(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – Three public preschool teachers recently received 2007-08 Classroom of Excellence Awards from the Kentucky Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood Development.
The three are:
· Pamela Budd, Jessamine Early Learning Village, Jessamine County
· Barbara Reese, Jessamine Early Learning Village, Jessamine County
· Kristy Marie Smith, Lone Oak Elementary, McCracken County
This year’s recipients were honored with a reception during the RTC Summer Institute at the Lexington Convention Center and Hyatt Regency on Monday, June 9.
The voluntary Classrooms of Excellence program identifies high-quality state-funded preschool classrooms, based on a comprehensive review of activities and methodology. Applicants participate in an intensive self-study and also must show that their classrooms meet specific criteria:
- use of the Building A Strong Foundation series, which includes preschool standards, parent guides, continuous assessment tools and the Quality Self Study
- a minimum average score of 6.0 on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R)
- an "Exemplary" category score on the Early Learning and Language Classroom Observation (ELLCO)
- IECE certification or Letter of Exemption for lead teachers
- regional or national accreditation, either current or in progress
Kentucky's state-funded preschool education programs are available for all 4-year-old children whose family income is no more than 150% of poverty; all 3- and 4-year-old children with developmental delays and disabilities, regardless of income; and other 4-year-old children as placements are available. The preschool program is designed to be developmentally appropriate for young children. "Developmentally appropriate" is defined by law to mean that the program focuses on the child's physical, intellectual, social and emotional development, including interpersonal, intrapersonal and socialization skills. In the 2006-07 school year, 23,072 children were served in more than 1,000 public preschool classrooms in Kentucky.
##