Title I is the largest federal aid program for elementary and secondary schools. Title I provides money to school districts around the country based on the number of low-income families in the district. Each school district uses Title I funds to pay for extra educational services for children. The purpose of Title I is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.

Part A embraces fundamental strategies to address the needs of the children served: A school-wide focus on improving teaching and learning, flexibility at the local level in tandem with clear accountability for results, more focused targeting of resources on schools with the greatest needs, and stronger partnerships between schools and communities to support the achievement of children served.

Part D funds are used for neglected, delinquent and at-risk youth. The purposes of these funds are described in the United States Department of Education Title I-D Nonregulatory Guidance, 2006:

• To improve educational services for children and youth in local and State institutions for neglected or delinquent children and youth so that they have the opportunity to meet the same challenging State academic content and State student achievement standards that all children in the State are expected to meet

• To provide these children with services to enable them to transition successfully from institutionalization to further schooling or employment, and

• To prevent at-risk youth from dropping out of school as well as to provide dropouts and children and youth returning from correctional facilities or institutions for neglected or delinquent children and youth, with a support system to ensure their continued education.

Facilities that are being served by Title I-D funds for the 2022-2023 school year include the New Direction Transition Counselor, King's Home DYS/Alabama Youth Home, DAY Developing Alabama Youth) Program, and Shelby County Regional Juvenile Detention Facility.

The reauthorized Title II Program under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 combines the former Eisenhower Professional Development Program with the Class Size Reduction Program to provide the largest federal program that supports professional development activities to improve teaching and learning. The purpose of the program is to increase student academic achievement through strategies such as improving teacher and principal quality and increasing the number of highly qualified teachers in the classroom and highly qualified principals and assistant principals in schools.

Funds will be shared equitably with private schools in the district that wish to participate.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act defines a homeless student as one who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Shelby County Schools’ McKinney-Vento Grant funds are used to provide services to homeless children and youths to facilitate enrollment, retention, and educational success.

If you would like more information concerning the homeless program in Shelby County, please see official policies in Shelby County Schools Policy Manual or contact Federal Programs at (205) 682-7072

The Office of School Readiness (OSR) is housed within the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education (DECE) and is charged with administering Alabama's state-funded pre-kindergarten program. OSR funds First Class Pre-K classrooms through a competitive funding process and administers the program in a variety of settings that include:

• Public schools

• Private childcare and schools

• Head Start programs

• Community-based programs

• Faith-based programs

• Military programs

OSR was created in the 2000 legislative session. In the first year of Operation DECE funded eight pilot Pre-K programs. Since then, state funding for First Class Pre-K has grown and the program has expanded into every single one of Alabama's 67 counties with a statewide goal of serving up to 70% of four-year-olds. OSR currently funds over 1,250 First Class Pre-K classrooms and supports the professional development of a high-quality workforce through education, training, and on-site coaching.

Alabama's state-funded First Class Pre-K program has been awarded the highest quality rating by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) for the past fourteen years. OSR is dedicated to working with Pre-K programs to ensure that Alabama's 4-year-olds have access to high-quality learning experiences that prepare them for future school success. OSR works with classrooms to promote those high-quality experiences in Alabama.

• View the Pre-K Program Flyer with location sites and tuition information.

• Read the Registration and Selection Protocols handout for more information.

• Read the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education First Class Pre-K Attendance and Tardiness Guidelines

• Read Shelby County Schools First Class Pre-K Attendance and Tardiness Guidelines.