2022 -- S 2678 SUBSTITUTE A | |
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LC005169/SUB A | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022 | |
____________ | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE OFFICE OF EARLY | |
CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING | |
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Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Cano, DiMario, McCaffrey, Goodwin, Ruggerio, | |
Date Introduced: March 15, 2022 | |
Referred To: Senate Education | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND |
2 | GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: |
3 | CHAPTER 162 |
4 | THE OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING |
5 | 42-162-1. Short title. |
6 | This chapter shall be known and may be cited as "The Office of Early Childhood |
7 | Development and Learning." |
8 | 42-162-2. Purpose and intent. |
9 | The purpose of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive, statewide governing structure |
10 | for the early childhood development and learning system in the State of Rhode Island. Through a |
11 | coherent governance model, the state shall facilitate the coordination of federal, state, and local |
12 | policies concerning early childhood care, including infant and toddler care and school aged child |
13 | care, and pre-kindergarten education and make progress towards ensuring that all children enter |
14 | school ready to learn. |
15 | 42-162-3. The office of early childhood development and learning. |
16 | (a) Effective June 30, 2024, the office of early childhood development and learning ("the |
17 | office") is established within the executive branch of state government, to serve as the principal |
18 | agency for managing a statewide early learning system. The office shall have the following powers |
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1 | and duties in accordance with the following schedule: |
2 | (1) On or about June 30, 2024, to assume functions related to early childcare set forth in |
3 | chapter 12 of title 42, to be transferred from the department of human services, including the |
4 | administration of the child care assistance program and child care licensing; |
5 | (2) On or about June 30, 2024, to assume functions related to pre-kindergarten set forth in |
6 | chapter 87 of title 16, to be transferred from the department of education; |
7 | (3) On or before December 1, 2024, to provide the senate and house of representatives a |
8 | comprehensive study of the existing early childhood education infrastructure, a review of roles, |
9 | functions, and programs of the office of early childhood development and learning, and a workforce |
10 | training plan in collaboration with the department of labor and training and the department of |
11 | education; and |
12 | (4) To be responsible for the development, sustainability and continuous improvement of |
13 | a mixed-delivery system of high-quality, accessible and affordable infant and toddler care, as well |
14 | as free, high-quality, accessible pre-kindergarten for children ages three (3) and four (4). |
15 | (b) The department of administration may furnish the office with suitable offices and |
16 | telephone service in the state house, state office building, or some other convenient location, for |
17 | the transaction of its business. |
18 | (c) The Rhode Island head start collaboration office shall be transferred to the office of |
19 | early childhood development and learning. |
20 | 42-162-4. Director of early childhood development and learning -- Appointment. |
21 | The office shall be under the direction of the director of early childhood development and |
22 | learning, whose appointment shall be made by the governor, with the advice and consent of the |
23 | senate. The position of director is hereby created in the unclassified service. The director shall be |
24 | responsible for implementing the policies and directives of the office. The director shall have the |
25 | authority to designate any employee as his or her agent to exercise all or part of the authority, |
26 | powers and duties of the director in his or her absence. The director shall have the authority to hire |
27 | qualified and effective staff to manage statewide programs and implement accountability systems. |
28 | 42-162-5. The office of early childhood development and learning -- Additional |
29 | powers and duties. |
30 | (a) The office shall be responsible for: |
31 | (1) Administering funds received by the State of Rhode Island pursuant to the federal Child |
32 | Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, the child care and development fund, and other |
33 | federal child care funds and grants received by the State of Rhode Island and shall have authority |
34 | over child care subsidy policy that meets or exceeds federal requirements; |
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1 | (2) The delivery of services to young children and their families to ensure optimal health, |
2 | safety and learning for each young child; |
3 | (3) Developing and implementing the early childhood information system, in accordance |
4 | with the provisions of this section; |
5 | (4) Developing and reporting on the early childhood accountability plan, in accordance |
6 | with the provisions of this section; |
7 | (5) Implementing a communications strategy for outreach to families, service providers |
8 | and policymakers; |
9 | (6) Not later than July 1, 2025, in collaboration with the department of education, beginning |
10 | a state-wide longitudinal evaluation of the school readiness program examining the educational |
11 | progress of children from pre-kindergarten programs to grade four (4); |
12 | (7) Developing, coordinating and supporting public and private partnerships to aid early |
13 | childhood initiatives; |
14 | (8) Developing or identifying and implementing a statewide developmentally appropriate |
15 | kindergarten assessment tool that measures a child's level of preparedness for kindergarten; |
16 | provided, the assessment shall not be used as a measure of program accountability or used to |
17 | demonstrate a child’s kindergarten readiness. Such statewide assessment tool may be incorporated |
18 | into the early childhood information system; |
19 | (9) Creating a unified set of reporting requirements for the purpose of collecting the data |
20 | elements necessary to perform quality assessments and longitudinal analysis; |
21 | (10) Continually monitoring and evaluating all early childhood care and pre-kindergarten |
22 | education and child development programs and services, focusing on program outcomes in |
23 | satisfying the health, safety, developmental and educational needs of all children, while retaining |
24 | distinct separation between quality improvement services and child care licensing services; |
25 | (11) Providing information and technical assistance to persons seeking early childhood |
26 | care, pre-kindergarten education and child development programs and services; |
27 | (12) Assisting the state and municipalities in obtaining available federal funding for early |
28 | childhood care, pre-kindergarten education and child development programs and services; |
29 | (13) Providing technical assistance to providers of early childhood care and pre- |
30 | kindergarten education programs, workforce training, and services to obtain licensing and improve |
31 | program quality; |
32 | (14) Managing a quality rating and improvement system covering home-based, center- |
33 | based, and school-based early child care and pre-kindergarten education; |
34 | (15) Maintaining an accreditation facilitation initiative to assist early childhood care and |
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1 | pre-kindergarten education and service providers in achieving national standards and program |
2 | improvement; |
3 | (16) Consulting on behalf of the early childhood development and learning council with |
4 | other external stakeholders in the early learning landscape, including the Rhode Island early |
5 | learning council, the head start advisory committee, and the legislative commission on child care |
6 | in Rhode Island; |
7 | (17) Ensuring a coordinated and comprehensive statewide system of professional |
8 | development for providers and staff of early childhood care, pre-kindergarten education and child |
9 | development programs and services; |
10 | (18) Providing families with opportunities for choice in services for quality childhood care, |
11 | including community-based, family-centered services; |
12 | (19) Integrating early childhood care and pre-kindergarten education; |
13 | (20) Promoting universal access to early childhood care and pre-kindergarten education; |
14 | (21) Ensuring nonduplication of monitoring and evaluation; |
15 | (22) Performing any other activities that will assist in the provision of early child care and |
16 | pre- kindergarten education; |
17 | (23) Adopting research-based early learning and development quality standards to be used |
18 | by early child care and pre-kindergarten education providers; |
19 | (24) Managing the performance-based evaluation system to evaluate licensed child care |
20 | centers; |
21 | (25) Managing early child care and pre-kindergarten program licensing that meets or |
22 | exceeds federal requirements and national licensing benchmarks; |
23 | (26) Ensuring licensing standards and program quality standards are maintained through |
24 | inspection and a data collection and reporting system; and |
25 | (27) Coordinating with the early intervention programs administered by the executive |
26 | office of health and human services and the preschool special education program administered by |
27 | the department of education for the purpose of ensuring children with developmental delays or |
28 | disabilities have access to child care and early learning programs. |
29 | (b) The office of early childhood development and learning may enter into agreements with |
30 | and accept donations from nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to accomplish the purposes |
31 | of this section. |
32 | 42-162-6. Early childhood information system. |
33 | (a) The office of early childhood development and learning, under the direction of the |
34 | director pursuant to § 42-162-4, shall develop and implement an early childhood information |
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1 | system. Such early childhood information system shall facilitate and encourage the sharing of data |
2 | between and among early childhood service and pre-kindergarten providers by tracking: |
3 | (1) The health, safety and school readiness of all young children receiving early care and |
4 | pre-kindergarten education services from any local or regional board of education, school readiness |
5 | program, or any program receiving public funding; |
6 | (2) The characteristics of the existing and potential workforce serving such children; |
7 | (3) The location of the early care and pre-kindergarten education providers; and |
8 | (4) The characteristics of such programs serving such children, as required by the office. |
9 | (b) Any local education agency, licensed child care provider, or licensed pre-kindergarten |
10 | provider shall ensure that all enrolled children and all employed staff are entered into the early |
11 | childhood information system. |
12 | (c) The office and any local education agency, licensed child care provider, or licensed pre- |
13 | kindergarten provider must comply with the following data security measures: |
14 | (1) Limit the collection of personal data to what is adequate, relevant, and reasonably |
15 | necessary in relation to the purposes for which such data is processed; |
16 | (2) Establish, implement and maintain reasonable administrative, technical and physical |
17 | data security practices to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of personal data; |
18 | (3) Limit and delineate who shall have access to the information within the organization; |
19 | and |
20 | (4) Ensure parents and staff are able to review and correct any data in the system in order |
21 | to ensure its accuracy. |
22 | (d) The office shall use the data collected from the early childhood information system for |
23 | the purposes of policymaking, identifying trends, progress, and potential challenges. Only |
24 | aggregate and de-identified data may be publicly shared. |
25 | 42-162-7. The early childhood accountability plan. |
26 | (a) The office of early childhood development and learning shall develop, in consultation |
27 | with the early childhood development and learning council, an early childhood accountability plan. |
28 | Such plan shall: |
29 | (1) Identify and define appropriate population indicators and program and system |
30 | performance measures of the health, safety and readiness of children to enter kindergarten, and |
31 | early school success of children, and shall identify any new or improved data required for such |
32 | purposes; and |
33 | (2) Include aggregate information on the characteristics of children and programs tracked |
34 | by the early childhood information system, including, but not limited to, family income, whether |
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1 | the families of such children receive public assistance through temporary assistance for needy |
2 | families or a similar program, and the communities in which such children reside using a |
3 | performance measurement accountability framework. |
4 | (b) Not later than March 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, the office shall develop report |
5 | cards containing the indicators and performance measures identified in the early childhood |
6 | accountability plan and provide yearly updates to the council. |
7 | (c) Not later than March 1, 2025 the office of early childhood development and learning |
8 | shall: |
9 | (1) Submit the early childhood accountability plan to the council; and |
10 | (2) Annually report on the results of such plan and report cards to the speaker of the house |
11 | and the senate president. |
12 | 42-162-8. The early childhood development and learning council -- Appointments. |
13 | (a) There is established the early childhood development and learning council. The council |
14 | is established to advise and coordinate with the office of early childhood development and learning |
15 | to help achieve a unified and aligned system of early learning education and services. |
16 | (b) When appointing council members under this section, the governor, the senate |
17 | president, and the speaker of the house of representatives shall ensure that the council members |
18 | represent the racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity of children in this state who are five (5) years of |
19 | age or younger. |
20 | (c) The council shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate |
21 | and be composed of thirteen (13) members consisting of: |
22 | (1) The executive director of Rhode Island Kids Count, or designee, who shall serve as |
23 | chairperson of the council; |
24 | (2) The director of the office of early childhood development and learning; |
25 | (3) The commissioner of the department of education, or designee; |
26 | (4) The director of the department of human services, or designee; |
27 | (5) The commissioner of postsecondary education, or designee; |
28 | (6) One representative from the department of education who is responsible for programs |
29 | required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq., appointed |
30 | by the commissioner of education; |
31 | (7) A representative from head start or early head start programs; |
32 | (8) An early child care provider of a state funded child care center; |
33 | (9) A community-based child care provider; |
34 | (10) A representative from the superintendents' association or a school district; |
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1 | (11) Two (2) parents or guardians of children in early child care or pre-kindergarten, at |
2 | least one of whom shall be the parent or guardian of a child that receives or received early |
3 | intervention and/or preschool special education services in early child care or pre-kindergarten; and |
4 | (12) A representative of organized labor. |
5 | (d) The council shall meet at least quarterly. Members shall not be compensated for their |
6 | services. Any member who fails to attend three (3) consecutive meetings or who fails to attend fifty |
7 | percent (50%) of all meetings held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned from |
8 | the council. |
9 | (e) A simple majority of the members of the authority shall constitute a quorum. No |
10 | vacancy in the membership of the authority shall impair the right of a quorum to exercise all the |
11 | rights and perform all of the duties of the authority. |
12 | 42-162-9. The early childhood development and learning council – Powers and duties. |
13 | The early childhood development and learning council shall: |
14 | (1) Advise the office of early childhood development and learning; |
15 | (2) Recommend measures for the efficient and effective consolidation of administrative |
16 | functions relating to the statewide early learning system, to the extent practicable, including, but |
17 | not limited to, training and technical assistance, planning and budgeting; |
18 | (3) Advise on the office’s adoption of written policies that establish training and technical |
19 | assistance programs to ensure that personnel have skills in appropriate areas, including, but not |
20 | limited to, cultural and gender differences and other areas, as needed; |
21 | (4) Develop a plan for the implementation of a common data system for early childhood |
22 | programs; |
23 | (5) Assist with the coordination of existing and new early childhood programs to provide |
24 | a range of community-based supports; |
25 | (6) Review and verify that all plans for early childhood services are coordinated and |
26 | consistent with federal and state law, including, but not limited to, plans for Rhode Island pre- |
27 | kindergarten programs, federal head start programs, early childhood special education services, |
28 | early intervention services and public health services; |
29 | (7) Identify how the statewide early learning system for children who are zero through five |
30 | (5) years of age will link with systems of support for older children and their families; and |
31 | (8) Review and approve the early childhood accountability plan. |
32 | 42-162-10. Open government requirements. |
33 | The council shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 46 of title 42 ("open meetings") |
34 | and chapter 2 of title 38 ("access to public records"). Any rules and regulations, or any amendments |
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1 | to rules and regulations, to carry out the requirements of this chapter shall be adopted in accordance |
2 | with the provisions of chapter 35 of title 42 ("administrative procedures") where applicable. |
3 | 42-162-11. Office of early childhood development and learning transition. |
4 | (a) Transition working group. There shall be created a transition working group consisting |
5 | of: |
6 | (1) The director of the department of human services, or designee; |
7 | (2) The commissioner of the department of education, or designee; |
8 | (3) The commissioner of postsecondary education, or designee; |
9 | (4) The director of the department of health, or designee; |
10 | (5) The director of the department of administration, or designee; |
11 | (6) Staff and chair of the children’s cabinet, who shall be responsible for convening the |
12 | transition working group; and |
13 | (7) The co-chairs of the RI early learning council. In lieu of serving on the transition |
14 | working group, each of the co-chairs of the early learning council may appoint a designee from the |
15 | early learning council’s membership group. |
16 | (b) The transition working group shall convene a minimum of four (4) subgroups to work |
17 | with the transition working group in developing recommendations for a transition plan. The |
18 | required four (4) subgroups shall focus on: |
19 | (1) Special education and early intervention service delivery for RI early child care and |
20 | pre-kindergarten; |
21 | (2) The implementation of universal pre-kindergarten; |
22 | (3) Innovative data, technology, evaluation, and accountability; and |
23 | (4) Governance, operations and funding. |
24 | (c) The members of the transition working group shall select the subgroup members and |
25 | members must have appropriate and relevant experience, knowledge, and expertise. |
26 | (d) Transition plan. On or before December 1, 2023, the transition working group, working |
27 | as needed with consulting facilitators and/or project managers, and with the advice of the transition |
28 | advisory group, as defined in this section, must submit the transition plan to the RI early learning |
29 | council for approval. The transition plan shall include, but need not be limited to: |
30 | (1) The coordination and administration of early childhood programs and services for the |
31 | office of early childhood development and learning created in this title, effective June 30, 2024; |
32 | (2) The governance and structure of the office of childhood development and learning; |
33 | (3) Mission and vision statements and guiding values and principles; |
34 | (4) Fiscal structure for the office of childhood development and learning and the services |
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1 | provided and programs administered, including the necessary administrative and operational |
2 | infrastructure; |
3 | (5) Coordination and collaboration with state agencies that oversee or operate programs |
4 | that are not moved into the office of childhood development and learning in order to maximize the |
5 | effectiveness of services; and |
6 | (6) Early childhood data system strategies to inform planning, leverage resources, |
7 | maximize children’s access to programs, and support data driven decision making. |
8 | (e) Members of the transition working group and the governor’s office shall provide staff |
9 | assistance and resources, as necessary, to assist in completing the duties of the transition working |
10 | group identified in this section. |
11 | (f) Transition advisory group. The co-chairs of the RI early leaning council shall convene |
12 | a transition advisory group to advise the transition working group in developing the transition plan. |
13 | The transition advisory group must prioritize consideration of the child and family experience in |
14 | accessing and using early childhood programs and services in advising the transition working group |
15 | on the design of the new office of early childhood development and learning. |
16 | (g) The co-chairs of the RI early learning council shall determine the appropriate size and |
17 | specific membership of the transition advisory group to ensure that the representation of |
18 | perspectives on the transition advisory group is sufficiently broad and diverse to adequately inform |
19 | the transition working group concerning the full spectrum of early childhood programs and issues. |
20 | The transition advisory group must include at a minimum: |
21 | (1) Parents of children who are enrolled in a variety of public and private early childhood |
22 | programs; |
23 | (2) Members of the early childhood workforce, including community and school based |
24 | educators; |
25 | (3) Representatives of a diverse geographic community and programs and school based |
26 | public and private early childhood program providers; and |
27 | (4) Representatives of the business community, private nonprofits, early childhood and |
28 | education advocacy organizations, and persons with expertise in early childhood and business |
29 | practices. |
30 | (h) The co-chairs of the RI early learning council shall to the extent practicable ensure that |
31 | persons from under-resourced and under-represented communities constitute at least one-third (1/3) |
32 | of the members of the transition advisory group. |
33 | (i) On or before January 1, 2024, the RI early learning council, in coordination with the |
34 | transition working group must submit the approved transition plan to the senate president, speaker |
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1 | of the house of representatives, and the governor, along with any proposed legislative |
2 | recommendations aimed at facilitating an effective transition of services to a new office of early |
3 | childhood development and learning. |
4 | (j) By May 1, 2024, RI early learning council, in coordination with the transition working |
5 | group, shall submit a final transition plan update demonstrating complete readiness for the |
6 | establishment of the office of early childhood development and learning on June 30, 2024, to the |
7 | senate president, speaker of the house of representatives, and the governor. |
8 | (k) To facilitate the transition planning process described in this section, the general |
9 | assembly shall appropriate two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) to the children’s cabinet |
10 | established under chapter 72.5 of title 42 or its fiscal agent for the primary purpose of contracting |
11 | a vendor or vendors to consult with and assist the transition working group, with advice from the |
12 | transition advisory group, in developing a transition plan. Any vendor selected for this purpose |
13 | must at a minimum have expertise in early childhood systems, program administration, and |
14 | information technology. The department of administration shall ensure that a consultant contracted |
15 | for this purpose does not have a financial interest in any aspect of the early childhood system in |
16 | Rhode Island. |
17 | SECTION 2. Section 16-87-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-87 entitled "Rhode Island |
18 | Pre-Kindergarten Education Act" is hereby repealed. |
19 | 16-87-3. Planning phase for a pre-Kindergarten program. |
20 | (a) The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education shall begin |
21 | planning an initial, pilot pre-Kindergarten program that meets high quality standards, builds on the |
22 | existing early childhood education infrastructure in the state (including child care, Head Start and |
23 | public schools) and serves children ages three (3) and four (4) who reside in communities with |
24 | concentrations of low performing schools. This planning phase will develop specific goals to |
25 | expand the pilot pre-Kindergarten program over time and will also identify opportunities to |
26 | strengthen care and learning programs for infants and toddlers. |
27 | (b) During this planning phase, the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary |
28 | education will quantify the resources needed to achieve and maintain high quality standards in pre- |
29 | Kindergarten programs and identify incentives and supports to develop a qualified early education |
30 | workforce, including opportunities for experienced early childhood educators and |
31 | paraprofessionals to acquire college degrees and earn early childhood teacher certification. |
32 | (c) The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education will begin to |
33 | develop plans to collect and analyze data regarding the impact of the pilot pre-Kindergarten |
34 | program on participating children's school readiness and school achievement. |
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1 | SECTION 3. Sections 40-6.5-1 and 40-6.5-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 40-6.5 entitled |
2 | "Child Day Care Grant Program" are hereby repealed. |
3 | 40-6.5-1. Grant program -- Child day care. |
4 | The director of human services shall establish a program of grants to establish and/or |
5 | expand child daycare programs, not to exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) per grantee, and not |
6 | to exceed a total expenditure of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000). |
7 | 40-6.5-2. Rules and regulations. |
8 | The director shall promulgate reasonable rules and regulations establishing eligibility |
9 | requirements, and provide that at least fifty percent (50%) of the total grant funds available be |
10 | distributed to nonprofit agencies that meet the following standards: |
11 | (1) Each grantee shall employ, educate, or train significant numbers of parents whose |
12 | incomes are below the statewide median family income; |
13 | (2) Each grantee shall demonstrate a need for additional child daycare services in their |
14 | service delivery area; and |
15 | (3) In selecting additional grantees for the remainder of the available funds, priority shall |
16 | be given to grant proposals that would develop: (i) child daycare programs and opportunities for |
17 | children with special healthcare needs; and (ii) specialized childcare programs, such as programs |
18 | for parents who work nontraditional hours and programs for sick childcare. All grantees must |
19 | demonstrate that childcare services established under this childcare grant program will be certified |
20 | or licensed in accordance with Rhode Island law. |
21 | SECTION 4. Sections 42-12-24 and 42-12-26 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-12 |
22 | entitled "Department of Human Services" are hereby repealed. |
23 | 42-12-24. Development, innovation and start-up of early education and care |
24 | programs. |
25 | (a) The general assembly shall annually appropriate to the department of human services |
26 | such funds as it deems necessary to enable the department to develop and expand availability of |
27 | child care providers and programs. The development and expansion of child care providers and |
28 | programs shall include, without limitation, the development of innovative start-up arrangements |
29 | linked to small businesses, the development of programs and providers in geographically |
30 | underserved areas, and the establishment of before and after school programs with priority to be |
31 | given by the department to programs linked to schools, to infant/toddler programs, programs related |
32 | to child opportunity zone family centers, and programs that serve children with special health needs |
33 | or developmental risks. Funds may be used for start up costs which may include building, |
34 | rehabilitation or construction costs. |
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1 | (b) The director of the department of human services is further authorized to request such |
2 | appropriation for each state fiscal year as he or she deems necessary to carry out the program and |
3 | purposes of this section. |
4 | 42-12-26. Expansion and enhancement of early education and care for low-income |
5 | children. |
6 | (a) The general assembly shall annually appropriate such funds as it deems necessary to |
7 | enable the department of human services to establish a program whose express purposes are: |
8 | (i) To increase the numbers of eligible children in existing Head Start program, especially |
9 | in underserved areas; and |
10 | (ii) To increase resources to childcare providers for the enhancement of services to low |
11 | income children. Enhancement of services shall include social services, health, mental health, |
12 | nutrition service, parent involvement and transition services for children entering kindergarten. |
13 | (b) The director of the department of human services is further authorized to request such |
14 | appropriation for each state fiscal year as he or she deems necessary to carry out the programs and |
15 | purposes of this section. |
16 | (c) A panel comprised of the members of the children's cabinet and five (5) members of |
17 | the public, to be chosen by the chairperson of the children's cabinet, shall be responsible for |
18 | determining how the funds prescribed in this section shall be allocated; and shall by May 1, 1999 |
19 | establish the methodology of enhancing comprehensive services in child care programs serving low |
20 | income children and establish the numbers of additional Head Start slots in underserved areas to be |
21 | funded; provided, however, that priority shall be given in the allocation of funds to applicants who |
22 | serve children in underserved communities; who integrate children with special needs; who |
23 | collaborate with existing early education and care programs and other existing services including |
24 | child opportunity zone family centers, schools and agencies providing health, mental health, |
25 | nutrition and social services; and who address the child care needs of the families to be served. |
26 | SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC005169/SUB A | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE OFFICE OF EARLY | |
CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING | |
*** | |
1 | This act would establish the office of early childhood development and learning to manage |
2 | a statewide early learning system for children from birth through five (5) years of age, ensure the |
3 | coordination of federal, state and local policies concerning early childhood care and pre- |
4 | kindergarten education and ensure that all children enter school ready to learn. This act would |
5 | further establish the early childhood development and learning council to advise and coordinate |
6 | with the office of early childhood development and learning. This act would further repeal the |
7 | applicable statutory laws vesting authority in the department of human services in regards to early |
8 | childcare and pre-kindergarten and transfer such powers to the office of early childhood |
9 | development and learning. This act would further provide for a two hundred fifty thousand dollar |
10 | ($250,000) appropriation for contracting with a vendor to consult with the transition working group. |
11 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC005169/SUB A | |
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| LC005169/SUB A - Page 13 of 12 |