Transitional Kindergarten Professional Development Reimbursement Program

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Transitional Kindergarten Professional Development Reimbursement Program

Recent legislation established additional requirements for TK teachers and a professional development reimbursement program to support teacher enrollment in programs to meet the requirements. New TK Teacher Requirements

SB 876 added additional requirements for TK teachers. Pursuant to EC 48000(g), a school district or charter school shall ensure that credentialed teachers who are first assigned to a TK classroom after July 1, 2015, have, by August 1, 2020, one of the following:

1. At least 24 units in early childhood education, or childhood development, or both.

2. As determined by the LEA employing the teacher, professional experience in a classroom setting with preschool age children that is comparable to the 24 units of education described in bullet 1. 3. A child development teacher permit issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing

(CTC).

Any current credentialed teacher who is or was assigned to teach TK, or a combination class of kindergarten and TK, on or before July 1, 2015, is “grandfathered in” to teach TK without having to meet additional requirements. Any credentialed teacher assigned to teach TK, or a combination class of kindergarten and TK, after July 1, 2015, will have until August 1, 2020, to meet the above-mentioned education

requirements.

In addition to addressing teacher requirements, EC 48000(f) states: “It is the intent of the Legislature that transitional kindergarten curriculum be aligned to the California Preschool Learning Foundations developed by the department.”

TK Professional Development Reimbursement Program

To support this new requirement, the legislature also provided funding through Local Child Care Planning Councils (LPC) for Professional Development Reimbursement Program. In Santa Clara County, this program is administered by the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Participants are eligible for reimbursements of up to $1500 per fiscal year (July 1st – June 30th).

For additional information on this reimbursement program in Santa Clara County, contact: Monica Bravo, Early Learning Services Specialist

Local Child Care Planning Council/Early Learning Services Department Santa Clara County Office of Education

(408) 453-3644

[email protected]

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Transitional Kindergarten Professional

Development Reimbursement Program

TKPR

What is the TKPR?

The TK Professional Development Reimbursement Program is a professional development program that provides reimbursement to qualified TK educators.

Background:

All credentialed teachers who are first assigned to a Transitional Kindergarten classroom after July 1, 2015, must have one of the following:

1. At least 24 units in Early Childhood Education (ECE) or Child Development (CD), or both

2. As determined by the local educational agency (LEA) employing the teacher, professional experience in a classroom setting with preschool age children that is comparable to the 24 units of education 3. A child development teacher permit

issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing

Reimbursable costs:

 Tuition

 Registration fees

 Books/materials related to professional development or as noted in the course syllabus

For more information:

www.sccoe.org/depts/students/lpc/Pages/TK-Program.aspx

Monica Bravo

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Are you a Transitional Kindergarten Teacher who is

interested in learning how to best meet the needs

of your students?

Are you wondering how you might cover the costs

of quality coursework and professional

development?

YOU may be eligible for reimbursement for:



Tuition



Registration fees



Books and materials

For more information and to apply go to:

www.sccoe.org/depts/students/lpc/Pages/default.aspx

Click Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Professional Development

Reimbursement Program under Featured Links

Further Questions?

Please contact Monica Bravo at

[email protected] or

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Santa Clara County - TKPR Transitional Kindergarten (TK)

Professional Development Reimbursement Program

Revised: November 3, 2015

TKPR Reimbursement Application

Eligibility & Priority

Participants must currently be working in a School District Transitional Kindergarten or TK/K teaching position and work directly with students whose 5th birthdays are from September 2nd – December 2nd of the current school year.

First priority reimbursements go to new TK teachers hired after July 1, 2015. Second priority reimbursements go to all other TK teachers. Third priority reimbursements are available to California State Preschool Program (CSPP) teachers. Reimbursements for CSPP teachers are contingent upon the availability of funds after first and second priority reimbursements have been distributed (CSPP reimbursement schedule to be determined). All reimbursements for TK and CSPP teachers are for education expenses related to professional development, including the costs of unit-bearing coursework and fees related to CDE- approved professional development (http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/cddprofdevtrain.asp) in early childhood education/ child development. The reimbursement request is for the actual amount you have personally paid.

Reimbursement Periods: Deadline to submit application: First Tuesday, September 15, 2015 Second Friday, January 15, 2016 Third Friday, April 15, 2016 Fourth Friday, July 15, 2016 Fifth Thursday, September 15, 2016 Sixth Friday, January 13, 2017 Seventh Friday, April 14, 2017 Eighth (and final) Thursday, June 15, 2017

Disclaimer

Reimbursements are subject to change depending on the level of participation in the program. Participants are eligible for reimbursements of up to $1500 per fiscal year (July 1st – June 30th_).

Reimbursements will be on a first come first served basis. You will be notified at the time of your application if funding is available.

The completed application must be received by the deadline of the current reimbursement period. Late applications will not be accepted. Email, mail, fax or hand-deliver completed applications to:

Monica Bravo, Early Learning Services Specialist Santa Clara County Office of Education

1290 Ridder Park Drive, Mail Code 227 San Jose, CA 95131

Email: [email protected]

Fax: (408) 453-3644

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Contact Information

Last Name: First Name: MI:

Home Mailing Address (this is the address where your reimbursement will be sent):

Apt#:

City: Zip Code:

Home Phone: Work Phone: Cell:

Work Email Address: Home Email Address:

Employment

School District: School Site: _

School Site Address:

City: Zip Code: Phone:

Position: Number of years with current employer:

Verification of Employment (To be completed by employer)

I certify that is currently employed as a Transitional

Kindergarten or TK/K multiage teacher in Santa Clara County, working directly with students whose 5th birthdays are from September 2nd – December 2nd of the current school year. I also certify that the coursework/workshops for which the teacher is requesting reimbursement was not previously paid for, nor reimbursed by this teacher’s employer.

Principal/Supervisor’s Signature Principal/Supervisor’s Printed Name

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Professional Development Cost

Estimate

Please provide the following:

 Registration verification of professional development (PD) and the number of hours.

 Documentation of course fees and registration fees, as well as a cost estimate for books and materials (which will need to be listed in the course syllabus to be eligible for reimbursement)

Unit-bearing early childhood education or child development coursework

College/University: City:

CD/ECE course number & title: Units:

Beginning and end dates: Total reimbursement estimate: $

California Department of Education (CDE) approved early childhood education or child development professional development

Organization providing PD: City:

Title of PD: # of hours:

Date(s) of PD: Total reimbursement estimate: $

By signing this document, I am certifying that all of the information provided above is true and correct.

Your Signature Date

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Professional Development Activities

Please attach the following:

 Verification of professional development (PD) completion and the number of hours attended. PD must be CDE approved and approved by your school district to meet TK Teacher education requirements stipulated by SB876.

 Verification of the completion of unit-bearing coursework from a regionally accredited college with a grade of C or better.

 Copy of the course syllabi (if you are requesting reimbursement for books and materials)

 Itemized receipts for registration fees, required books and materials

PLEASE COPY THIS PAGE IF NEEDED FOR MULTIPLE COURSES/PD ACTIVITIES

Unit-bearing early childhood education or child development coursework

College/University: City:

CD/ECE course number & title: Units:

Beginning and end dates: Total reimbursement requested: $

CDE and employer approved early childhood education or child development professional development

Organization providing PD: City:

Title of PD: # of hours:

Date(s) of PD: Total reimbursement requested: $

By signing this document, I am certifying that all of the information provided above is true and correct.

Your Signature Date

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TKPR FAQs

Q: What are the receipt requirements?

A: An itemized receipt consists of all items charged including tax, fee and/or service charges, the vendor name, and the date on the receipt. When requesting

reimbursement, itemized receipts are required for all expenses. No reimbursements will be made without an itemized receipt.

Q: What are the examples of verification of professional development (PD) completion and the number of hours attended?

A: Professional development certificates with the title of training, date and number of hours listed.

Q: What are the examples of verification of completion of unit-bearing coursework from a regionally accredited college with a grade of C or better?

A: Unofficial transcripts with a regional accredited college, must include date(s) of course (semester, quarter, etc.) and letter grade. Courses must be submitted in the academic year it was taken.

Q: When are reimbursement deadlines?

A: Reimbursements will be distributed on a quarterly basis. Reimbursements must be postmarked and/or received by the deadlines below.

Deadline to submit application:

 September 15, 2015  January 15, 2016  April 15, 2016  July 15, 2016  September 15, 2016  January 13, 2017  April 14, 2017  June 15, 2017 (Final)

Q: How long does it take for me to receive my reimbursement after submitting?

A: Reimbursements will take 3-4 weeks to be processed and sent out after each deadline.

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Q: I was assigned to teach TK May 1, 2015, do I need to complete 24 Early Childhood Education (ECE) units?

A: No, any current credentialed teacher who was assigned to teach TK on or before July 1, 2015, is “grandfathered in” to teach TK without having to meet additional requirements.

Q: What if I am teaching in a TK/Kindergarten combination classroom?

A: The same requirements apply to teachers assigned to TK/Kindergarten combination classrooms.

Q: I completed some trainings in the spring of 2015. Can I get reimbursed for these? A: Yes, both unit bearing coursework and professional development expenses between

January 1, 2015 and June 15, 2017 qualify for a reimbursement.

Q: If I were to attend a professional development workshop to complete units for the California TK Stipend (CTKS) or for the required units, how would CEUs be calculated? A: According to the US Department of Education, continuing education units, or CEUs, are

awarded by many education and training providers to signify successful completion of non-credit programs and courses intended to improve the knowledge and skills of working adults. A typical CEU represents approximately ten (10) contact hours of experience in a structured continuing education experience. CEUs are similar in theory to academic credits but differ in two important respects:

1. CEUs are not awarded for academic study and do not represent, or provide, academic credit; and

2. They may be awarded for a variety of experiences in different settings whose only common criterion is that they be measurable, supervised educational or training experiences with defined starting and ending points. The workshop provider would look for options to provide CEUs or credit-bearing units with an institution of higher education (IHE); and some workshop providers may not offer CEUs or college credit. If CEUs are available they would be offered during the registration process.

Q: What if I pay for a class, registration, and course materials and the Transitional

Kindergarten Professional Development Reimbursement Program runs out of funding? A: When you apply, you will submit an estimate of costs for the professional development

that you will be participating in. You will receive a confirmation that the amount you estimate will be held for you and paid out upon receipt of all required back up

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Additional Resources

COLLEGES IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY Two-Year Colleges: Semester System

 Gavilan College - www.gavilan.edu/child

 Mission College - http://www.missioncollege.org/depts/child/program.html  San Jose City College -

www.sjcc.edu/academics/departments/child-development

 West Valley College - www.westvalley.edu/careers/childstudies/ Two-Year Colleges: Quarter System

 De Anza College - http://www.deanza.edu/cde/

 Foothill College - http://www.foothill.edu/childdevelopment/ Four-Year Colleges

 Pacific Oaks College

-http://www.pacificoaks.edu/schools_programs/school_of_education  San Jose State University - www.sjsu.edu/chad

Online courses may be available at any of these colleges. You may also contact the Early Learning Services Specialist if you wish to take courses at colleges not listed here

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES

 California Department of Education approved CARES Plus Component A trainings - http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/compatraining.asp

 California Early Childhood Online (CECO) -http://www.caearlychildhoodonline.org/  California Preschool Instructional Network

-http://www.cpin.us/content/professional-development  Child Development Training Consortium

-http://childdevelopment.org/cs/cdtc/search/tp_e OTHER RESOURCES  CDE's Transitional Kindergarten FAQ's

-http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/em/kinderfaq.asp

 Transitional Kindergarten - http://www.tkcalifornia.org/

 Center on the Social Emotional Foundations of Early Learning -http://www.cainclusion.org/teachingpyramid/

 Child Development Permit Matrix