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Quality Dollars

Quality Dollars

Preschool Promise is committed to supporting ongoing quality improvement at every participating site. Quality Assistance Dollars will be offered to each participating program per the Quality Dollar Table.

The Preschool Promise Director of Quality and/or Coaches will help programs prioritize the use of Quality Assistance Dollars.  Quality Dollars will be awarded based on input from a program's Preschool Promise Coach, with a focus on improving Kindergarten readiness. Preschool Promise is focused on closing the achievement gap, ensuring equitable practices, creating boy-friendly environments, implementing Conscious Discipline and actively interacting with families. Quality Dollars should be used to further these initiatives.

Acceptable uses of Quality Assistance Dollars include:
  • Purchase of curriculum and assessment materials 
  • Coaching/training related to improving Kindergarten readiness 
  • Purchase of technology needed to implement improved instruction
  • Acquiring equity/culturally relevant related materials and training
  • Purchase of Conscious Discipline materials to implement rituals
  • Professional development for staff 
  • Creating boy-friendly classrooms 
  • Other uses as discussed with the Director of Quality

Important Dates for Quality Assistance Dollar Calculations:

  • Quality Assistance Base Annual Funding will be calculated based on the Star Rating the program holds as of February 15, 2022. 
  • Quality Assistance per-child amounts will be calculated based on the number of children enrolled in Preschool Promise (with completed applications) as of October 1, 2022.

Guidelines for Quality Dollars

  • Quality Dollars must be used to improve programming only at Preschool Promise sites. Organizations that have multiple sites may not use Preschool Promise funds to cover teacher and classroom/facility costs at non-Preschool Promise sites. While we understand the importance of all sites benefitting from quality improvement efforts, our funders require their support be spent at Preschool Promise sites.
  • Quality Dollars should be used during the school year that they are awarded. Quality funds that are not spent by April 30th of each school year will be forfeited. Requests for quality dollars may be made anytime between September1 and April 30. Providers may spend down their base funding prior to October 1 and then spend their per-child allocation after that funding is finalized in October.
  • Here’s how to request quality dollars:
    • 1) All Requests for Funds will be completed by your coach with your input, etc. Providers will no longer be able to submit Request for Funds, we have developed a new process and coaches have been trained. Why? Our hope is that with one point of contact between Preschool Promise and the processing of funds, communication lapses, mix-ups, and fidelity to the process will improve.
    • 2) Requests for Funds will be completed ELECTRONICALLY by coaches. This eliminates the need for multiple signatures. Providers, coaches, and administrators will no longer need to sign anything to request Quality Dollars. Coaches have been trained that teacher and administrator approval is still required to submit the request but physical signatures are not required.
    • 3) Providers who request a check for a purchase or reimbursement will now have the option of a check or direct deposit into the same account Preschool Promise uses for tuition assistance. Why? We heard from providers that funds directly deposited may get lost in corporate financial structures and sites are not able to use the funds the way the site intended.
    • 4) In the Provider Handbook, we indicate the sites can purchase $1,000 worth of items from Lakeshore without approval and can be reimbursed by Preschool Promise. This option is NO LONGER available to providers. Why? Fidelity to this process is imperative to see if it improves the request for funds process. We do not want to confuse providers, coaches, and Preschool Promise staff with this additional purchasing option.
    • 5) Preschool Promise has 30 days to issue payment by direct deposit or check. Checks/direct deposit WILL NOT be rushed or processed at the last minute. Why? To be good stewards of taxpayer dollars that fund Preschool Promise, we must ensure that all financial controls and policies developed with the City of Dayton and Montgomery County are being followed. When payments are rushed, these controls and policies have a higher likelihood of breaking down. We are also processing more payments than ever before, and it is not fair for other payments to be put on hold to rush a Quality Dollars payment. Please plan accordingly when working with your coach.