Hartford Central School District’s Universal PreK program.

2 Thank you for your interest in the Hartford Central School District’s Universal PreK program. If you have questions regarding the preparation of your agency’s application, please contact the Elementary Principal, Mrs. Bethellen Mannix. Please review the attached information and submit the application as follows: Return application to: Hartford Central School District Attention: District Office 4704 State Route 149 Hartford, New York 12838 Deadline for submission: 2:00 p.m. on April 26, 2024 Review of Proposals and Selection: May 6 through May 10, 2024 Implementation: July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025 Copies to submit: One original and One electronic copy on USB drive 3 Proposal Evaluation: ● The Hartford Central School District will review all proposals and reserves the right to make final determinations as to the ability of an agency to provide high quality early childhood programming. Factors used to determine the acceptance of an agency’s request to collaborate with the district

include, but may not be limited to: ○ Information provided in the RFP; ○ Information provided in the budget form, including the total dollar amount required by the agency to implement the program; ○ Information gathered from an interview with agency official(s) following submission of the written application; ○ Strength/sustainability of current agency program(s); ○ Agency’s ability to provide Teachers and Teaching Assistants with appropriate NYS Certification; ○ Agency’s ability to provide a Supervisor Certified in Teacher Evaluation in accordance to the approved evaluation tool used by the District; ○ Agency’s ability to meet NYSED and Hartford Central School District’s programmatic regulations/standards; ○ The eligible agency’s capacity to effectively, efficiently and immediately provide needed services; ○ The ease of utilization and accessibility of the program to parents and/or guardians; ○ Capacity to provide ongoing staff development; ○ Staffing patterns and qualifications; ○ Documentation that all applicable health and safety codes and licensure or registration requirements are met; ○ Current program design and experience in providing developmentally appropriate programs; ○ Fiscal solvency; ○ Stability of staff, rate of turnover and ability to fill vacancies in a timely manner; ○ Articulated mission/philosophy statements; ○ Record management and documentation procedures followed by the agency; ○ Administrative structure; ○ Capacity and experience in serving children with disabilities; ○ Capacity and experience in serving children and their families when they are limited English proficient; ○ Children’s progress as demonstrated by assessments; and ○ Demonstrated effectiveness of the eligible agency’s program 4 Hartford Central School District Universal Prekindergarten Program Agency/Provider Application REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL 2024-2025 Deadline for Submission: 2:00 p.m. on April 26, 2024 Return Application to: Hartford Central School District Attn: District Office 4704 State Route 149 Hartford, NY 12838 Hartford Central School District and provider agree as follows: ● The program will run 8:30am – 2:15pm each day, 5 days a week, at least 180 days per year, following the school district calendar. ● Activities identified in the program include: social, cognitive, linguistic and physical development; developmentally appropriate child community involvement; health and nutrition; services to children with disabilities; language development to children who speak other than English; continuity with early elementary grades. ● The teacher must hold a NYS Teaching Certificate valid for service in early childhood or a NYS Teaching Certificate valid for students with disabilities. If they are not certified, they must have an education plan that will lead to obtaining NYS teacher certification for Birth – Grade 2 within five years. If a teacher is not certified, they must be supervised by an on-site certified teacher. ● Children must reside in the Hartford Central School District and be four years of age on or before December 1st of the year in which he or she is enrolled or who will otherwise be first eligible to enter public school kindergarten commencing with the following school year. ● The curriculum must ensure strong instructional content aligned with K-12 and State Learning Standards and ensure continuity with instruction in the early elementary grades and be integrated with the district’s instructional program in kindergarten through grade twelve. ● The provider will use the district programming at their location. ● Early literacy and emergent reading instruction must be provided and be based on effective evidence-based practices. ● All UPK enrollees must be screened as new entrants to develop a baseline so that progress of all children can be followed. ● Student placement will be determined by a lottery. Students who do not receive a lottery placement or who apply after the lottery date will be placed on a waiting list. ● Children cannot be denied participation on the basis of race, color or national origin, sex or disability. Children with limited English proficiency must have equal access to the program and opportunities to achieve the same goals as other enrolled children. ● Active parent engagement in the education of their children must be ensured. Programs must meet the requirements set forth Subpart 151-1, Universal Prekindergarten Regulations, as well as the Hartford Central School District Universal Prekindergarten Program. 5 Please answer the questions in the space provided. Agency/Provider Name Address Phone Fax E-mail Name and title of person completing application Signature of authorized person completing application 1. What is your agency’s mission/philosophy/purpose? 2. Describe your agency’s organizational structure: 3. Describe your organization’s history of providing quality early childhood programs. Please include information regarding services provided to children with disabilities. 4. Please describe services/supports your agency provides to families (attach supporting documentation) 6 5. Please describe plans to implement HCS/NYSED curricular requirements under this program (include literacy, math, social emotional, gross motor, technology integration, and on-going student assessment, etc.): 6. Please describe how your program would use both formative and summative assessment for both academics and social emotional learning to support small group and individualized instruction for students: 7. Please describe how your curriculum is in alignment with the HCS/NYSED Kindergarten curriculum and how your agency would work with HCS to ensure a seamless transition to kindergarten for students and families: 8. What staff development opportunities do you presently offer your staff? Would your staff be willing to attend staff development opportunities made available by HCS? 7 9. Describe parent activities/events that you plan yearly. How do you encourage parental involvement and ensure all parents have ease of utilization and access to services? 10. Please describe your agency’s plan for parent engagement (attach supporting documentation): 11. Describe how Prekindergarten services will be staffed, including information regarding staff qualifications and child-staff ratio. 12. Explain the administrative structure of your organization and the supervisory structure, including the qualifications of the supervisor(s). 8 Agency Budget Form UPK Please provide a narrative description of reasonable, appropriate and necessary expenditures: Professional Salaries Detail: Support Staff Salaries Detail: Supplies and Materials Detail: Equipment Detail: 9 Purchased Services Detail: 10 Hartford Central School District Universal Prekindergarten Program Plan Universal Prekindergarten Program Goals and Action Steps Goal – To provide the components of the New York State Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core Action Steps - Utilize evidenced-based as well as developmentally appropriate curriculum that is aligned with the NYS Learning Standards and domains which provides instructional strategies for the essential components of reading, including: ● Build background knowledge ● Vocabulary development, including the development of expressive/receptive vocabulary ● Develop appropriate listening skills ● Develop appropriate grammar skills ● Develop knowledge of phonemic awareness and alphabetic principle ● Building skills for becoming an effective communicator ● Develop Language Arts and pre-writing skills ● Language Arts learning centers Action Steps - District developed prekindergarten math curriculum based on kindergarten NYS standards ● Use of math manipulatives ● Engaging, hands-on activities ● Provide language development that is key to laying a solid foundation in math ● Concrete examples that help children develop abstract and higher-order thinking skills ● Participate in math learning centers ● Develop numeric identification and counting, calendar skills Action Steps ● Explore literature related to science, math, and social studies themes ● Provide learning centers that incorporate all subject areas ● Introduce computer technology and participation in directed computer lab activities utilizing the Internet and web based applications ● Incorporate the arts by including music appreciation, dance, dramatic play and/or art into the daily routine ● Participate in directed and independent learning centers ● Promote engagement of conversation with children and adults ● Learn appropriate manners at snack time and throughout the day ● Participate in class trips, assemblies and engage with guest speakers ● Provide activities that use of fine motor and gross motor skills 11 Goal - To furnish ongoing assessments, monitoring and reporting to ensure students are provided appropriate teaching strategies that enable growth Action Steps ● Offer a system that provides annual administration of Brigance testing to inform classroom instruction ● Ensure ongoing routine assessments ● Provide SED required assessment reports, as required Goal - To offer a prekindergarten program that is learner centered and promotes the “whole child” ensuring that they are self-assured and independent Action Steps ● Participate in small/large groups independently, and with guidance ● Learn sharing and resolving of difficulties in a constructive manner ● Learn to play cooperatively, exhibiting courteous behavior ● Use of computer programs that enhance the kindergarten curriculum ● Learn to handle transitions appropriately ● Exhibit good self-concept/positive attitude ● Work towards independence ● Exhibit responsibility for self/others, follow classroom rules and show self-control ● Accept adult guidance and leadership ● Participate in character education programming ● Collaborate with other community and school based departments, such as fire, police, US post office, high school child care classes, etc. Goal - Provide a prekindergarten program that is rich in health, and nutritional well-being and promoting of physical skills Action Steps ● Provide for the early identification and prevention of health problems by promoting health and safety of all children, making use of community agencies and health providers ● Provide health screenings for hearing, vision, height and weight and physicals ● Enlist LPN to provide health referrals and first aid, monitor attendance, address health issues with parents, and make presentations to students on relevant health concerns ● Consistent encouragement of hand washing before meals, after bathroom, and at other necessary times ● Provide children with a nutritional snack daily, in an environment that promotes interaction between staff and children ● Provide children with allergies appropriate snack modifications when needed ● Classroom cooking experiences, which include opportunities to explore concepts of measurement, textures and taste ● Provide opportunities for exercise ● Control and coordinate basic body movements 12 ● Demonstrate fine and gross motor skills Goal - To provide active engagement of parents and/or guardians in the education of their children Action Steps ● Provide opportunities for parents and children to work together with curriculum and non-curriculum based activities ● Provide parent conferences that offer an opportunity to establish communication between home and school ● Provide parent education materials to help with parenting skills and academics ● Provide opportunities for parents to join their child at school-based functions and on community based field trips Goal - To provide support services to the maximum extent possible Action Steps ● Offer services to parents and children in the language or mode of communication that they best understand ● Continue a relationship with community organizations such as Social Services Goal – To provide staff development and teacher training for staff and teachers in cooperation with staff development provided for K – 12 teachers in the district Action Steps ● On-going, sustained professional development provided by district for a minimum of 10 hours per year related to curriculum standards and assessments as well as social issues ● Grade level meetings with prekindergarten staff among each other and in conjunction with early primary grade level Program Components The Prekindergarten in the Hartford Central School District provides four year old residents of the District the opportunity to access high quality programming that prepares them for future success. The program addresses and provides the following: ● instructional components, promoting reading, literacy, and math ● on-going assessments, including monitoring and reporting that ensures ● appropriate teaching strategies that enable growth ● social-emotional development, including fostering a positive sense of self, which considers the “whole” child ● physical well-being and skills, including appropriate health and nutritional aspects, gross and fine motor development 13 ● active engagement activities for parents and guardians that allows participation in the education of their child ● staff development consistent with opportunities provided for K-12 staff Staff Qualifications Staff qualifications will include the following: ● Teachers hold certification valid in early childhood education or have an education plan that will lead to obtaining NYS teacher certification for Birth – Grade 2 within five years ● Teacher aides providing support in a prekindergarten classroom will meet the same requirements as all aides in the District ● Staff will be involved in all professional development provided by the District and in accordance with the Professional Development Plan Program Design The program design will consist of half-day classes, five days per week, for a minimum of 180 days per year. The calendar will follow the District’s K-12 calendar. Snacks will be provided daily. Curriculum for prekindergarten students will dovetail with the district’s sequential K-5 instructional program, which follows the state curriculum.