Bill > H551

This bill would authorize the creation of a High Quality Pre-Kindergarten Education grant program to support the implementation of high-quality pre-kindergarten programs for children between the ages of 2 years and 9 months and the age a child becomes eligible for kindergarten. Eligible grantees would include individual school districts and collaborations of multiple school districts, and proposals must include partnerships with licensed community-based early learning programs. The grants would be used to invest in a high-quality, mixed-delivery early education system in order to reduce the achievement gap and improve third-grade reading scores. The bill outlines specific requirements for grant applicants, such as a tracking system, child-to-instructor ratio, family engagement tactics, teacher qualifications, and evidence-based curricula and instruction. The grants would be awarded based on readiness and need, with preference given to underperforming or chronically underperforming districts. Each grant recipient would be required to establish a plan to implement the program and provide quarterly reports to the Department of Early Education and Care.

Education

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H551