2024 -- S 2519 | |
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LC004739 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PREKINDERGARTEN EDUCATION | |
ACT | |
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Introduced By: Senators Cano, Gallo, DiMario, Lauria, Miller, Murray, and Quezada | |
Date Introduced: March 01, 2024 | |
Referred To: Senate Education | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 16-87-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-87 entitled "Rhode Island |
2 | Prekindergarten Education Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 16-87-3. Planning phase for a prekindergarten program. Rhode Island |
4 | prekindergarten program. |
5 | (a) The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education ("the |
6 | department") shall begin planning an initial, pilot maintain a prekindergarten program that meets |
7 | high quality standards, builds on the existing early childhood education infrastructure in the state |
8 | (including child care, Head Start and public schools) and serves children ages three (3) and four (4) |
9 | years who reside in communities with concentrations of low performing schools. This planning |
10 | phase will develop specific goals to expand the pilot prekindergarten program over time and will |
11 | also identify opportunities to strengthen care and learning programs for infants and toddlers. |
12 | (b) During this planning phase, Annually, the Rhode Island department of elementary and |
13 | secondary education will shall quantify the resources needed to achieve and maintain high quality |
14 | standards in prekindergarten programs and identify incentives and supports to develop a qualified |
15 | early education workforce, including opportunities for experienced early childhood educators and |
16 | paraprofessionals to acquire college degrees and earn early childhood teacher certification. |
17 | (c) The Rhode Island Annually, the department of elementary and secondary education will |
18 | begin to develop plans to shall collect and analyze data regarding the impact of the pilot state |
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1 | prekindergarten program on participating children’s school readiness and school achievement. |
2 | (d) The department shall conduct a lottery to determine enrollment in the state |
3 | prekindergarten program, pursuant to § 16-87-3.1. |
4 | SECTION 2. Chapter 16-87 of the General Laws entitled "Rhode Island Prekindergarten |
5 | Education Act" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following sections: |
6 | 16-87-3.1. Lottery for the Rhode Island prekindergarten program. |
7 | (a) As used in this section and § 16-87-3.2, the following words shall have the following |
8 | meanings: |
9 | (1) "Participating in the state prekindergarten program" means a municipality that receives |
10 | funding from the state to create or maintain slots in a classroom for three (3) or four (4) year-olds. |
11 | (2) "Preferred program" means a program(s) selected by the family of a potential |
12 | prekindergarten student when applying to enter the prekindergarten lottery. Families shall not be |
13 | permitted to identify their preferred program(s) from a list of prekindergarten programs operating |
14 | in any municipality participating in the state prekindergarten program. |
15 | (3) "Siblings" means students who are related by blood, marriage, or co-residence of their |
16 | parents. |
17 | (4) "Students who are economically disadvantaged" means students who qualify for free |
18 | or reduced lunch. |
19 | (b) To be eligible for the lottery, a student shall be: |
20 | (1) A resident of a community participating in the state prekindergarten program; and |
21 | (2) Four (4) years of age by September 1 of the lottery year. |
22 | (c) The prekindergarten lottery shall be conducted to consider the following: |
23 | (1) A family’s preferred program; |
24 | (2) Siblings that are already enrolled in a particular prekindergarten program; and |
25 | (3) The economic demographics of the municipality in which the prekindergarten program |
26 | operates. |
27 | (d) The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education shall promulgate |
28 | rules and regulations regarding the operation of the lottery for state-funded prekindergarten seats |
29 | pursuant to this section. |
30 | 16-87-3.2. Enrollment at Rhode Island prekindergarten programs. |
31 | (a) Effective July 1, 2024, any prekindergarten program (a "program") located in any |
32 | municipality participating in the state prekindergarten program may accept students into their |
33 | program who are not residents of the municipality in which the program operates; provided that, |
34 | all of the following conditions are present: |
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1 | (1) The program has open slots available; |
2 | (2) The program is limited to students who are economically disadvantaged; |
3 | (3) The student is otherwise eligible for the prekindergarten program; and |
4 | (4) The student is selected by the prekindergarten lottery. |
5 | (b) The acceptance of students into a program who are not residents of the municipality in |
6 | which the program operates shall not, in and of itself, cause a loss or reduction in state or local |
7 | education aid to the program. |
8 | (c) No student shall be excluded from a prekindergarten program who has a sibling enrolled |
9 | in that prekindergarten program based on the fact that the student lives in a different municipality. |
10 | (d) The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education shall promulgate |
11 | rules and regulations regarding the enrollment at state-funded prekindergarten seats pursuant to this |
12 | section. |
13 | SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC004739 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PREKINDERGARTEN EDUCATION | |
ACT | |
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1 | This act would allow municipalities participating in the state prekindergarten program to |
2 | accept students from outside the municipality under certain conditions and establish a lottery for |
3 | enrollment in the program. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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