Staff Qualifications

State Pre-Kindergarten Coordinator
Each classroom is staffed with a teacher holding a State of Illinois Early Childhood Certificate, and one teacher assistant with at least 30 hours of college credit. Additional assistants are provided for programs operating from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM. There will be a minimum of two adults in the classroom at all times.

Staff educational requirements exceed those required for day care centers.

Staff Development
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) State Pre-Kindergarten Program provides a comprehensive staff development program. Staff development programs occur throughout the year and include the following activities:

Monthly In Service Training
Classroom teachers, teacher assistants, and other agency staff participate in monthly staff development meetings organized by the CPS subcontracting staff. These meetings are planned and developed based upon the needs indicated by agency staff. These sessions include workshops conducted by review of materials; procedure and program updates; and appraisal of resources including professional courses available through local colleges and universities.

Once a year, agency staff participating in the State Pre-Kindergarten Program are expected to attend the Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).