The Office of the State Superintendent of Education is extending the public comment  period on the proposed rulemaking to establish a new chapter 35 to be entitled “District of Columbia Pre-k Education System” in Subtitle A, “Office of the State Superintendent of Education”, of Title 5, of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations.  The original thirty (30) day public comment period scheduled to end on October 18, 2010, is being extended for sixty (60) additional days, ending on December 17, 2010. 

The proposed rules were published in the District of Columbia Register (DCR) on September 17, 2010 (57 DCR 38). All comments received by Friday, December 17, 2010, will be considered. Following the end of the public comment period, the proposed rules will be submitted to the Council of the District of Columbia for a thirty (30) day review period pursuant to section 501 of the Pre-k Enhancement and Expansion Amendment Act of 2008, effective July 18, 2008 (D.C. Law 17-202; D.C. Official Code §38-275.01(a)).

The proposed rules, when adopted, will affect all publicly-funded Pre-k programs in the District of Columbia. The new Chapter 35 builds upon the uniform standard of high-quality set forth in the Pre-kindergarten Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2008 for all publicly funded early childhood programs in the District of Columbia and the laws affecting the health and welfare of the children enrolled in these Pre-kindergarten programs. These laws are set forth with specificity in these rules. The proposed rules create uniform expectations and provide state level standards for high quality Pre-kindergarten education programs across all sectors. This rulemaking will be an integral part in the establishment of an effective early childhood education system to ensure all District of Columbia children have access to universal high-quality early education programs.

A copy of the proposed rulemaking is available at the following link.

Individuals and organizations interested in submitting comments on this proposal, identified as document no. 469691, may do so by any one of the following methods. Electronic submission is preferred.

Electronic Submissions:
DCR portal.  Follow the instructions for submitting comments.

Written Submissions:
Office of the State Superintendent of Education, 810 First Street, NE, 9th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20002  Attention: Virginia Crisman, District of Columbia Pre-k Education System Proposed Rulemaking.