Pre-k school calendar requirements differ from county K-12 school calendars; however, careful consideration must be given to the K-12 county calendar when the pre-k school calendar is developed annually. Coordinating the K-12 county school calendar with the pre-k school calendar will assist in meeting requirements of the county, collaborative partners, and simplify calendars for families who have children in multiple grades. County K-12 school calendars include requirements for out-of-calendar days, non-instructional days, and legal school holidays based on state code. Additionally, program operation requirements for partners must be met when planning the pre-k school calendar. The county collaborative early childhood core team must meet annually to develop the pre-k school calendar. The following requirements and considerations will guide annual pre-k school calendar development.

Requirements:

  • All WV Universal Pre-K classrooms must provide fifteen hundred minutes of instruction per week AND forty-eight thousand minutes of instruction annually.
  • Preschool Special Needs classrooms must meet pre-k school calendar requirements.
  • Each pre-k classroom must operate no fewer than four days per week to meet the pre-k school calendar requirements.
  • The county collaborative early childhood core team must annually develop the pre-k school calendar.
  • Employment terms for regular, full-time employees must be met.
  • Pre-k school calendars must include provisions for out-of-calendar days, non-instructional days, and legal school holidays.
  • When canceled instructional days prevent pre-k classrooms from meeting minimal annual requirements, those days must be rescheduled using either available non-instructional days (other than the seven holidays or the Election Day) or out-of-calendar days (except for Saturdays or Sundays).
  • Pre-k school calendars must meet applicable federal regulations for collaborative classrooms.
  • Pre-k school calendars must be addressed in collaborative contracts.
  • Pre-k school calendars must be approved by county boards of education annually.
  • Collaborative partners must have pre-k calendars approved by governing boards in most instances.
  • If there are any pre-k classrooms or schools in the county that operate on a different schedule, all calendars must be approved by the county board of education and applicable collaborative program governing board.

Considerations:

  • County k-12 calendars, which are approved by each county board of education, provide an instructional term to assist county collaborative early childhood core teams in establishing the pre-k school calendar.
  • Coordinating pre-k school calendars for all classrooms with county k-12 calendars can assist in simplifying calendars for families who have children in multiple grades.
  • Establishing a timeline for completion of pre-k school calendar will ensure that all partners meet requirements and county and agency board approvals are completed.
  • Non-instructional days utilized for pre-k can include employment days utilized for staff development, classroom preparation, home visits, planning, extended transition activities, conferences, consultation with other services providers, and collaborative meetings. These non-instructional days should be included in the pre-k school calendar.
  • Pre-k school calendars should be provided to families. Any changes to the school calendar should be provided as soon as possible.