Bill > H489

This bill establishes the Massachusetts universal pre-kindergarten program, aiming to provide voluntary, high-quality early education and care services for all three and four-year-olds in the Commonwealth, free of charge and available for up to ten hours daily, five days a week, and year-round. The program, which will be fully established and funded by September 1, 2020, will prioritize public schools in low-income districts and is designed to enhance children's cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, physical development, and school readiness, with input from early childhood educators and professional associations. The program will be delivered through a mixed system of providers, with public schools receiving priority for funding, and all teachers will be required to be licensed by 2020, with a grant program to support teachers in obtaining licenses. Additionally, the bill mandates that by the start of the school year in which a child turns five, they must attend a full-day educational program, effectively establishing full-day kindergarten.