in FY 2016 (an 

increase of $.3 million over the previous year). As a result, the number of budgeted VPI slots has also increased 

from 7,938 in FY 2002 (earliest available data) to 23,466 in FY 2016. The actual number of VPI slots used in FY 

2016 is 18,356, an increase of 106 slots over the previous year. 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 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. 

For the 2015-2016 school year, 118 of 128 eligible divisions participated in VPI. Six of Virginia's 134 school 

divisions are not eligible for funding under the state formula. Of those participating, 63 used 100 percent of 

their VPI slot allocation; 27 divisions used 76 - 99 percent of their slot allocation; 13 divisions used 50 - 75 

percent of their slot allocation; and 15 divisions used less than 50 percent of their slot allocation. 

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. This provision was modified by the 2015 General Assembly for FY 2016 to give priority for such 

ED 524B Page 15 of 54 
 

grants to VPI programs expanding the use of private partnerships. 

Beginning in FY2015, 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 for 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. Given the increased rigor and sudden implementation requirements of these criteria, legislative 

language allowed flexibility for SY 2015-2016 only, to allow a one-year transition: 

- Children meeting one of the four new criteria must be given priority for enrollment in approved VPI 

slots. 

- School divisions may continue to use locally selected at-risk criteria as a transition to the new 

eligibility criteria. 

- Beginning with SY 2015-2016, school divisions must use the new eligibility criteria. 

 As a condition of this flexibility, school divisions are required to collect and report data related to the new 

criteria: 

- Income at or below 200 percent of poverty 

- Homelessness 

- Student's parents or guardians are high school dropouts 

- Family income is less than 350 percent of federal poverty guidelines in the case of children with 

special needs or disabilities 

- Local criteria (SY 2015-2016 only) 

School divisions must also provide the total number of VPI slots used in each of the following income brackets: 

- At or below 130 percent of federal poverty level 

- 131 percent - 200 percent 

- 201 percent - 350 percent 

- 351 percent and above (SY 2015-2016 only) 

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 and the Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success 

In August 2014, Governor Terry McAuliffe created by Executive Orders a Children's Cabinet and the 

Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success dedicated to the education, health, safety, and welfare of 

Virginia's children. Their 2015 annual report made the following recommendations related to school readiness: 

1. Increase support for Virginia Preschool Initiative programs, including the development and 

promotion of mixed-delivery systems; 

2. Modernize Virginia Preschool Initiative funding and formulas; and 

3. Ensure that children most in need can benefit from the Virginia Preschool Initiative in all 

communities. 

ED 524B Page 16 of 54 
Legislative Interest in Preschool Opportunities 

The 2015 Virginia General Assembly requested a review of the Virginia Preschool Initiative and 

recommendations for reforming it: 

Chapter 665, 2015 Acts of Assembly (Item 1, Paragraph Q) 

Established a Joint Subcommittee on the Virginia Preschool Initiative to consider increasing accountability, 

flexibility, innovation, clarification of the state's role and policy relating to providing a preschool for 

economically disadvantaged children, and to further develop the facilitation of partnerships between school 

divisions and private providers for the Virginia Preschool Initiative. 

Two bills related to preschool have been introduced into the 2016 Virginia General Assembly, which convened 

on January 13, 2016: 

House Bill 46 - Early Education Workforce Committee; Secretary of Education to establish 

Directs the Secretary of Education to establish an Early Education Workforce Committee with the key goal of 

ensuring an effective professional development and credentialing system for the early childhood education 

work-force in the Commonwealth. 

HB 47 Mixed-Delivery Preschool Services Fund and Grant Program; established, report. 

Establishes the Mixed-Delivery Preschool Services Fund and Grant Program for the purpose of awarding grants 

on a competitive basis to urban, suburban, and rural community applicants to field-test innovative strategies 

and evidence-based practices that support a robust system of mixed-delivery preschool services in the 

Commonwealth. 

Creation of Virginia's VPI+ Implementation Team 

An integrated management team to oversee Virginia's preschool program has been established. The VPI+ 

Implementation Team 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 atrisk children. 

Increased Interest in the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) 

The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation's (VECF) VPI+ quality coordinator serves as a member of the state's 

QRIS hub team, to assist and provide input on all aspects of Virginia's QRIS implementation. This includes 

meeting monthly with the eight QRIS regional coordinators and assisting with statewide QRIS training needs. 

CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) and ECERS (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale) results 

and trends from VPI+ ratings are being used to inform statewide quality improvement efforts at existing 

preschool programs. 

Involvement in VPI+ has also expanded awareness and understanding of Virginia's QRIS with a variety of 

partners and stakeholders. For example, some participating subgrantees (including Brunswick, Richmond City, 

and Winchester) have asked to have their state VPI programs rated as participants in QRIS. These ratings 

would serve as baseline measures for continuous improvement. 

ED 524B Page 17 of 54 
 

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 2 APR, grantees will provide disaggregated data on the school readiness of the children served 

by the grant. This may include information collected about the children served by the grant at the end of their 

2015-16 preschool year or in their 2016-17 kindergarten year. States may provide data from a sample of 

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

In the Year 1 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. 

Opening Paragraph 

The Virginia Board of Education has set the expectations for the school readiness of children at kindergarten 

entry by adopting the following definition of school readiness:

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

will best promote student success in kindergarten and beyond. Each component - children, families, 

schools, and communities - 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. Children develop holistically; growth and development in one area depends upon 

development in other areas. 

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

ED 524B Page 18 of 54 
 

child's life and take responsibility for the child's school readiness through direct, frequent, and positive 

involvement and interest in the child. Adults recognize their role as the child's first and most important 

teacher, providing steady and supportive relationships, ensuring safe and consistent environments, 

promoting good health, and fostering curiosity, excitement about learning, determination, and selfcontrol. 

Ready Schools. A ready school accepts all children and provides a seamless transition to a high-quality 

learning environment by engaging the whole community. A ready school welcomes all children with 

opportunities to enhance and build confidence in their skills, knowledge, and abilities. Children in ready 

schools are led by skilled teachers, who recognize, reinforce, and extend children's strengths and who 

are sensitive to cultural values and individual differences. 

Ready Communities. A ready community plays a crucial part in supporting families in their role as 

primary stewards of children's readiness. Ready communities, including businesses, faith-based 

organizations, early childhood service providers, community groups and local governments, work 

together to support children's school and long-term success by providing families affordable access to 

information, services, high-quality child care, and early learning opportunities. 

Additional indicators for each component are available at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/ 

early_childhood/school_readiness/va_school_readiness_definition.pdf. 

As set forth in Virginia's PDG application, Virginia has established the following VPI+ goals for the school 

readiness of children who attended new VPI + classrooms at their entry to kindergarten: 

- Literacy/Language Development 

Percent of VPI+ children in PALS*-PreK Spring Developmental Range and PALS*-K Readiness 

Benchmark (85 percent in Year 1, 90 percent in Year 2, 92 percent in Year 3, 95 percent in Year 

4) 

* Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening 

- Cognition and General Knowledge; Approaches toward Learning; Social and Emotional Development; 

and Physical Well-Being and Motor Development 

Percent of VPI+ children who meet or exceed normative average in each domain (85 percent in 

Year 1, 90 percent in Year 2, 92 percent in Year 3, 95 percent in Year 4) 

Virginia has adopted a number of systems and supports for VPI+ that create a framework to assess children's 

school readiness: 

- A standardized preschool curriculum (The Creative Curriculum for Preschool) 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 

- Data-use agreements and collection of summative data to be integrated into Virginia's Statewide Longitudinal 

Data System for use in measuring success and trends over time. 

Assessments and Instruments 

In collaboration with its VPI+ evaluator, SRI International, Virginia has selected assessment instruments to 

assess the five Essential Domains of School Readiness aligned with Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early 

Learning. All assessments will be administered to preschool children in new VPI+ classrooms in the fall and 

spring, and again in the fall when they enter kindergarten. The threshold for school readiness for each 

assessment will be determined by state or national norms on the assessment when available. The selected 

assessments must be used by the subgrantees participating in the VPI+ grant program. Subgrantees may 

choose to use them in other preschool classes they offer. The Essential Domains will be assessed as follows: 

ED 524B Page 19 of 54 
 1. Language and literacy development 

Classroom teachers will administer the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) to assess 

children's phonological awareness, print and word awareness, name writing ability, and alphabet 

recognition. 

2. Cognition and general knowledge 

The Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement Revised (Applied Problems Subtest) will be 

administered by field assessors to assess numeracy and counting, and they will also administer the 

Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) to assess cognitive flexibility and attention shifting. 

3. Approaches toward learning 

Classroom teachers will complete the task orientation subscales of the Teacher-Child Rating Scale (TCRS-2) to rate children's approaches toward learning. 

4. Social and emotional development 

Field assessors will administer the Head Toes Knees Shoulders (HTKS) Task to assess self-regulation. 

Additionally, the peer social skills and behavior control subscales of the T-CRS-2 will be used to assess 

the children's skills and abilities in peer relations and behavior. 

5. Physical well-being and motor development 

For the first year of the grant, teachers were asked to rate children's motor development across eight 

skills (running, jumping, hopping, catching, kicking, throwing, bouncing a ball, holding a pencil). These 

motor skills were selected based on use in national surveys and/or motor assessments. Teachers were 

asked to note whether the child could or could not perform these skills. They could also use a rating of 

“don't know.” 

However, there were challenges in collecting complete data for all eight skills on all VPI+ children in 

new classrooms. Based on the completeness of data received, abilities in only three skills will be 

reported for the first year: holding a pencil properly, running without difficulty, and jumping up with 

both feet and landing on both feet. 

Virginia continues to explore physical well-being and motor development assessment options at this 

time, including possible use of the Teaching Strategies GOLD Early Childhood Indicators of Progress in 

Physical and Motor Development and the state mandated kindergarten screening list for fine and gross 

motor skills. 

Training and Test Quality 

- VPI+ Evaluation Advisory Board 

Virginia's evaluator, SRI International, has engaged an Evaluation Advisory Board (EAB) to provide advice and 

guidance to the VPI+ project. The members bring diverse perspectives to ensure a high-quality evaluation 

design to ensure the success of the VPI+ program. 

- The Woodcock Johnson III, Dimensional Change Card Sort, and Head Toes Knees Shoulders (HTKS) 

For validity and reliability of assessment results, SRI International has hired and trained the child assessment 

team to conduct the assessments. All assessors have been trained and achieved at least 80 percent reliability 

to be ready to go into the field. Data collection supervisors for each region have also been identified to 

schedule the assessments, conduct fidelity checks, and manage the on-site process for gathering consent. 

- The Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) 

As required by Virginia's Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI), in kindergarten through grade 3, all school 

divisions in the state must use the nationally validated PALS instrument as the diagnostic literacy screening 

instrument. Additionally, school divisions that participate 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, in collaboration with the VDOE, provides 

ED 524B Page 20 of 54
training to Virginia teachers (including VPI+ teachers) on the administration of PALS-PreK and the submission of 

data. 

- The Teacher-Child Rating Scale (TCRS) 

The Teacher-Child Rating Scale (TCRS) items ask about the 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. Teachers are asked how much they agree that each item describes the child. They are asked to trust 

their first thoughts, work quickly, choose only one response for each item, and to complete every item. 

Data and Usage 

SRI International has established data sharing and usage agreements with the VDOE and all subgrantees. 

Summative data resulting from student assessments will be entered into the Virginia Longitudinal Data System 

and will be available for use in measuring success and trends over time. Data will be disaggregated by ethnicity 

(Hispanic), race (American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African-American, White, Native Hawaiian/ 

Other Pacific Islander), gender, and for children with disabilities, limited English proficient children, and 

economically disadvantaged children. 

Plans for Year Two Reporting 

Virginia's Cross-Organization Data Team meets regularly to review progress on collecting the data for VPI+ and 

on designing reports that offer the disaggregated data in a format useful to stakeholders. It is anticipated that 

Virginia will be able to report disaggregated data for all subgroups in new VPI+ classrooms by February 2017. 

ED 524B Page 21 of 54 
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. 

Not applicable to 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 supports in Virginia have benefitted or will benefit from Preschool 

Development Grant (PDG) funds: 

- The Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) to assess and improve the quality of preschool 

classrooms; 

- Selection of summative assessments to measure preschool children's kindergarten readiness; 

- Expanded services to children with disabilities, English learners, and others in need as subgrantees develop 

family engagement plans to serve these children and families; 

- Improved professional development for educators as a result of support offered by grant partners and an 

approved list of professional development providers; and 

- Improvements to Virginia's State Longitudinal Data System (VSLDS) to accommodate increased data on 

preschool programs. 

Investment in the Structural Elements of Quality 

(a) Early learning and development standards 

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has developed, and the Virginia Board of Education has reviewed 

Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds (2013), which 

serve as Virginia's early learning and development standards and are required as the curricular basis for the 

Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) and Virginia's enhanced VPI+ program. The Foundation Blocks are aligned 

with Virginia's Kindergarten Standards of Learning and Virginia's Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening 

(PALS) in the following areas: literacy, mathematics, science, history and social science, health and physical 

development, personal and social development, music, and the visual arts. 

The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) has developed Milestones of Child Development (2013), a 

guide for adults working with young children. This document offers milestones of child development in the 

areas of social and emotional development, approaches to learning, language and literacy, cognition and 

general knowledge, fine arts, and physical development and health. 

(b) Program standards that are consistent with a high-quality preschool program 

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

improve, and communicate the level of quality in early care and education settings. It is implemented by the 

Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF), one of the partners in Virginia's PDG. All new VPI+ programs must 

be QRIS rated, which has generated interest by the state-funded VPI programs in seeking this rating as well. 

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The QRIS awards quality levels to child care and preschool programs based on four standards as outlined in the 

Standards for Classroom-Based Programs (November 2011): education, qualifications, and training; 

interactions; structure; and environment and instruction. 

(c) Programs for children with disabilities and English learners, including work force development for support 

of those programs 

Each subgrantee's annual plan contains a comprehensive services plan that addresses its preschool services to 

children with disabilities and English learners and their families. For English learners, in particular, several 

school divisions reference services to adult family members who need English language classes as well as other 

support services. 

(d) Methods to determine the availability of high-quality preschool programs 

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

maximizes the preschool slots available in public schools and in private or faith-based providers contracted to 

serve preschool children on behalf of the public school. 

The VECF maintains an online list of QRIS-rated child care providers. The list is sorted by locality for ease of 

reference, and includes public school programs as well as private, faith-based, and Head Start programs. 

The VDSS maintains a registry of child day care programs in the Commonwealth, which includes a listing of 

preschool programs operated by Virginia's school divisions. 

The Virginia Head Start Association, Inc., offers an online Head Start Locator that allows a user to locate a 

nearby Head Start program. 

(e) Preschool teacher education and inclusion of early childhood education and development in teacher 

certification and/or requirements for licensure 

Virginia issues the following teaching licenses that permit a teacher to teach preschool: Early/Primary 

Education PreK-3 and Elementary Education PreK-6. Teachers with these licenses must have completed an 

approved teacher preparation program in one of these areas or have a bachelor's degree or higher from a 

regionally accredited college or university majoring in the liberal arts and sciences (or equivalent) and fulfill 

specific requirements related to the endorsement area, i.e., PreK-3 or PreK-6. 

(f) Improvement to teacher and administrator early education training programs and professional 

development 

A significant component of Virginia's Preschool Development Grant is the development of high-quality 

professional development for VPI+ teachers, coaches, and administrators, provided by the Center for Advanced 

Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia. Responses to other questions in this 

Annual Performance Report provide greater detail about this component. As such, an infrastructure is being 

developed to provide improved professional development for all Virginia preschool teachers, including the 

selection in summer 2015 of a single preschool curriculum and the accompanying professional development 

and support tools to assess the learning and development of young children. 

Additionally, the VDOE established, through a competitive RFP in summer 2015, a list of approved professional 

development offerings that all preschool providers in the Commonwealth may use in the continuing education 

of preschool teachers. The complete list is available online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/school_finance/ 

procurement/early_learning_providers_pd/rfp_doe-pdo-2015-11_summary_of_awards.pdf. 

Also, all stakeholders are carefully watching House Bill 46, introduced into the 2016 General Assembly to 

establish an Early Education Workforce Committee “with the key goal of ensuring an effective professional 

development and credentialing system for the early childhood education workforce in the Commonwealth.” 

(g) Use of a Statewide Longitudinal Data System to link preschool and elementary and secondary school data 

Virginia established a Cross-Organizational Data Team and contracted with a data consultant to facilitate the 

addition of required preschool data fields into the VSLDS. Membership on the Data Team consists of 

representatives from the VECF; the Virginia Departments of Health, Social Services, and Education; SRI 

International, the evaluator for Virginia's Preschool Development Grant; the data consultant; and others as 

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needed. The Cross-Organizational Data Team met three times during 2015. Currently, the Data Team is working 

to establish key action steps and a timeline to complete the integration of preschool data into the VLDS by the 

end of the grant period. 

(h) A comprehensive early learning assessment system 

As a part of a comprehensive assessment system, summative assessments are being administered to examine 

changes in the five Essential Domains of School Readiness and later school and academic outcomes for children 

in new VPI+ classrooms. Details about the summative assessments are available in other sections of this Annual 

Performance Report. The participation of non-VPI+ children as comparison groups in this evaluation begins to 

promote the use of summative assessments statewide. The results of the assessment system stand to 

influence future participation of Virginia's preschool classrooms in the summative assessments as well. 

(i) Building preschool programs' capacity to engage parents in decisions about their children's education and 

development, help families build protective factors, and help parents support their children's learning at 

home 

Each subgrantee's annual plan contains a family engagement plan that addresses culturally and linguistically 

responsive outreach and orientation meetings, home visits, parent/teacher conferences, logs of family 

engagement activities, an annual family survey, and creation of a Family Access Consortium. 

VPI+ subgrantees have been connected to Smart Beginnings partners to provide for at-risk children and families 

at the local level. Subgrantees have been able to access varied resources and make important connections such 

as assisting family engagement coordinators in communicating with a wide network of family-serving 

organizations. 

(j) Building state- and community-level support for high-quality preschool programs through linkages to 

other early learning programs and resources for families, including child health, mental health, family 

support, nutrition, child welfare, and adult education and training sectors 

In August 2014, Governor Terry McAuliffe created by Executive Orders a Children's Cabinet and the 

Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success dedicated to the education, health, safety, and welfare of 

Virginia's children. Their 2015 annual report made recommendations related to school readiness in the areas 

of mixed-delivery systems and funding formulas. More details about the Cabinet and Council are available in 

other sections of the Annual Performance Report. 

VPI+'s priority for ensuring a continuum of supports for at-risk families is aligned with the work of the 

Children's Cabinet and the Council. As a result, Governor McAuliffe included $15.5 million for home visiting 

services in high-need communities in the introduced budget under consideration in the 2016 General 

Assembly. 

Additionally, with assistance from the VECF, 104 cities/counties in Virginia have benefited from Virginia's Smart 

Beginnings network, which helps public and private leaders collaborate on priorities for their youngest citizens. 

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. 

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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; 

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. 

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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 2015 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) is called VPI+. 

Major accomplishments in the implementation of VPI+ for 2015 include: 

- Development of a Statewide Infrastructure for Early Childhood Education in Virginia 

The most significant efforts and accomplishments in the implementation of VPI+ occurred largely in the 

development of a statewide infrastructure that will ensure implementation of a high-quality preschool program 

in Virginia's VPI+ classrooms, with options for school divisions to use many of the features (professional 

development, curriculum, assessments, etc.) in their non-VPI+ preschool programs as well. Thus the stage is set 

for enhancing the quality of all early childhood programs in the Commonwealth. Significant elements of this 

infrastructure are described below. 

Virginia is creating a cross-agency and cross-sector system at the state level that will support cohesive 

implementation and endurance of high-quality state preschool programs in Virginia. The VPI+ Implementation 

Team, Virginia's grant management team, is led by a representative of the Virginia Department of Education's 

Office of Humanities and Early Childhood and includes the Director of the Division of Child Care and 

Development at the Virginia Department of Social Services (who is also the state's Child Care Administrator), a 

senior representative of Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF), the Director and Associate Director of the 

Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, the Director of the Office of Family Health Services at 

Virginia's Department of Health, and each of the subgrantees' VPI+ Coordinators. The objective of including a 

team of agency partners, both public and private and state and local, is to more intentionally integrate the 

components of a seamless progression of supports and services for Virginia's at-risk children. The 

representatives and agencies assigned to the VPI+ Implementation Team have authority and/or influence over 

a wide range of related programs and services that contribute to the continuum, 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 Part B services. 

- Provision of Professional Development Opportunities 

Virginia has provided broad technical assistance and professional development to VPI+ subgrantees in a 

number of ways. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has conducted a series of webinars and 

meetings on topics, including: curriculum and formative assessment, family engagement, comprehensive 

services, practice-based coaching strategies, recruitment of children from hard-to-reach families, providing 

high-quality professional development and coaching, public libraries as partners, grant budgets and 

reimbursement requests, subgrantees' annual plans for grant implementation, the Quality Rating and 

Improvement System (QRIS), grant data collection (student, teacher, program), and VDOE monitoring of 

program and fiscal grant activities, and required data and information for Virginia's Annual Performance Report 

for the PDG. 

The Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia has also provided 

technical assistance to subgrantees in the development of an individualized professional development plan for 

each VPI+ teacher, and teachers will record the professional development they received in a professional 

development registry maintained by the Virginia Department of Social Services. CASTL and VECF have begun 

assisting VPI+ programs on how to use the results from fall 2015 QRIS ratings to inform teachers' individualized 

professional development plans, particularly in the area of improving quality of teacher-child interactions as 

ED 524B Page 27 of 54 
 

measured by CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System). 

Additionally, through a competitive RFP (Request for Proposals) process, Virginia established a menu of 

approved professional development opportunities on a number of topics related to early childhood education 

that subgrantees may purchase for use in the individualized professional development plans being developed 

for each VPI+ teacher. (See #2 below for additional information.) 

- Selection of an Early Childhood Curriculum 

Through a competitive RFP process, Virginia selected a single curriculum and formative assessment system to 

be implemented in its VPI+ classrooms. The Creative Curriculum for Preschool is a comprehensive set of 

resources that assists teachers at all levels of experience as they plan and offer content-rich programs for 

children with diverse backgrounds and developmental levels. Accompanying The Creative Curriculum for 

Preschool is Teaching Strategies GOLD, an authentic, observation-based system for assessing the development 

and learning of children from birth through kindergarten. (See #7 below for additional information.) 

- Procurement of a Rigorous Program Evaluation (Including Formative Measures, Summative Assessments, 

and Cost-Effectiveness) 

- Integration of Early Childhood Data into the Virginia Longitudinal Data System 

Through a competitive RFP process, Virginia selected SRI International (SRI) to provide evaluation services that 

will support the implementation of VPI+. SRI has subcontracted with School Readiness Consulting (SRC) to 

assist with this work. SRI and SRC will collect and use formative program measures, summative child 

assessments, cost-effectiveness data, and data from the Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS) to provide 

feedback for continuous improvement of instruction and program implementation, administer predictive tests 

and analyze results to answer pressing questions, and communicate results with VDOE, school divisions, and 

teachers. Additionally, VPI+ classrooms were QRIS rated in fall 2015 as a baseline measure for future 

improvement. (See #10 below for additional information.) 

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 

 In order to obtain a teaching license in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a teacher must have, at a minimum, a 

bachelor's degree. Additionally, Section 22.1-299 of the Code of Virginia states, “No teacher shall be regularly 

employed by a school board or paid from public funds unless such teacher holds a license or provisional license 

issued by the Board of Education.” Thus, all preschool teachers who are paid with public state or federal funds 

must have a bachelor's degree. 

Virginia issues the following teaching licenses that permit a teacher to teach preschool: Early/Primary 

Education PreK-3 and Elementary Education PreK-6. Teachers with these licenses must have completed an 

approved teacher preparation program in one of these areas or have a bachelor's degree or higher from a 

regionally accredited college or university majoring in the liberal arts and sciences (or equivalent) and fulfill 

specific requirements related to the endorsement area, i.e., PreK-3 or PreK-6. Thus publicly funded preschool 

teachers have a bachelor's degree and have completed an approved early childhood teacher preparation 

program or state-approved alternate route to licensure. 

In addition, Virginia issues the following add-on endorsement: Early childhood for three- and four-year-olds. 

An individual who holds a Virginia teaching license with an endorsement in early education (PreK-3 or PreK-6) 

must complete nine semester hours of graduate-level coursework in early childhood education and a 

supervised practicum in a preschool setting. This endorsement recognizes the candidate's additional 

preparation in early childhood education. 

Qualifications for preschool teaching assistants are determined at the local level. Subgrantees may expend VPI+ 

funds to help pay for additional professional development or course work for preschool teaching assistants. 

ED 524B Page 28 of 54 
2 - High-quality professional development for all staff 

Preparation for and Implementation of VPI+ 

Throughout the spring and summer of 2015, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) conducted or 

facilitated a number of webinars, meetings, and phone conferences with the subgrantees in preparation for the 

startup of VPI+ classrooms in late summer/early fall 2015. The VDOE also conducted technical assistance site 

visits to each subgrantee during fall 2015 and has planned site visits for each subgrantee in spring 2016. 

A description of technical assistance and professional development provided by the VDOE and other grant 

partners follows: 

- March 6, 2015 - VPI+ Program Federal Preschool Expansion Grant Informational Webinar (VDOE) 

Reviewed information required for the Memorandum of Understanding, Scope of Work, budget, student 

recruitment, and data collection requirements for each subgrantee. 

- March 19, 2015 - A webinar on how to effectively engage private partners in Virginia's Preschool Initiative 

was provided for all Virginia's subgrantees. The webinar was presented in collaboration between the Virginia 

Department of Education's Office of Humanities and Early Childhood and the Center on Enhancing Early 

Learning Outcomes. 

- March 25, 2015 - VPI+ Program Federal Preschool Expansion Grant Informational Webinar (VDOE) 

Provided information on VPI+ student eligibility and recruitment, definitions of new and improved slots, and 

the four-year budget framework 

- April 30, 2015 - VPI+ Implementation Team Meeting 

Served as the organizational meeting of Virginia's VPI+ Implementation Team, introducing the partners and 

reviewing the role each would play in implementation of the grant. 

- May 20 and 21, 2015 - VPI+ Program Federal Preschool Expansion Grant Informational Webinar (VDOE) 

Provided assistance on development of the subgrantee VPI+ budget narrative, use of the VDOE's electronic 

financial system (OMEGA), a discussion of the data elements required for VPI+, and information on 

development and revisions to each subgrantee's VPI+ annual plan, including recruiting eligible children. 

- July 21, 2015 - VPI+ Implementation Team Meeting via Webinar 

Provided an opportunity for each of the grant implementation partners to give an update on their 

accomplishments to date and as well as discuss issues and potential obstacles; also included a group 

presentation on Creative Curriculum/Teaching Strategies GOLD, the curriculum and formative assessment 

system selected for use in VPI+ classrooms. 

- July 30 and August 4, 2015 - VPI+ Monitoring Webinar (VDOE) 

Provided updates on the status of VPI+ implementation by subgrantees and work in progress at the state level 

to staff the VPI+ office and procure the curriculum, summative assessments/evaluation, and professional 

development menu for use by subgrantees; reviewed the need for student recruitment, the monitoring 

requirements and process for the grant, and the schedule for site visits. 

- August 17 and 18, 2015 

CASTL provided VPI+ coaches initial training focused on the Practice-Based Coaching framework and also 

introduced models of quality teaching practice and quality professional development. 

- August/September 2015 

VPI+ school division leaders, teachers, and teaching assistants participated in professional development specific 

to curriculum implementation and formative assessments. Five of the VPI+ subgrantees hosted face-to-face 

professional development sessions focused on use of the Creative Curriculum and GOLD formative assessments 

to individualize instruction to meet all children's needs. 

ED 524B Page 29 of 54 
- VPI+ school division leaders were provided with an orientation to Virginia's QRIS standards provided by VECF. 

- CASTL created a list of free online professional development resources that were mapped onto areas of 

needs, such as school readiness domains. This curated list was shared with coaches and coordinators to use in 

professional development planning. 

- September 10 and 11, 2015 - VPI+ Evaluation and Data Collection Overview Provided by SRI (Evaluator) 

Explained the purpose of the evaluation; the areas of evaluation (formative evaluation, summative assessment 

evaluation, and cost-effectiveness analysis); the data collection and schedule; the summative evaluation 

design; the direct assessments and teacher rating scale to be used; the reports to be provided; and data 

security and sharing. 

- September 29, 2015 - VPI+ Implementation Team Meeting and Professional Development 

Provided an opportunity for all the statewide partners (including representatives from the Virginia Secretary of 

Education's office and the executive level of the Virginia Department of Education) and subgrantees to meet in 

one central location to discuss the vision and outcomes for the grant and how they would be achieved through 

successful grant implementation; included VPI+ updates and presentations on public libraries as partners, 

comprehensive services, family engagement, and the Teaching Strategies GOLD formative assessments; 

provided an opportunity for individuals from the subgrantees with like jobs to meet, share information, and ask 

questions, i.e., VPI+ coordinators, family engagement coordinators, and VPI+ coaches. 

- October 2015 

During October, VPI+ school division leaders, teachers, and teaching assistants participated in more intensive 

professional development specific to linking the curriculum and formative assessments to meet children's 

needs. In addition, teachers and coaches are currently participating in ongoing online professional 

development related to curriculum planning, assessing the needs of children, and maximizing available 

curriculum and formative assessment resources. 

- October 15 and 16, 2015 - Recruitment of At-Risk Pre-K Children (VDOE) 

Offered school, division-level, and community strategies to identify and recruit children eligible for VPI+ into 

the program; discussed ideas on how to tap into external community and corporate partnerships to promote 

the program; and reviewed lessons learned from the Illinois Hard to Reach Families project evaluation. 

- October 21, 2015 - VPI+ Implementation Team Meeting 

Provided a status update to all VPI+ partners; discussed tasks and timelines within the statement of work for 

each subgrantee as well as the data agreements required from each subgrantee; explained the roll-out of 

planned professional development with CASTL; and addressed the most critical needs of the subgrantees at 

that time. 

- Ongoing through late October and ending in mid-December, VECF coordinated QRIS in new VPI+ classrooms. 

- November 5 and 9, 2015 - Year 1 Professional Development Implementation and Planning (CASTL) 

Reviewed the professional development requirements for the grant and shared CASTL's role in assisting 

subgrantees in determining the professional development needed by the VPI+ teachers and staff, helping 

subgrantees develop individualized professional development plans for VPI+ teachers, and securing the 

professional development to meet those needs. 

- December 3, 2015 - Leadership Academies: Overview and Preparation (CASTL) 

Reviewed the role of CASTL in supporting subgrantees' implementation of the preschool curricula, formative 

assessments, professional development, coaching, and continuous improvement efforts; defined the objectives 

of the upcoming Leadership Academies (January 2016) as 1) increase knowledge and practice related to 

effective data use to plan program improvement through continuous improvement plans and plan classroom 

improvement through individualized teacher professional development plans and 2) build a community of 

learning among VPI+ subgrantees; discussed actions subgrantees needed to take and data required in 

preparation for the Leadership Academies. 

ED 524B Page 30 of 54 
- December 11, 2015 - Federal Preschool Expansion Grant Update for School Division Superintendents (VDOE) 

Provided an overview to the superintendents of the 11 VPI+ school divisions and their staff on VPI+ 

accomplishments and updates; explained the role of the University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of 

Teaching and Learning (CASTL) in providing professional development and support to VPI+ teachers; identified 

the other partners in the implementation of VPI+, including the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation 

(implementation of the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)), SRI International (evaluation and 

summative assessments), and the Virginia Department of Social Services (Virginia Early Childhood Professional 

Development Registry (IMPACT)); outlined the topics covered in technical assistance and professional 

development provided to the subgrantees: curriculum and formative assessment, family engagement, 

comprehensive services, practice-based coaching strategies, recruitment of children from hard-to-reach 

families, providing high-quality professional development and coaching, public libraries as partners, grant 

budgets and reimbursement requests, subgrantees' annual plans for grant implementation, Quality Rating and 

Improvement System (QRIS), grant data collection (student, teacher, program), and VDOE monitoring of 

program and fiscal grant activities; and required data and information for Virginia's Annual Performance Report 

for the PDG. 

- December 2015 - VECF reviewed and finalized QRIS rating results. All VPI+ divisions were provided with a 

detailed summary report of CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) and ECERS (Early Childhood 

Environment Rating Scale) results for each VPI+ classroom. VECF also provided a webinar to assist division 

leaders with understanding the QRIS summary report for the purpose of setting professional development 

goals. QRIS results and trends were also shared with CASTL to help inform planning for VPI+ Leadership 

Academies. 

- January 2016 Technical Assistance and Professional Development Meetings 

January 7 - VPI+ Implementation Meeting 

January 13-14 - VPI+ Leadership Academy 

Partnership with CASTL to Provide Professional Development to VPI+ Teachers, Coaches, and Administrators 

In its PDG grant application, Virginia committed to a comprehensive program of professional development for 

VPI+ teachers. Specifically, each VPI+ teacher must complete at least 30 hours of professional development 

focused on early learning environments, and receive up to 40 hours of coaching. Additionally, an individualized 

professional development plan will be developed for each teacher, and teachers will record the professional 

development they received in a professional development registry. The VDOE has partnered with the Center 

for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) to facilitate this professional development. 

Professional development in 2015 focused primarily on implementation of the VPI+ preschool curriculum and 

formative assessments selected for use in all VPI+ classrooms, The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and 

Teaching Strategies GOLD; and on how to provide the summative assessment data and other information to 

the evaluator, SRI, that will be needed to complete the Year 1 (2015-2016 school year) evaluation. While three 

subgrantees have been approved to implement a preschool curriculum other than The Creative Curriculum, all 

subgrantees will use GOLD as the summative assessment. (See #7 below.) 

During spring 2015, CASTL conducted initial visits with each subgrantee to accomplish three main goals: 1) start 

building relationships, 2) gather information about division needs and strengths, and 3) begin joint planning. 

Visits lasted two to three hours, including a meeting with the local division team and an optional classroom 

visit. Personnel attending the meetings typically included the VPI+ coordinator and an administrator; 

occasionally, program partners, teachers, or coaches joined as well. Meeting agendas included general 

introductions, an overview of CASTL's consultation role and annual activities, divisions sharing information 

related to consultation areas, and joint planning for the next visit. CASTL followed up with divisions that had 

additional questions at the meeting. 

Many subgrantees reported using some data to determine what teachers' professional development needs 

were at the program level. Some divisions (primarily those that had participated in the QRIS (Quality Rating and 

Improvement System)) reported using CLASS data in some or all of their PreK programs to determine teachers' 

instructional weaknesses needing remediation through professional development (Henrico, Fairfax, Prince 

William, Giles). Few subgrantees individualize professional development to a large extent; thus, the VPI+ 

ED 524B Page 31 of 54 
individualized professional development plans are new for most subgrantees. 

For most subgrantees, formalized, ongoing, and nonevaluative coaching has not been widely available until this 

grant and is one means to individualize support to teachers. Informal coaching, mentoring, or evaluative 

supervision has typically been a part of other staff's roles, such as lead teachers and education/disability 

specialists. Coaches' roles will likely vary by the amount of time allotted to coaching and the coach-to-teacher/ 

classroom ratio. Divisions will have the autonomy to devote coaches' time only to new VPI+ classrooms or to 

both new and improved VPI+ classrooms. 

Divisions are trying to determine how to leverage professional development resources in the VPI+ grant to 

serve a larger population of their preschool teachers (within grant restrictions) to enable consistent 

professional development offerings. The logistics of offering different professional development to different 

teachers across different programs is challenging to some of the larger divisions. 

Throughout fall 2015, the CASTL Implementation Support Specialists visited each subgrantee to discuss ongoing 

implementation support issues. They met with VPI+ coaches, administrators, and teachers to collect qualitative 

information about successes and challenges related to curriculum, assessments, and professional development. 

They also conducted monthly calls with each subgrantee. Information from these visits and phone calls is 

included in quarterly phone briefings as well as in CASTL's annual report to the VDOE. 

In January 2016, CASTL convened a VPI+ Leadership Academy that brought together teams from each 

subgrantee to focus on supporting effective implementation of VPI+. Recommended team members included 

the VPI+ coordinator, the VPI+ coach, the VPI+ family engagement coordinator, the individual responsible for 

data management in the school division, and other administrators as determined by the school division. 

The two-day Academy was action oriented, with teams leaving with initial continuous improvement plans as 

well as clear guidance on completing individualized professional development plans for teachers. School 

division teams used their QRIS classroom summary reports to identify areas of strength and needs related to 

the quality of the learning environment and teacher-child interactions. VECF's VPI+ Quality Coordinator 

provided support for this component of the discussion and planning. The Academy is the beginning of an 

ongoing process of continuous improvement and the development of a community of learning that will 

continue in future leadership academies and/or CASTL consultation visits. 

CASTL's training to subgrantees on professional development planning has included elements of high- quality 

professional development identified by Zaslow (2013): specific professional development objectives, practicefocused, involves shared experience with colleagues, intensity and duration match objectives, tied to formative 

assessments, and aligned with standards of practice. A few examples provided below show how professional 

development for teachers has included many of these elements. 

Chesterfield County Public Schools 

The VPI+ Coordinator developed and delivered workshops that focused on practices around using formative 

assessment data (PALS, TS-GOLD) to individualize literacy and mathematics instruction. VPI+ coaches then 

followed-up individually with teachers to ensure that they were using data to plan and to effectively implement 

small group mathematics and literacy instruction. Beyond the intensity and duration matching objectives, and 

strong practice focus, these workshops included teachers across preschool programs in their division (Head 

Start, VPI+, Title I), thus enhancing alignment. 

Winchester City Public Schools 

The VPI+ Coordinator and coach collaborated on providing VPI+ teachers an inservice training on socialemotional (emotion regulation) strategies using high-quality free online professional development (webinar + 

free handouts) from the Head Start National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning (NCQTL), included in the 

free online professional development list provided by CASTL. This small group training was highly interactive 

and included take-away materials to guide practice implementation. The coach followed up with teachers to 

assist implementation of these strategies, and teachers reported use back to the whole group. 

Communities of Learning to Help Teachers Implement New Curricula and Assessments 

To provide ongoing follow-up to curriculum and assessment training (live and online), many subgrantees 

(including Norfolk, Giles, and Petersburg) hold regular group meetings with VPI+ teachers in which teachers 

ED 524B Page 32 of 54 
 

share implementation successes and solve problems around challenges. Staff report that these activities are 

building learning communities that engage teachers, build motivation, and help teachers implement new 

curriculum and assessments with greater fidelity. 

Menu of Approved Professional Development Opportunities for Individualized Professional Development Plans 

Notably, through a competitive RFP process, the state has established a menu of approved professional 

development opportunities on a number of topics related to early childhood education that subgrantees may 

purchase for use by teachers in their individualized professional development plans. The list of ten approved 

providers offers a total of 82 professional development opportunities on topics including, but not limited to 

literacy, family engagement, cultural competency, children with disabilities, English language learners, 

coaching, kindergarten transition programs, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), My Teaching 

Partner, teacher-child classroom interactions, children's behaviors, etc. The complete list is available online at 

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/school_finance/procurement/early_learning_providers_pd/rfp_doepdo-2015-11_summary_of_awards.pdf. 

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 

All subgrantees are required to meet class size and child-to-teacher ratios. Virginia's pupil-to-instructional staff 

ratio and class size requirements are more stringent than those required by the PDG. The Virginia Preschool 

Initiative Guidelines state: “The program will comply with the staffing standards required by Section 

22.1-199.1C, Code of Virginia. The maximum class size will be 18 children. One teacher will be employed for any 

class of nine children or less. If the average daily membership in any class exceeds nine children but does not 

exceed 18, a full-time teacher's aide will be assigned to the class.” (http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/ 

early_childhood/preschool_initiative/guidelines.pdf) 

5 - A full-day program 

All subgrantees have certified in their annual plans that they offer VPI+ as a full-day program. Fall site technical 

assistance visits confirmed this fact. 

6 - Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all opportunities 

A major focus of the work conducted by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and its partners in early 

childhood education has been on early identification and inclusion of children with disabilities into the VPI+ 

programs. This emphasis has been evident in professional development and the Leadership Academies 

conducted by the VDOE, training provided to the VPI+ coaches and instructional improvement plans facilitated 

by CASTL, and the annual plans developed by each subgrantee. 

- The VDOE's instructional specialist for Section 619 of IDEA (Preschool Grants for Children with Disabilities) 

serves on Virginia's VPI+ Implementation Team, and she attended the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services annual PDG grantee meeting as part of Virginia's team. 

- A number of the professional development topics available from the state's professional development menu 

(see #2 above) address children with learning disabilities, including, but not limited to: Guiding Children's 

Behaviors, Early Intervention: Children with Disabilities, Teaching Along a Developmental Trajectory, Inclusive 

and Respectful Classroom Communities, Developmentally Appropriate Practice - Guiding and Supporting Your 

Curriculum, and Challenging Behavior - Prevention and Intervention. 

- All subgrantees certified in their annual plans that eligible children with disabilities have access to and 

participate in VPI+ activities. Selected examples of ways subgrantees ensure access to and full participation of 

children with disabilities in VPI+ programs include: 

Brunswick County Public Schools 

The school division partners with the Southside Community Services Board to coordinate the transition from 

Part C to Part B of IDEA for eligible children. The family engagement coordinator serves as the point of contact 

for this partnership. 

ED 524B Page 33 of 54 
Henrico County Public Schools 

Collaborative classrooms are offered throughout Henrico County's federal preschool programs to ensure a 

proportionate number of special education children are guaranteed participation in the program. Additionally, 

Henrico County special education staff work with children and families served by IDEA, Part C, to ensure 

transition from Part C to Part B. 

Norfolk City Public Schools 

The director of early childhood special education (ECSE) and the preschool assessment team work closely with 

the VPI+ coordinator to coordinate services for identified children who are eligible for VPI+. These children are 

placed in VPI+ inclusion classes where the support of an inclusion teacher and an additional specially trained 

paraprofessional has been assigned. The ECSE team conducts training and offers support to general education 

VPI+ classroom teachers to ensure that each child's learning and developmental needs are addressed. 

Transportation is also provided to ensure that identified children are placed in inclusive PreK settings with 

appropriate and necessary teaching and support resources. 

Winchester City Public Schools 

The director of special education collaborates with the VPI+ coordinator and the regional program director to 

ensure children with disabilities receive the required therapies as delineated in the student's IEP. All services 

are in place before the second week in September. The department of special education also provides training 

for paraprofessionals working with VPI+ children with disabilities. Procedures are also in place to ensure that 

the percentage of children with disabilities served in an inclusive setting through VPI+ meets the requirements 

of the PDG. To reach families who may have children with disabilities, the VPI+ coordinator participated in an 

Early Childhood Community Information Session at the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum on February 26, 

2016. 

Chesterfield County Public Schools 

The VPI+ Grant Coordinator attends the IEP and 504 meetings for children identified and those being identified 

for special education services in VPI improved and VPI+ classrooms. Children spend time with their teachers in 

the VPI+ and VPI improved classrooms. Also, VPI improved and VPI+ children spend time together with the 

early childhood special education children during: recess, resource, and meal times. All children attend field 

trips together as well. 

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 

Virginia issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) outlining the need for a preschool curriculum and formative 

assessment system to be used in its VPI+ classrooms. The rigorous competitive procurement process included 

a review of the alignment of the offered curricula with the Essential Domains of School Readiness as well as 

with Virginia's Milestones of Child Development; Virginia's Standards of Learning for Kindergarten through 

Grade 3 in English, mathematics, science, history and social science, fine arts, health, and physical education; 

and Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four Year Olds. 

Virginia selected The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, a comprehensive set of resources that assists teachers 

at all levels of experience as they plan and offer content-rich programs for children with diverse backgrounds 

and developmental levels. The combination of knowledge-building resources and daily practice resources helps 

teachers know not only what and how to teach children but also why particular practices are effective. Five 

carefully researched volumes provide the knowledge base of the curriculum, and a variety of daily practice 

resources offers step-by-step guidance through teaching guides and additional teaching tools. Individual 

teachers require different kinds of support at different points in their careers, so all resources offer choices. 

Teaching Strategies GOLD is an authentic, observation-based system for assessing the development and 

learning of children from birth through kindergarten. Items to extend the system through third grade are 

currently being field tested. The instrument helps teachers document children's development and learning at 

particular points in time and over time, use that information to inform instruction, and communicate findings 

to families and other stakeholders. 

ED 524B Page 34 of 54 
 

GOLDplus is a suite of digital resources that strengthen practical links between assessment and instruction. 

Flexible planning tools are linked directly with assessment data; content from the Teaching Guides; and 

Intentional Teaching experiences, which are electronic versions of the curriculum's Intentional Teaching Cards. 

Three subgrantees 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. The following 

curricula were approved as follows: 

- Fairfax County Public Schools - Locally-developed curriculum 

- Henrico County Public Schools - Houghton Mifflin PreK Program 

- Prince William County Public Schools - High Scope 

All three of these subgrantees will use Teaching Strategies GOLD as the summative assessment. 

8 - Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children can access and participate fully in 

learning activities 

Extensive research has shown The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and Teaching Strategies GOLD to be highly 

valid and reliable for children of diverse cultures, languages, and socioeconomic backgrounds. They can be used 

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 strong 

understanding of children's progress toward school readiness, their developmental status at kindergarten 

entry, and their continued learning. 

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: 

Chesterfield County Public Schools 

For children with an IEP (Individualized Education Program) who are enrolled in VPI+, the special education 

teacher and/or speech/language pathologist collaborates with the VPI+ teacher on how to address each child's 

goals and objectives during instruction. Children are not removed from the VPI+ classroom to receive 

specialized instruction. Specialized strategies, visual supports, behavior management techniques, etc., are 

shared with the VPI+ teacher. Special education and general education programs share staff development 

opportunities related to modifying the curriculum, working with children with special needs, and managing 

challenging behaviors. 

Giles County Public Schools 

VPI+ teachers have participated in all state-directed professional development related to children with 

disabilities. The school division has also facilitated effective practices to meet student needs. The VPI+ 

coordinator is the special education director for the school division and ensures that children eligible for Part B 

services are provided required services and that teachers receive the training required to meet student needs. 

This individual also schedules and conducts transition meetings from Part C to Part B with the Part C provider. 

Evaluation and eligibility/IEP are completed prior to the child's third birthday. VPI+ options are discussed as a 

consideration at age four for children who meet the criteria. 

Richmond City Public Schools 

The VPI+ coordinator and the director of exceptional education work closely together to coordinate services for 

children with disabilities. Schedules are developed for those who need services during the day. Teachers 

receive appropriate coaching and training to meet each child's learning and developmental needs. 

Richmond City Public Schools also works with Exceptional Education and Infant/Toddler Connection to 

coordinate transition from Part C to Part B of IDEA. Monthly contact is made to determine which children are 

VPI+ eligible and which services best meet the needs of the child. 

ED 524B Page 35 of 54 
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 salaries comparable to K-12 instructional staff, i.e., according to the 

school division's pay scale. Several school divisions contract with one or more private providers to provide 

preschool services and all have indicated this requirement will be met. This fact will be confirmed by 

monitoring visits in spring 2016. 

10 - Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement 

Virginia issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) outlining the need for an evaluation of the VPI+ program that was 

rigorous and comprehensive, including summative assessments of the Five Essential Domains of School 

Readiness. After reviewing proposals from a number of offerors, Virginia contracted with SRI International 

(SRI) to provide evaluation services that will support the implementation of VPI+. SRI has subcontracted with 

School Readiness Consulting (SRC) to assist with this work. SRI and SRC will collect and use formative program 

measures, summative child assessments, cost-effectiveness data, and data from the Virginia Longitudinal Data 

System (VLDS), to provide feedback to improve instruction and program implementation, administer predictive 

tests and analyze results to answer pressing questions, and communicate results to the VDOE, school divisions, 

and teachers. 

The formative evaluation will examine changes in student access to high-quality preschool and comprehensive 

services, teacher access to state-sponsored and division-sponsored professional development, classroom 

quality, and factors that influence implementation. Data collection methods will include coaching logs, annual 

teacher surveys, division coordinator interviews and surveys, site visits, and data exports of QRIS classroom 

environmental and quality ratings, and VPI+/VPI administrative data (teacher and program characteristics). All 

VPI+ divisions will receive a report summarizing formative findings for their individual division twice each year 

to help them further strengthen their high-quality preschool program implementation. 

The summative evaluation will examine changes in the five Essential Domains of School Readiness and later 

school and academic outcomes for children in new VPI+ classrooms compared to similar children who receive 

no formal preschool. The evaluation also will examine variations in child outcomes by child and program 

characteristics. Data collection will include direct assessments and a brief teacher checklist of all children in 

new VPI+ classrooms during the fall and spring of preschool, the same assessments of the same children in fall 

of kindergarten (and a sample of other kindergarten children who did not receive formal preschool), and data 

exports of student testing identifier, demographics, assessment results (PALS), attendance, grade promotion, 

disciplinary actions, and receipt of special education and reading supports. All 11 participating divisions will 

receive child-level, classroom-level, and division-level reports with summative assessment results twice each 

year to support instruction and continuous program improvements. 

The cost-effectiveness evaluation will examine financial savings realized based on child outcomes compared to 

program costs. Data collection will include exports of administrative data and a cost survey for program costs 

not captured in administrative data. Findings from the cost-effectiveness evaluation will be included in annual 

reports to VDOE. 

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 were required to outline 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 Learners. Implementation of each subgrantee's annual 

plan for comprehensive services is monitored through quarterly phone calls and will be confirmed during the 

spring 2016 site visit. 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: 

Chesterfield County Public Schools - English Learners 

Chesterfield has a collaborative agreement with Chesterfield County Public Schools Adult Education 

Department to offer VPI Improved and VPI+ classroom parents classes in Spanish. Parents can also take classes 

in order to obtain their GED. These classes and the books are provided to families at no cost. 

The English as a Second Language Department offers PEP classes (Parents as Educational Partners) to VPI+ and 

ED 524B Page 36 of 54 
VPI families. While the parents are in class, the children are offered high-quality childcare. 

Fairfax County Public Schools - Homeless Children, Foster Children, English Learners 

Children who are homeless and/or in foster care are given a high priority for acceptance into the VPI+ 

programs. Fairfax County uses a point system for all qualified applications for PreK programs. Families with 

more risk factors are identified, and the family engagement staff works with families to identify additional 

services through the Department of Family Services or other nonprofit services in the community. 

The majority of the children in Fairfax County's PreK programs are dual language learners. The curriculum 

supports a rich program that immerses the child in English while also providing support to adults in the family 

who often speak the home language. Teaching teams will regularly gather data on each child and input them 

into the TS GOLD online system and develop lesson plans that meet the individual needs of each student while 

also scaffolding their development to the next level. 

Fairfax County also has a cadre of highly trained interpreters and translators that teacher teams can access if 

they do not speak the home language of the family. If information is not translated in writing, it will be orally 

translated for families. Parents interested in acquiring English language skills are referred to resources in 

Fairfax County, including access to Adult Education classes. Information is also available on less cost prohibitive 

alternative resources within the County. 

Sussex County Public Schools - Homeless Children, Foster Children, Migrant Children 

During the VPI+ enrollment period, parents are asked to complete all demographic information and counselors 

carefully assess the needs of the family. If children and/or families are determined to need comprehensive 

services, an eligible child is enrolled in VPI+ and support services are put in place, for example: 

- Homeless Children - Services include school supplies, clothing, referrals to support services, transportation, 

immunizations/medical support, and the child receives priority enrollment. 

- Foster Children - Foster children are identified by foster parents and placement agencies during the 

enrollment period. Once identified, the child is enrolled and all supporting documentation is collected and 

forwarded to the special education department before the first day of school. If a full evaluation is needed, 

timely contact is made with the family and a meeting is conducted. 

- Migrant Children - In addition to general education services, the support of the following individuals is 

offered: school counselor, school social worker, school nurse, family engagement coordinator, and director of 

pupil personnel. School counselors also implement timely student record transfer if the student must exit the 

program due to family mobility. 

Petersburg City Public Schools - Head Start 

The Head Start Program, VPI, and VPI+ programs established an annual collaboration agreement to better 

coordinate mutually beneficial activities and provide better services for children and their families. The 

agreement provides for a centralized process through which families can register children in the preschool 

program at the Early Childhood Education Center. Parties involved will meet every January to jointly develop a 

timeline for joint recruitment and conduct a community assessment for the purpose of planning recruitment 

and enrollment, targeting services based on need, identifying children not being served, and developing a plan 

to provide services to those underserved. 

This agreement also provides for ongoing professional development, which will enable staff to support 

children's optimal development and readiness for school entry and success by addressing the strengths and 

needs of the local population, such as homeless and non-English speaking families. Collaboration also involves 

shared use of pupil transportation, facilities, and other resources. All parties involved work closely to 

coordinate a comprehensive system of family engagement activities, staff and parent trainings, and uniform 

policies and procedures that will guide and support the delivery of services to children and families. 

Prince William County Public Schools - English Learners 

VPI+ has developed a Dual Language Learner Instructional Policy Plan. Teachers develop IEPs for each child and 

update the plans based on assessments, anecdotal records, observations, and parental input. Parents will have 

one home visit and three teacher/parent conferences throughout the year. Family Service Workers will 

ED 524B Page 37 of 54 
 

connect parents to ESOL classes during the establishment of the family partnership agreements. Professional 

development is provided to all teachers and teacher assistants, and they receive training on the Dual Language 

Learner Instructional Policy Plan. 

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 

must comply with health and safety standards. 

Health 

Virginia school divisions have annual requirements for school health. School health programs support the 

physical and emotional well-being of children 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. 

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) 

- Appendix D: Required Forms (PDF) 

- Appendix E: Sample Forms (PDF) 

- Index to the School Health Guidelines (PDF) 

ED 524B Page 38 of 54 
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; and 

- Complete the Division Level Safety Audit Survey (3 year cycle). 

Table 6 - Selection Criteria (D)(4) from NIA 

Describe the number and percent of Eligible Children served and the cost per slot. Please explain if 

Year 1 Target from the application and Year 1 Actual in Table 6 differ, and any approved changes in 

targets for Years 2-4. 

Explain your efforts to provide high-quality preschool program slots for the eligible children you are reporting in 

Table 6, and a brief description of expenses that contribute to the cost per slot. 

Shortly after Preschool Development Grant (PDG) funding was awarded, efforts began in Virginia to establish 

the new VPI+ program. State spending began in February 2015 when the state VPI+ coordinator was hired and, 

shortly thereafter, funds were awarded to eleven (11) VPI+ subgrantees. The State Education Agency (SEA) led 

procurement efforts on behalf of the subgrantees to procure the curriculum and formative assessments, 

program evaluation and summative assessments and professional development options. Following state 

procurement procedures, the final procurement effort was completed in October 2015. 

Throughout the summer 2015, subgrantees incurred costs to recruit eligible VPI+ children, hire qualified staff, 

and order supplies and equipment to open new classrooms in August and September 2015. By the last quarter 

of calendar year 2015, classrooms were open and subgrantees were incurring costs for staff travel and training, 

meals for eligible children (breakfast, lunch and snacks), formative and summative assessment costs, Teaching 

Strategies Creative Curriculum costs, indirect costs, etc. 

As of December 2015, 2,804 eligible children (1,230 new and 1,574 improved slots) were being served under 

the VPI+ program. Year 1 subgrantee reimbursements as of December 31, 2015, totaled $1,139,388.50. 

Virginia calculated the cost per slot by using actual slots as of December 2015 (1,230 new and 1,574 improved, 

44 percent and 56 percent, respectively). The total actual Year 1 subgrantee reimbursements ($1,139,388.50) 

were multiplied by the new and improved percentages of total slots, resulting in a new slot cost of $407.59 (.44 

x $1,139,388.50 ÷ 1,230) and an improved slot of $405.37 (.56 x $1,139,388.50 ÷ 1,574). This cost estimate was 

rejected because division budgets clearly included substantially more funding for staffing and equipping the 

new classrooms. 

Virginia also calculated a weighted cost per slot. In the Notice Inviting Applicants (NIA), Estimated Per Pupil 

Expenditure (PPE) per Slot from Part III Selection Criterion (D)(4), Virginia estimated the cost per slot at $12,600 

new and $900 improved (93 percent and 7 percent, respectively). To arrive at a weighted per slot cost, the 

total actual Year 1 subgrantee reimbursements ($1,139,388.50) were multiplied by the percentages mentioned 

above, resulting in a new slot cost of $864.58 (.93 x $1,139,388.50 ÷ 1,230) and an improved slot cost of $48.26 

(.07 x $1,139,388.50 ÷ 1,574). Virginia's Year 1 Annual Progress Report (APR) uses this cost per slot because it 

better reflects start-up costs of classrooms to serve new slots. However, the cost per slot fails to consider a 

very low disbursement rate (only 7 of the 11 subgrantees received any reimbursement as of December 31, 

2015) and amounts varied widely. Subgrantee reimbursements, as recorded in the GRADS360 system, 

primarily consisted of salary and benefit costs of VPI+ staff, meals for VPI+ children, travel costs for meetings 

ED 524B Page 39 of 54 
 

 

and training, student and family engagement activities, rental of classroom space and classroom and 

professional staff equipment and supplies. 

Explain any differences between your Year 1 Actuals and the Target for Year 1 that you reported in your 

application. 

Year 1 targets assumed a full, 12-month cycle; however, program implementation highlighted the difference 

between the SEA funding need (beginning in February 2015) and the subgrantee needs (July 2015 through June 

2016). Throughout the planning/budgeting process, subgrantees focused on the school year, not the grant 

performance period that started in January 2015. 

Actual Year 1 costs reflect classrooms opening in August and September (when almost three-fourths of Year 1 

had passed), the fact that subgrantee billing staff were out due to school holiday closures in November and 

December, as well as the initial subgrantee concentration on recruitment and start-up activities. 

If there is a significant difference between your Year 1 Actuals and Year 1 Target, describe the contributing 

factors and how you will address issues that impeded progress in 2015. 

Several factors contributed to Virginia's expenditures being lower than expected as of December 31, 2015. For 

example, subgrantee budgets for Year 1 were developed based on the school year, not the calendar year. At 

December 31, 2015, only one-third of the school year had passed. Prior to opening new classrooms in August 

and September 2015, subgrantees focused on equipping and setting up new classrooms, recruiting and hiring 

qualified staff, and recruiting and enrolling eligible VPI+ children. Some subgrantees had difficulty recruiting 

and retaining qualified staff and VPI+ eligible children. In addition to expected start-up work, VPI+ subgrantees 

also implemented new curriculum, attended professional training, implemented a new formative assessment 

system, etc. A key policy decision of counting new slots funded with PDG and Head Start funds and PDG and 

Title I funds was not made until January 2016. This resulted in no reimbursement to Henrico County Public 

Schools, a subgrantee with a very large number of new and improved slots. 

While focused efforts resulted in Virginia exceeding the enrollment goal (application), the pace of 

reimbursement requests was lower than expected. This issue was noted, monitored, and reimbursement 

requests reviewed during January 2016 and indicate the pace has increased dramatically - $1.7M as compared 

to $1.2M during calendar year 2015. 

In January 2016, the SEA and Henrico County collaborated with the U. S. Departments of Health and Human 

Services and Education and approval was granted to count Henrico's Title I and Head Start slots as new VPI+ 

slots. Henrico has an innovative, blended funding (Title I, Head Start, state VPI, local, private, etc.) model. All 

preschool children in Henrico receive the same high-quality preschool program without regard to the funding 

stream. Henrico strategically used VPI+ funding to enhance the existing preschool program in multiple ways 

including, but not limited to, professional development tailored to each teacher, coaching support in a 

nonevaluative way, enhanced family engagement (increase in number of family advocates and family 

activities), enhanced translation services (hired staff and garnered outside support) to help families be more 

engaged in children's learning, and expanded health services with an additional health coordinator that has 

reached out to advocates to connect services. Other VPI+ funded enhancements include program evaluation 

improvements including certification in CLASS for four additional coordinators and formative and summative 

assessments (provided Teaching Strategies Gold Assessment and implemented in all 54 classrooms). 

Virginia made noteworthy progress in opening classrooms to serve 1,230 new children and improving the 

preschool experience for 1,574 children and in use of private/community-based providers (one in Norfolk, two 

in Fairfax, and two in Richmond). Virginia plans to build on existing accomplishments and infrastructure and 

successes. Likewise, efforts will continue to coach, educate, and motivate subgrantees to have the best highquality preschool program possible with available resources. Given the accelerated pace of reimbursement 

requests and resolution of the key policy issue in January 2016, Virginia expects Year 1 funding to be fully 

utilized. 

ED 524B Page 40 of 54 
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 

Each agency/organizational member of Virginia's VPI+ Implementation Team has maintained contact with each 

subgrantee during the first year of the grant. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has served as the 

lead agency, providing guidance, coordination, and infrastructure support with subgrantees on reviewing and 

approving their annual plans and budgets; convening the VPI+ Implementation Team; conducting the required 

state procurement processes; and coordinating data collection and reporting. The VDOE has had close 

communication with the subgrantees to ensure implementation of the intended grant terms. Other agencies/ 

organizations have interacted regularly with the subgrantees, maintaining communication to discuss any 

required mid-course corrections as the end of the first school year approaches. A monitoring protocol has been 

developed that is based on the annual planning process. The monitoring protocol includes the same areas as 

those in the annual plan, with indicators in each area that reflect those in Virginia's PDG statement of work 

approved by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. The monitoring protocol will 

be used for the first time in spring 2016. 

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 

state Superintendent of Public Instruction and each school division's superintendent signed. Additionally, the 

VPI+ Implementation Team meets quarterly 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 

Prior to selection as a participant in Virginia's Preschool Development Grant (PDG), each subgrantee's 

organizational capacity was reviewed and confirmed. The state's close contact with each subgrantee through 

site visits, regular phone calls, individualized support, connections to community support systems, webinars, 

and meetings, and monitoring in spring 2016 have helped to maintain capacity and provide support in areas 

where needed. Additionally, each VPI+ Implementation Team agency/organization maintains regular contact 

with the subgrantees, receiving formal and informal updates, and apprising the lead agency, VDOE, of the 

subgrantees' progress. The VDOE is then able to provide direction and assistance as needed or signal to 

another grant partner how its help is required. 

(3) Ensuring that each subgrantee minimizes administrative costs 

Prior to grant implementation, the VDOE worked with each subgrantee to determine a budget for the grant. 

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 subgrantees on these issues through phone calls, webinars, and site visits. The spring 

2016 monitoring process will include a review of budget implementation in three selected school divisions. 

(4) Monitoring Early Learning Providers to ensure they are delivering High-Quality Preschool Programs 

Virginia has designed a VPI+ monitoring protocol that is based on the annual planning process for each 

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subgrantee. Each subgrantee was required to submit a VPI+ annual plan to the VDOE for approval that 

addressed the following areas: 

- Increase division-level (subgrantee) capacity to administer the VPI+ grant program; 

- Implement early learning curriculum; 

- Plan for professional development for teachers, teacher assistants, and administrators; 

- Provide professional development to support VPI+ eligible children with disabilities, English learners, 

and children in need of additional support; 

- Participate in assessments and report data; 

- Participate in Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) assessment; 

- Align VPI+ with kindergarten through grade 3; 

- Promote partnerships between preschool and kindergarten teachers; 

- Address the elements of a high-quality preschool program; 

- Address the use of private providers; 

- Coordinate services in rural communities and/or in military communities, where applicable; 

- VPI+ Family Engagement Plan; 

- VPI+ Comprehensive Services Plan; and 

- VPI+ Sustainability Plan. 

The monitoring protocol includes the same areas as those in the annual plan, with detailed indicators in each 

area that reflect the tasks and activities in Virginia's PDG statement of work approved by the U.S. Departments 

of Education and Health and Human Services. The monitoring protocol will be used for the first time in spring 

2016. 

(5) Coordination of plans related to assessments, data sharing, instructional tools, family engagement, crosssector and comprehensive services efforts, professional development, and work force and leadership 

development 

The VDOE serves as the lead agency on Virginia's PDG, and as such, provides leadership and direction in the 

coordination of the work of all partners. At the time the grant proposal was written, VECF was identified as the 

QRIS coordinator, and CASTL was identified as a consultant to subgrantees around their selection of 

professional development services based on formative and summative assessments and to provide technical 

support to VPI+ coaches and coordinators. It was also predetermined that the Virginia Longitudinal Data 

System (VLDS) would become the repository for additional data collected on VPI+ children and teachers since it 

already housed some preschool data as well as K-12 and work force data, enabling data sharing and analysis 

among stakeholders. 

The preschool curriculum for VPI+ classes, the professional development options for subgrantees, and the 

summative assessments used for VPI+ classes were all selected using a RFP process that included 

representation from some members of the VPI+ Implementation Team, as appropriate. The VPI+ 

Implementation Team continues to serve as the organizational and communication forum for Virginia's PDG 

partners. 

(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 the budget development process, the VDOE worked with each subgrantee on ways to coordinate with 

but not supplant existing public funding in order to maximize services provided to high-need children and their 

families. If questions or other issues arise, the VPI+ Implementation Team works to develop strategies to 

ED 524B Page 42 of 54 
support the ability of local communities to make the best use of existing funding. 

(7) Integration 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 

Per PDG requirements, Virginia has set a threshold of VPI+ participation for children from families with an 

income at or below 200 percent of poverty in new VPI+ classrooms. Due to the federal income threshold for 

VPI+ families, providing an economically diverse VPI+ classroom setting presents challenges. The complexity of 

cost allocation is a barrier for school divisions and private providers to serve children from higher income 

families alongside at-risk preschool children in VPI+ classrooms. Some of Virginia's improved VPI classrooms 

may include children above 200 percent of the federal poverty level, since the 2015-2016 state eligibility 

requirements permit the use of local eligibility requirements for VPI children. 

(8) Delivery of high-quality preschool programs to eligible children in need of additional supports 

Each subgrantee's annual plan, as well as the monitoring process, addresses the approach to services provided 

to children who need additional supports. These plans indicated that as part of the enrollment process in VPI+, 

school division personnel assess each family's needs 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 communities. 

(9) Subgrantees will implement culturally and linguistically responsive outreach efforts to enroll children 

from families with eligible children, including isolated or hard-to-reach families; help families build 

protective factors; and engage parents and families 

As part of its annual plan, each subgrantee has developed a family engagement plan that addresses 

implementation of culturally and linguistically responsive outreach and communication to recruit and serve 

children from non-English-speaking families, and isolated or otherwise hard-to-reach families. These plans have 

been reviewed and approved by the VDOE, and progress will be gauged during the spring 2016 monitoring 

process. 

Each subgrantee has also designated a family engagement coordinator to recruit children; implement the plan; 

work with community partners; and help families build protective factors and serve as decision makers related 

to their children's education. Each subgrantee has convened a Family Access Consortium to plan events, 

engage family participation and solicit feedback on the degree to which VPI+ is meeting family needs. 

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 

During the first year of the Preschool Development Grant (PDG), Virginia's work to align its grant-funded VPI+ 

program with programs and systems that serve children from birth to grade 3 have largely centered on: 

- Establishment of the VPI+ Implementation Team to ensure grant implementation and coordination of 

services that merge seamlessly with those children and families receive as they advance into 

kindergarten and beyond; 

- Creation of a Cross-Organizational Data Team and the development of a data framework to track the 

outcomes of children who enroll in preschool through third grade and beyond; 

- Selection of a preschool curriculum and summative assessments that are aligned with Virginia's 

Standards of Learning for kindergarten through grade 3; and 

- Work with Smart Beginnings, Virginia's preschool network of public and private stakeholders who 

ED 524B Page 43 of 54 
collaborate on priorities for young children. 

Additional opportunities for communication and alignment have occurred with increased gubernatorial and 

legislative interest in preschools, specifically: 

- Development of Virginia's Children's Cabinet and the Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success; 

and 

- Legislation related to preschool that was proposed in the 2015 and 2016 Virginia Assembly. 

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 already 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 in the 

following areas: literacy, mathematics, science, history and social science, health and physical 

development, personal and social development, music, and the visual arts. 

- Comprehensive Services 

There is active collaboration at the state level and between state agencies and school divisions to offer 

comprehensive services to preschool children as needed, including Title I preschool; 619 of IDEA; Head 

Start; and support for English learners, and foster, migrant and homeless children. 

- State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) 

Virginia's SLDS already serves as a robust source of data related to children in kindergarten through 

grade 12 and their teachers, with the ability to connect to databases maintained by higher education 

agencies and the Virginia Employment Commission. 

Virginia's infrastructure for improved communication between and coordination of early education and care 

programs has been further strengthened as a result of opportunities provided by the PDG grant as well as 

interest in preschool options demonstrated by Governor Terry McAuliffe and the Virginia General Assembly. 

- Virginia's Children's Cabinet and the Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success 

In August 2014, Governor Terry McAuliffe created by Executive Orders a Children's Cabinet and the 

Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success dedicated to the education, health, safety, and welfare of 

Virginia's children. Their 2015 annual report made the following recommendations related to school readiness: 

1. Increase support for Virginia Preschool Initiative programs, including the development and 

promotion of mixed-delivery systems; 

2. Modernize Virginia Preschool Initiative funding and formulas; and 

3. Ensure that children most in need can benefit from the Virginia Preschool Initiative in all 

communities. 

- Legislative Interest in Preschool Opportunities 

The 2015 Virginia General Assembly requested a review of the Virginia Preschool Initiative and offered 

recommendations for reforming it: 

Chapter 665, 2015 Acts of Assembly (Item 1, Paragraph Q) 

Established a Joint Subcommittee on the Virginia Preschool Initiative to consider increasing accountability, 

flexibility, innovation, clarification of the state's role and policy relating to providing a preschool for 

economically disadvantaged children. 

ED 524B Page 44 of 54 
 

Two bills related to preschool have been introduced into the 2016 Virginia General Assembly: 

House Bill 46 - Early Education Workforce Committee; Secretary of Education to establish 

Directs the Secretary of Education to establish an Early Education Workforce Committee with the key goal of 

ensuring an effective professional development and credentialing system for the early childhood education 

work force in the Commonwealth. 

HB 47 Mixed-Delivery Preschool Services Fund and Grant Program; established, report. 

Establishes the Mixed-Delivery Preschool Services Fund and Grant Program for the purpose of awarding grants 

on a competitive basis to applicants to field-test innovative strategies and evidence-based practices that 

support a robust system of mixed-delivery preschool services in the Commonwealth. 

- VPI+ Implementation Team 

Virginia is creating a cross-agency and cross-sector system at the state level tol support cohesive 

implementation and endurance of high-quality state preschool programs in Virginia. The VPI+ Implementation 

Team, Virginia's grant management team, is led by a representative of the Virginia Department of Education 

and includes the Director of the Division of Child Care and Development at the Virginia Department of Social 

Services (who is also the state's Child Care Administrator), a senior representative of Virginia Early Childhood 

Foundation (VECF), the Director and Associate Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and 

Learning, the Director of the Office of Family Health Services at Virginia's Department of Health, and each of 

the divisions' VPI+ Coordinators. The objective of including a team of agency partners, both public and private 

and state and local, is to more intentionally integrate the components of a seamless progression of supports 

and services for Virginia's at-risk children. The representatives and agencies assigned to the VPI+ 

Implementation Team have authority and/or influence over a wide range of related programs and services that 

contribute to the continuum, 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 Part B services. 

- Cross-Organizational Data Team 

Virginia established a Cross-Organizational Data Team consisting of representatives from the Virginia Early 

Childhood Foundation; the Virginia Departments of Health, Social Services, and Education; SRI International, 

the evaluator for Virginia's Preschool Development Grant; a data consultant; and others as needed. The 

inclusion of preschool data in the VSLDS will enable Virginia to track the outcomes of children who enroll in 

preschool through third grade and beyond. 

- Preschool Curriculum and Summative Assessments 

Through a RFP process, Virginia selected a single curriculum and formative assessment system, aligned to the 

Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning, to be implemented in its VPI+ classrooms. The Creative 

Curriculum for Preschool is a comprehensive set of resources that assists teachers as they plan and offer 

programs for preschool children. Additionally, summative assessments will assess the Essential Domains of 

School Readiness to ensure that preschool children are ready for kindergarten. 

(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 through its slot 

allocation and funding formulas and through its support for a mixed-delivery system, which encourages 

collaboration between schools, Head Starts, and private providers. The VPI+ initiative maintains this approach 

and utilizes three key strategies to ensure this commitment: 

- Technical assistance for layering funding and coordinating efficiencies; 

- Establishing integrated enrollment processes for families who qualify for multiple services; and 

- Leveraging comprehensive services. 

ED 524B Page 45 of 54 
2. Transitions for Programs Serving Children from Kindergarten to Grade 3 

The selection of a preschool curriculum and summative assessments aligned with Virginia's Standards of 

Learning in kindergarten through grade 3 is a first step in ensuring that children served by VPI+ 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. 

Increased data collection on the progress of children in preschool will provide data for continuous 

improvement of preschool programs to ensure that even more children are ready to enter school successfully. 

In addition to the VPI+ summative assessments being administered, Virginia is exploring other kindergarten 

readiness assessments. In fiscal year 2015-2016, the Virginia state legislature allocated funds for the University 

of Virginia (UVA) to work with VDOE on moving toward expanded use of kindergarten readiness assessments. 

In fall 2015, UVA partnered with 21 school divisions on a voluntary basis to implement the expanded 

assessments in over 500 kindergarten classrooms. Reports will be generated for all participating teachers that 

provide information about children's' strengths and challenges across readiness domains. In addition, teachers 

will be provided with recommended teaching practices that map onto the needs of their children, as identified 

in an integrated report. The graduated rollout will allow continued input from stakeholders to enhance 

expanded kindergarten entry assessments for teachers, schools, and school divisions. 

ED 524B Page 46 of 54 
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 1 Target differs from the Year 1 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 non-Federal 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. After the application was submitted, 

Virginia increased the match proposal to $5,133,618. The APR reports 63 percent attainment ($3,234,250.71) 

of the match goal, including state, local, and philanthropic resources. 

Unspent Year 1 funds were carried forward from 2015 and subgrantees will continue to execute Year 1 plans 

through most of 2016. It is anticipated that in the coming months, matching funds will be reported to fully 

meet the Year 1 goal with no impact on Years 2 through 4 goals. 

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. 

Virginia's vision and plan for VPI+ included a number of partnerships and strategies that provide a more 

seamless progression of supports and interventions from birth through third grade. Several of the strategies 

and partnerships noted in Virginia's response to Competitive Preference Priority #2 are outlined below, with an 

indication of progress made or anticipated by the end of the grant term, including: 

- An integrated management structure; 

- Smart Beginnings; and 

- Health/education policy opportunities. 

Integrated Management Team to Oversee Virginia's Preschool Program 

Virginia has galvanized a cross-agency and cross-sector system at the state level that 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 Early Childhood Expansion Grant (VPI+) Coordinator and 

includes: 

- The Director of the Division of Child Care and Development at the Virginia Department of Social 

Services (VDSS), who is also the state's Child Care Administrator; 

- A senior representative of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF); 

- The Director and Associate Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning 

(CASTL) at the University of Virginia; 

ED 524B Page 47 of 54 
 

 

- The Director of the Office of Family Health Services at the Virginia Department of Health (VDH); -The 

VDOE early childhood special education (619) specialist; and 

- Each of the subgrantees' VPI+ Coordinators. 

The objective for moving the oversight of Virginia's VPI+ program from solely VDOE to a team of agency 

partners, both public and private and state and local, is to more intentionally integrate the components of a 

seamless progression of supports and services for Virginia's at-risk children. The representatives and agencies 

assigned to the VPI+ Implementation Team have authority and/or influence over a wide range of related 

programs and services that contribute to the continuum, including the Home Visiting Consortium, the InfantToddler Specialist Network, Early Childhood Mental Health Virginia, Child Care Resource and Referral, Smart 

Beginnings, Virginia's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), and Part B services. 

Smart Beginnings 

VPI+ subgrantees have been connected to Smart Beginnings partners to provide assistance in fully realizing and 

connecting with the progression of supports and interventions needed for at-risk children and families at the 

local level. Because Smart Beginnings networks at the local level include a diverse set of partners covering the 

range of programs and services supporting at-risk children and families, VPI+ subgrantees have been able to 

tap into varied resources and these important connections: 

- The private child care community to explore potential partnership for delivery of services. 

Example: Smart Beginnings partners have assisted with making connections to private child care providers 

for VPI+ subgrantees, including Richmond, Petersburg, and Norfolk Cities; and to Head Start partners for 

collaboration, including Petersburg, Brunswick and Giles Counties. 

- Organizations and partnerships to ensure the full range of comprehensive services for VPI+ children and 

their families, including home visiting services, mental health services, and special needs interventions. 

Example: VECF and Smart Beginnings partners have been working with Petersburg's interim superintendent 

to identify home visiting/parent education services for pregnant and parenting mothers in Petersburg's 

high schools. 

- Assistance to subgrantee family engagement coordinators with a wide network of family-serving 

organizations and institutions of higher education, for outreach and recruitment assistance to VPI+, and 

other programs ready to support at-risk families. 

Examples: VDOE staff and Smart Beginnings partners assisted Norfolk and Petersburg with their pressing 

recruitment challenges. Smart Beginnings partners in Greater Richmond host a common Early Kindergarten 

Registration Day each year in April to assist 14 regional school divisions - including several VPI+ 

subgrantees - in communicating with and engaging families as they transition from home to child care to 

elementary schools. A barrier to full utilization of connections with family engagement coordinators was 

the delay in hiring this position among some VPI+ subgrantees. With these positions and representatives 

now in place, recruitment and engagement strategies and partnerships should proceed more smoothly. 

- Assistance to Family Access Consortia among VPI+ Subgrantees. 

One barrier to success was the compressed timeline for start-up and hiring by the VPI+ subgrantees in the 

first year of the grant, which precluded full implementation of the Consortium strategy. With positions in 

place and implementation in progress, Smart Beginnings assistance with intentional Family Access 

Consortia planning will see stronger progress in the months to come. VDOE and VECF have agreed to 

include partners more intentionally in VPI+ Implementation Team planning and discussions to ensure 

incorporation of these strategies and resources. Strong connections between VPI+ subgrantees and Smart 

Beginnings can enable learning from each other about birth to third grade supports and interventions, 

increase awareness and understanding across the state, and potentially lead to improved and expanded 

services in other communities. 

Health/Education 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 and its subgroup, the Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success, chaired by Virginia's 

ED 524B Page 48 of 54 
Lieutenant Governor. Leadership, staff, and members of the Council have stayed in tune with the 

implementation of VPI+ and the lessons learned. 

Examples: Recommendations from the Council regarding the need for greater access to home visiting services 

for at-risk families have led to Governor McAuliffe's inclusion of an increase in funding of $15.5 million for 

home visiting services in high-need communities in the introduced budget now being considered in the 2016 

General Assembly session. Lessons learned from VPI+, for example the need for a stronger system of 

professional development supports for the early education work force as well as local strategies for 

implementation of mixed delivery for preschool services, have also informed additional policy and budget 

items in consideration in the current legislative session. 

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 2015 that meet the definition of highquality preschool programs. 

Virginia's Preschool Development Grant (PDG) application estimated subgrantees would use $15,283,800 for 

new slots and $1,323,000 to improve 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. All of Virginia's eleven 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. 

Total Year 1 expenses totaled $1,600,060.69, consisting of $470,290.32 (29 percent) in state education agency 

expenses and $1,139,388.50 (71 percent) in subgrantee costs. Data reported in Table 6 were a calculated, 

weighted cost per slot. In the Notice Inviting Applicants (NIA), Estimated Per Pupil Expenditure (PPE) per Slot 

from Part III Selection Criterion (D)(4), Virginia estimated the cost per slot at $12,600 new and $900 improved 

(93 percent and 7 percent, respectively). To arrive at a weighted per slot cost, the total actual Year 1 

subgrantee reimbursements ($1,139,388.50) were multiplied by the percentages mentioned above, resulting in 

ED 524B Page 49 of 54 
 

 

a new slot cost of $864.58 (.93 x $1,139,388.50 ÷ 1,230) and an improved slot cost of $48.26 (.07 x 

$1,139,388.50 ÷ 1,574). Using this method, clearly 93 percent of expenses were attributed to new slots (far 

surpassing the 50 percent goal). 

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 eleven 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. 

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) conducted solicited competitive vendor proposals to secure 

curriculum and formative assessments, curriculum training, summative assessments, and a program evaluation 

for the eleven subgrantees. Additionally, a menu of professional development options was procured and 

information provided to the subgrantees to support staff development of preschool educators and VPI+ team 

members. 

Brunswick County Public Schools

Brunswick budgeted for a VPI+ coach, part-time family engagement support, college classwork support for 

guardians of VPI+ children, and comprehensive services to include medical, dental, vision, mental health, and 

nutrition for families of VPI+ children. 

Chesterfield County Public Schools 

Chesterfield hired part-time translators and interpreters, a VPI+ coach, a part-time instructional coach, a family 

engagement coordinator, and a VPI+ coordinator. Other noteworthy budget line items include a mathematics 

curriculum supplement to extend learning, summer reading support packets matched to student needs, PALS 

kits and data sheets to assess children properly, materials for parent workshops (resource books, 

manipulatives, learning tools), breakfast and lunch for each student, field trips for exposure to first-hand 

experience and develop background knowledge and understanding, contractor to provide health, vision, 

hearing and mental health and speech support, adult education coursework in need of English language or GED 

prep classes, parent workshops on nutrition, health and literacy. 

Fairfax County Public Schools 

Fairfax hired a VPI+ coach, early childhood family services and family engagement support specialist, 

community based VPI+ service coordinator, and provided funding for hearing tests, interpreter services, 

resources to prevent blindness, CPR First Aid training, field trips for children, transportation for community 

child care, breakfast, lunch and snacks, and family wellness activities. 

ED 524B Page 50 of 54 
 

 

 

 

 

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, 2015 through December 31, 2015. 

Virginia's Year 1 Preschool Development Grant (PDG) totaled $17,500,000. Unspent Year 1 funds, as of 

December 31, 2015, were requested and approved for carryforward into 2016. Year 1 program 

implementation and expenditures continued from 2015 into 2016 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 and revenue are recorded in the 

agency's accounting system as they are realized. Expenditures and revenue recorded in the accounting system 

January 1 through December 2015 (the original Year 1 grant period) totaled $1,609,679.42, including State 

Education Agency (SEA) expenses of $470,290.92 and Local Education Agency (subgrantees) expenses of 

$1,139,388.50. 

Subgrantees implemented a detailed, line item budget. Each subgrantee reimbursement request is submitted 

on a spreadsheet that includes the approved budget line item (description and amount) along with the 

reimbursement request (description and amount). Use of this document ensures only approved, eligible costs 

are reimbursed and both the SEA and subgrantees have a tool to track expenditures to date and the available 

balance. Subgrantee reimbursement requests are reviewed upon receipt and approvals are databased. SEA 

expenditures are likewise databased as they become known. Expenditure data are reconciled at least monthly. 

The Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE) accounting system and 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. 

VDOE recorded Year 1 receipts totaling $1,600,060.69. At December 31, 2015, VDOE had not drawn $9,618.73, 

which would have balanced the account. The difference is not an oversight, simply an issue of state and 

federal processing deadlines. The GRADS360 system included disbursements totaling $1,517,839.33 (differs 

from the VDOE accounting system by $82,221.36). The difference relates to disbursements made to Virginia 

and documented in the accounting system during March through June 2015 that were not recorded in the 

GRADS360 system. A list of transaction dates, amounts, and deposit certificate numbers is available, upon 

request. 

Provide an explanation if you did not expend funds at the expected rate during the reporting period. 

Virginia's subgrantees budgeted Year 1 funds to staff, equip, and support new VPI+ classrooms that opened 

September 2015. The Year 1 grant cycle began January 2015 and funds were expended by the SEA to staff and 

established the new VPI+ infrastructure. Subgrantees began incurring costs in June-August to open the new 

classrooms in September 2015. During the last quarter of the Year 1 period, most subgrantees began seeking 

reimbursement of costs incurred. Disbursements authorized in January 2016, exceeded $1.7M (as compared 

to $1.2M in calendar year 2015) - a significant, escalated rate that indicates course correction. 

ED 524B Page 51 of 54 
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 1 balance was authorized and carried forward from 2015 into 2016, and spending and 

program activities continued uninterrupted. Both the SEA and subgrantees will continue to utilize available 

Year 1 funds for approved grant activities. The carryforward authorization did not have an end date. When 

Year 1 activities cease, Virginia will determine if there are any remaining balances and redirect those funds to 

cover unmet needs. When the Year 1 funds are exhausted, use of Year 2 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 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 e-mails. Virginia's spending in January 2016 was significantly higher 

than previous months and analysis and discussions will occur in February 2016 to help subgrantees identify 

budgetary issues prior to the end of the school year. Line item budget adjustments may result from this effort 

but Virginia does not foresee any substantive budget requests for the next budget period at this time. 

2. Please describe any substantive changes that you anticipate to the State's Preschool Development 

Grant budget in the upcoming fiscal year (January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016). 

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. 

At this time Virginia does not foresee any substantive budget requests for the next budget period. 

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. 

Explain whether your sustainability plan includes extension of services to other high-need communities. 

Virginia had several stated sustainability goals in its Preschool Development Grant application and has made 

progress toward those ends. 

- Governor Terry McAuliffe's Governor's Children's Cabinet has prioritized preschool expansion as a major 

initiative to turn around underperforming school divisions and reduce economic disparities in educational 

outcomes in the Commonwealth. 

- The 2015 Virginia General Assembly created the Virginia Preschool Initiative Joint Subcommittee to consider 

increasing accountability, flexibility, innovation, clarification of the state's role and policy related to providing a 

preschool for economically disadvantaged children, and to further develop the facilitation of partnerships 

between school divisions and private providers for the Virginia Preschool Initiative. This joint subcommittee has 

been continued into 2016. 

- Two bills related to preschool, introduced into the 2016 Virginia General Assembly, would, if passed, have an 

impact on the preschool teacher work force and delivery of preschool programs in the Commonwealth: 

House Bill 46 - Early Education Workforce Committee; Secretary of Education to establish 

Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a 21-member Early Education Workforce Committee with the 

key goal of ensuring an effective professional development and credentialing system for the early childhood 

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education work force in the Commonwealth. 

HB 47 Mixed-Delivery Preschool Services Fund and Grant Program; established, report. 

Establishes the Mixed-Delivery Preschool Services Fund and Grant Program for the purpose of awarding grants 

on a competitive basis to urban, suburban, and rural community applicants to field-test innovative strategies 

and evidence-based practices that support a robust system of mixed-delivery preschool services in the 

Commonwealth. 

- The cross-sector, cross-agency VPI+ data team is operational and has begun to address issues such as 

increased collection and reporting of data on preschool children, teachers, and programs. 

- Increased availability of data on preschool participants and programs will inform decisions about program 

development and offerings, professional development for teachers, and the effectiveness of preschool for all 

children. 

- The data-driven professional development plans developed for VPI+ teachers will serve as a model for future 

professional development and upskilling of preschool teachers. 

- Through a competitive procurement process, Virginia has selected a high-quality preschool curriculum, 

summative assessments, and professional development for use in the VPI+ program that can also be used by 

other preschool programs statewide, thus contributing to improved program quality in other preschool 

programs statewide, such as Title I and Head Start. 

- 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 broader use of the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) to evaluate preschool program 

effectiveness will offer information and data that can be used on a broader scale for general statewide program 

improvement. 

- Assistance provided to subgrantees on how to maximize comprehensive services, braid funding sources, and 

blend classrooms stand to serve as models to sustain long-term services to at-risk preschool children. 

- Greater connections with local partners stand to identify local funding sources, such as educational 

foundations and business partnerships, to provide additional funding as needed. 

Many of the lessons learned from the implementation of VPI+ will be transferable and available to other highneed 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, 2015 through December 31, 2015. 

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. 

Virginia is on track to meet the grant spending timeline for Year 1. This report, which includes accounting 

transactions through December 31, 2015, reflects slower spending due to carefully designing and setting up the 

VPI+ program during this first year. As noted elsewhere in this report, 95 percent of Virginia's award was 

passed through to subgrantees, which budgeted for the school year (August/September through June), versus 

on a calendar year basis. At December 31, 2015, schools had been open less than one-third of the school year. 

During the period January through June 2016, subgrantees are expected to expend their remaining balances. 

During the expenditure approval process, Virginia has not noted discrepancies between the subgrantees' 

spending and their budgets (which were merged into one document to enhance controls and expedite the 

process). 

Provide an explanation if you did not expend funds at the expected rate during the reporting period. 

Several factors contributed to Virginia's expenditure rate being lower than expected for Year 1. Actual 

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subgrantee Year 1 budgets were based on the school year (not calendar year). At the end of the Year 1 grant 

period (December 31, 2015), approximately one-third of the school year had passed. Most subgrantees 

focused efforts on equipping, staffing and starting new classrooms in August and September 2015. 

Subgrantees experienced difficulty recruiting qualified staff and eligible children, staff turnover, staff learning 

curve related to this new grant, staff absences due to holidays, implementation of new curriculum, professional 

staff training, and implementation of a new formative assessment system along with facilitation of 

administering summative assessments. The state education agency (SEA) experienced prolonged procurement 

efforts to procure the curriculum and formative assessments, program evaluation and summative assessments 

and professional development options, which in turn delayed subgrantee efforts. 

Although Virginia exceeded the enrollment goal (application), the low expenditure/reimbursement level 

reflects challenges with regard to start-up (equipping, staffing, and recruiting eligible children). The SEA 

worked closely with each subgrantee, and they successfully addressed necessary start-up activities and 

recruited and trained key VPI+ staff. Starting in January 2016, the SEA noted an escalated pace of subgrantee 

reimbursement requests ($1.7M in January 2016, as compared to $1.2M during calendar year 2015), so the 

expected course correction is now beginning to occur. 

Describe any changes to your budget that affected your ability to achieve your approved project activities and/

or project objectives. 

Virginia's budget remained unchanged throughout the Year 1 cycle. Accordingly, 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 1 balance was authorized and carried forward from 2015 into 2016, and spending and 

program activities continued uninterrupted. Both the SEA and subgrantees will continue to utilize available 

Year 1 funds for approved activities. The carryforward authorization did not have an end date. When Year 1 

activities cease, Virginia will assess to determine if there are any remaining balances and redirect those funds 

to cover unmet needs. When the Year 1 funds are exhausted, use of Year 2 funding will begin. The 

authorization from the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to carry forward funds 

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 calendar year). 

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