The Iowa Department of Education is convening a statewide committee to review and make recommendations on the proposed updates to the Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards. Early childhood educators and stakeholders can now apply to serve on the committee.
Iowa’s school districts and their community partners operating Statewide Voluntary Preschool Programs, Shared Visions Preschool Programs and preschool classrooms providing Early Childhood Special Education instructional services are required to demonstrate the program is implementing one of the following three sets of approved preschool program standards: Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards, National Association for the Education of Young Children or Head Start Preschool Performance Standards.
Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards are reviewed regularly to ensure the program requirements align with current research and best practices. The standards provide a blueprint for quality preschool programs in Iowa.
Starting in October, the Department will coordinate all-day, in-person meetings at the Grimes State Office Building in Des Moines for the review committee. Individuals who are interested in serving on the committee must be able to attend all meeting dates.
With the committee’s recommendations, the Department will seek public input on the proposed updates, which will inform and help refine revisions to the standards. Afterwards, the Department will convene to review all public comments and feedback to provide a final standards proposal. The revised standards will go before the State Board of Education for consideration. If adopted, the revised Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards will serve as one of the three required standards for state-funded preschool programs.
The deadline to apply for the review team is Sept. 26. Ongoing updates and meeting dates related to the review team can be found on the Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards Review Team webpage. More information about the standards review process is available on the Department’s About Student Standards webpage.
Questions regarding the Iowa Quality Preschool Programs Standards can be directed to Marcie Lentsch at marcie.lentsch@iowa.gov or Amy Stegeman at amy.stegeman@iowa.gov.