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_ 218 Item Details($) Appropriations($) ITEM 125.10. First Year Second Year First Year Second Year FY2025 FY2026 FY2025 FY2026 b) The Department of Education shall require and ensure that all participating classrooms have the quality of their teacher-child interactions assessed through a rigorous and research- based observation instrument in accordance with the statewide measurement and improvement system VQB5. c) Any locality that desires to participate in this grant program must submit a proposal each year to the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. The application must be submitted by May 15 to align with the Virginia Preschool Initiative timeline. Each application shall identify a lead agency for this program within the locality. The lead agency shall be responsible for developing a local plan for the delivery of quality preschool services to at-risk birth to five- year-old children in private settings that demonstrates the coordination of resources in an effort to serve the greatest number of at-risk children. d) The proposal must demonstrate: (i) coordination with all parties necessary for the successful delivery of comprehensive services, including schools, child care providers, local social services agencies, Head Start, local health departments, and other groups identified by the lead agency, (ii) a plan for supporting inclusive practices for children with identified special needs, (iii) a plan to transition the Mixed-Delivery local model into a sustainable program, and (iv) a mechanism for annually measuring and reporting unmet parental demand and preference, including establishing waitlists. e) Local plans must indicate the number of at-risk children to be served, and the eligibility criteria for participation in this program shall be consistent with the economic and educational risk factors stated in the current program guidelines that are specific to: (i) family income at or below 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines, (ii) homelessness, (iii) student's parents or guardians are school dropouts, or (iv) children with disabilities or delays who are eligible for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, regardless of household income. Up to 15 percent of slots may be filled based on locally established eligibility criteria so as to meet the unique needs of at-risk children in the community. Localities that can demonstrate that more than 15 percent of slots are needed to meet the needs of at-risk children in their community may apply for a waiver from the Superintendent of Public Instruction to use a larger percentage of their slots. Localities must demonstrate that increasing eligibility will enable the maximization of federal funds and will not have a negative impact on access for other individuals currently being served. f) Notwithstanding any provisions of § 22.1-299, Code of Virginia, and in order to achieve the priorities of the Joint Subcommittee on Early Childhood Care and Education for exploring the feasibility of and barriers to mixed delivery preschool systems in Virginia, recipients of a Mixed-Delivery Preschool grant shall be provided maximum flexibility within their respective local initiative in order to fully implement the associated goals and objectives of Mixed- Delivery Models. Recipients of a Mixed-Delivery Preschool grant and divisions participating in such grant activities shall be exempted from all regulatory and statutory provisions related to teacher licensure requirements and qualifications when paid by public funds within the confines of the Mixed-Delivery Preschool initiative. g) Children served by the Mixed-Delivery initiative shall be assigned student identification numbers as provided in § 22.1-287.03 B of the Code of Virginia to evaluate program outcomes and to permit comparison with Virginia Preschool Initiative outcomes. h) Mixed-Delivery providers shall provide information to the Department of Education as necessary to fulfill the reporting requirement established. i) The Department of Education shall report to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by July 1, 2025, on the efficacy of the Mixed-Delivery Initiative since the inception of the program and compare its outcomes relative to the Virginia Preschool Initiative and the Child Care Subsidy Program. 2. Providers in the program may collect copayments from participating families. Such copayments shall be based on the same schedule provided for the Child Care Subsidy Program. 3. Parental work and job search requirements shall be the same as required for the Child Care Subsidy Program.