Bill > HSB145

Introduced Session

This bill relates to early childhood education and care, including by modifying provisions related to the statewide preschool program, the child development coordinating council, programs for at-risk children, the responsibilities of the department of education (DE), the early childhood Iowa initiative, and the state child care assistance program, and establishing the child care continuum partnership grants pilot program within the department of health and human services (HHS). DIVISION I —— STATEWIDE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM. Under current law, only school districts that meet certain requirements established by the state board of education are able to participate in the statewide preschool program for four-year-old children established pursuant to Code chapter 256C, although school districts may contract with community-based providers. The bill authorizes community-based providers to directly participate in the statewide preschool program for four-year-old children established pursuant to Code chapter 256C by applying with DE to implement a preschool S.F. _____ H.F. _____ program. The state board is required to adopt rules to further define the requirements of community-based providers implementing the preschool program. Under current law, state funding provided under the statewide preschool program for four-year-old children is provided to school districts based upon the number of eligible students enrolled in the preschool programming provided by the school district. Also under current law, if the school district contracts with a community-based provider, state funding passes from the school district to the community-based provider. The bill allows a community-based provider approved to directly participate in the preschool program to be paid preschool foundation aid directly in the same manner as a school district. The bill establishes the amount of preschool foundation aid that is payable to such a community-based provider for the initial school year for which the community-based provider is approved to directly participate in the preschool program, and for subsequent school years. The bill makes conforming changes. DIVISION II —— CHILD DEVELOPMENT COORDINATING COUNCIL AND PROGRAMS FOR AT-RISK CHILDREN. Current Code chapter 256A establishes the child development coordinating council to promote the provision of child development services to at-risk three-year-old and four-year-old children. The bill strikes transfers all of the responsibilities of the child development coordinating council to DE and makes conforming changes. Current law requires the child development coordinating council to establish minimum guidelines for comprehensive early child development services for at-risk three-year-old and four-year-old children. Current law also requires the child development coordinating council to develop an inventory of child development services provided to at-risk three-year-old and four-year-old children in this state that identifies the number of children who are not receiving these services. Additionally, current law requires the child development S.F. _____ H.F. _____ coordinating council to encourage the establishment of programs that will enhance the skills of parents in parenting and in providing for the learning and development of their children. Also, current law requires the child development coordinating council to develop a resource directory of parent involvement programs to assist districts in planning family support programs. The bill strikes these provisions and does not transfer these responsibilities to DE. Current law requires the director of the department of education to develop standards and instructional materials to assist school districts in development of appropriate before and after school programs for elementary school children, child care services and programs to complement half-day and all-day kindergarten programs, curricula for all-day kindergarten programs, and curricula for the early elementary grades one through three. Current law also requires the director to assist prekindergarten instructors in the development of appropriate curricula and teaching practices. In developing these standards and materials, current law requires the director to consult with the child development coordinating council, the department of health and human services, the state board of regents center for early developmental education, the area education agencies, the department of human development and family studies in the college of human sciences at Iowa state university of science and technology, the early childhood elementary division of the college of education at the university of Iowa, and the college of education at the university of northern Iowa. The bill strikes the provision related to persons the director is required to consult with in developing these standards and materials. Current Code section 279.51(1)(b) provides that for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and for each succeeding fiscal year, $8,536,740 of the funds appropriated from the general fund of the state to DE under Code section 279.51(1) (programs for at-risk children) shall be allocated to the child S.F. _____ H.F. _____ development coordinating council for the purposes set out in Code section 279.51(2) and Code section 256A.3 (duties of child development coordinating council). The bill modifies Code section 279.51(1)(b) to provide that the moneys shall be allocated to DE for purposes set out in Code section 279.51(2), Code section 256A.3, as modified in the bill, and to be used as grants to early childhood programs that demonstrate the greatest need for programs for at-risk children and the families of at-risk children. Under current law, the moneys allocated under Code section 279.51(1)(b) may be used by the child development coordinating council to award grants to school districts to establish programs for three-year-old, four-year-old, and five-year-old at-risk children, and to provide grants to provide educational support services to parents of at-risk children age birth through three years. The bill modifies Code section 279.51(1)(b) to provide that such moneys may be used by DE to award grants to school districts to establish programs for three-year-old and four-year-old at-risk children. Current law requires DE to seek assistance from foundations and public and private agencies in the evaluation of the programs funded under Code section 279.51 (programs for at-risk children), and in the provision of support to school districts in developing and implementing the programs funded under Code section 279.51. The bill strikes this provision. DIVISION III —— DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RESPONSIBILITIES. The bill requires the director of DE to review and conduct research related to the most effective evidence-based curricula, instructional materials, and evidence-based or promising practices used in prekindergarten programs and in preschools, and make a list of the most effective evidence-based curricula, instructional materials, and evidence-based or promising practices for prekindergarten programs and preschools available on the DE’s internet site. The bill requires the director of DE to develop a preschool S.F. _____ H.F. _____ accountability system representing, at minimum, developmental and learning outcomes and continuous implementation of high-quality program standards for school districts offering a prekindergarten program, accredited nonpublic schools offering a prekindergarten program, prekindergarten and preschool programs serving children with individualized education programs, and preschool programs created in accordance with Code chapters 256A and 256C. The director is also required to provide, in coordination with HHS, an alignment of an outcomes-based accountability system for school districts offering a prekindergarten program, accredited nonpublic schools offering a prekindergarten program, preschool programs serving children with individualized education programs, and preschool programs created in accordance with Code chapters 256A and 256C. The bill requires the director of DE to review and revise the state early learning standards and standards related to preschool programs serving children with individualized education programs and preschool programs created in accordance with Code chapters 256A and 256C. The bill also requires the director of DE to provide professional development services to assist such programs in implementing the revised early learning standards, preschool assessments, high-quality program standards, and standards related to preschool programs. DIVISION IV —— EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA INITIATIVE. In general, the early childhood Iowa program established under Code chapter 256I within HHS provides leadership for facilitation, communication, and coordination for the early childhood Iowa initiative activities and funding and for improvement of the early care, education, health, and human services systems. Current law requires the early childhood Iowa state board to approve the geographic boundaries for the early childhood Iowa areas throughout the state and any changes in the boundaries. The bill provides that, by January 1, 2026, HHS shall designate early childhood Iowa areas in the same number and using the S.F. _____ H.F. _____ same geographic boundaries as the behavioral health districts designated by HHS pursuant to Code section 225A.4 (behavioral health service system —— districts and administrative organizations). The bill makes conforming changes. DIVISION V —— CHILD CARE WORKFORCE —— STATE CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY. The bill provides that a child shall be eligible for the state child care assistance program under Code section 237A.13 if a parent, guardian, or custodian meets certain specified requirements established in the bill. A director, co-director, or other administrative staff member of a child care facility may qualify for the state child care assistance program if such person is regularly counted in the minimum child-to-staff ratio established by HHS. The bill requires a person participating in the state child care assistance program pursuant to eligibility established under the bill’s provisions to make copayments based on the person’s household income for services received from the program. DIVISION VI —— CHILD CARE CONTINUUM PARTNERSHIP GRANTS —— PILOT PROGRAM. The bill requires HHS, in collaboration with early childhood Iowa area boards and DE, to create and administer a child care continuum partnership grants pilot program. The pilot program shall award competitive grants to partnerships between providers of statewide voluntary preschool programming and licensed child care centers to provide full-day early childhood education and care programming for participants in the statewide voluntary preschool program.

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Other Sponsors (1)

Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 623. (on 02/27/2025)

Official Document