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_ 222 Item Details($) Appropriations($) ITEM 125.10. First Year Second Year First Year Second Year FY2025 FY2026 FY2025 FY2026 eligibility criteria listed above. 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. 5.a. The Department of Education shall provide technical assistance for the administration of this grant program to provide assistance to localities in developing a comprehensive, coordinated, quality preschool program that prepares all participants for kindergarten. b. The Department shall provide interested localities with information on models for service delivery, methods of coordinating funding streams, such as funds to match federal IV-A child care dollars, to maximize funding without supplanting existing sources of funding for the provision of services to at-risk three- and four-year-old children. A priority for technical assistance in the design of programs shall be given to localities where the majority of the at- risk three- and four-year-old population is currently unserved. 6. VPI Expansion funds are provided to support Virginia Preschool Initiative slots to serve children on wait lists. In each year, unused grants distributed as provided in for four-year old slots shall be redistributed based on guidelines established by the Department of Education subject to the appropriation available for this purpose. Such guidelines shall provide the criteria used to redistribute grants and provide for the notification of grants redistribution to programs no later than July 1 of each year. The Department shall conduct this process annually, and the redistribution shall not affect the allocation formula for the subsequent year. 7.a. VPI Expansion funds are provided to support an add-on grant per child for approximately 2,000 children to incentivize mixed-delivery of services through private providers. These add- on grants are intended to provide funds to minimize the difference between the amount of the per-pupil grant allocation and the per-pupil cost to serve a child in a community-based or private provider setting. Recipients of the add-on grants will be encouraged to support classrooms that support inclusive practices of children with special needs. Localities shall indicate in their plans submitted pursuant to this Item how many of their Virginia Preschool Initiative slots will be provided in community-based or private provider settings to receive the add-on grant. Community-based providers that are recipients of Virginia Preschool Initiative grants 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 Virginia Preschool Initiative community-add-on partnerships and provided that the provider meets the expectations of the statewide measurement and improvement system. b. The amount of these add-on grants for community-based providers shall be informed by the Department of Education's methodology to estimate the actual cost of providing high-quality early childhood education services in community-based settings. This is not intended as a mandate to increase the individual amounts of these add-on grants or to increase the state appropriation supporting these add-on grants. The amount of the add-on grant plus the Virginia Preschool Initiative per pupil amount shall not exceed prevailing child care market rates in a particular region and shall align with Child Care Subsidy Program rates. The Department of Education is authorized to prorate payments for these add-on grants so as not to exceed the available appropriation. 8. VPI Expansion funds are provided to support increased Virginia Preschool Initiative teacher to student ratios and class sizes, as follows: a. Any classroom that exceeds benchmarks set by the Board of Education shall be staffed as follows: (i) one teacher shall be provided for any class of ten students or less; (ii) if the enrollment in any class exceeds ten students but does not exceed 20, a full-time teacher's aide shall be assigned to the class; and (iii) the maximum class size shall be 20 students. b. All other classrooms shall be staffed as follows: (i) one teacher shall be employed for any class of nine students or less; (ii) if the enrollment in any class exceeds nine students but does not exceed 18, a full-time teacher's aide shall be assigned to the class; and (iii) the maximum class size shall be 18 students. 9.a. The Department of Education shall collect information from local Virginia Preschool