Rep. William Davis

Filed: 3/9/2021

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1822

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1822 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Early
5Childhood Program Recruitment and Eligibility Screening Pilot
6Program Act.
 
7    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
8    "Blended classroom" means a classroom that is operated
9under a program that gives the provider the option to operate
10classrooms that are shared by a Head Start program and an early
11childhood program in which children enrolled in the program
12are financially supported through several funding sources and
13agencies. Classrooms may be partially blended in which one or
14more classrooms are blended at one or more program locations
15but not all classrooms are blended, or classrooms may be fully
16blended in which every classroom is offered by a Head Start

 

 

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1program and receives 90% of its funding from State or federal
2sources. However, other sources such as Title I and private
3tuition may also be used to support the enrollment of
4children.
5    "Classroom", with respect to a Head Start program, means a
6group of children who are supervised and taught by 2 paid staff
7members, both of whom are teachers or one of whom is a teacher
8and one of whom is a teacher's aide, and, if possible, a
9volunteer.
10    "Communication" means a discussion by an early childhood
11program provider with the parents or guardians of all eligible
12participants in the program that must describe the program to
13the parents or guardians to ensure that the parents or
14guardians are made aware of and are informed about the program
15and their right to participate in the program.
16    "Full utilization" means an Early Head Start program's
17funded enrollment numbers for children from birth to 3 years
18of age are met or exceeded or a Head Start program's funded
19enrollment numbers for children 3 or 4 years of age are met or
20exceeded per federal requirements, whichever is applicable.
21    "Funded enrollment" means the number of participants that
22a Head Start or Early Head Start grantee is to serve as
23indicated on its federal grant award.
24    "Head Start or Early Head Start program" means a program
25that provides services to children and their families who live
26in extreme poverty, as set by guidelines established by the

 

 

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1federal government that are tied to the poverty guidelines
2updated periodically in the Federal Register by the U.S.
3Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of
442 U.S.C. 9902(2), or to children who are homeless or in foster
5care; provides the skills those children need to be successful
6in school and life; promotes the school readiness of those
7children by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional
8development in a learning environment that supports children's
9growth in language, literacy, mathematics, science, social and
10emotional functioning, the creative arts, and physical skills;
11provides approaches to learning to low-income children and
12their families; and provides health, educational, nutritional,
13social, and other services that are determined based on a
14family needs assessment.
15    "Head Start or Early Head Start program eligibility" means
16that families who live in extreme poverty, as determined by
17the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal
18Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
19under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2), families who are
20homeless, children in foster care, and children from families
21who receive public assistance from this State's Temporary
22Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program or from
23Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are eligible regardless of
24income.
25    "Participating entity" means a Head Start or Early Head
26Start program, Preschool for All or Preschool for All

 

 

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1Expansion program, or Prevention Initiative program located
2(i) in any of the following zip codes for Pilot Program One:
362001, 62002, 62010, 62232, 62018, 62021, 62024, 62025, 62034,
462040, 62046, 62048, 62249, 62058, 62060, 62061, 62062, 62067,
562074, 62084, 62281, 62087, 62294, 62090, 62095, or 62097; or
6(ii) in any of the following zip codes for Pilot Program Two:
760406, 60419, 60422, 60426, 60428, 60429, 60430, 60445, 60452,
860469, 60477, or 60827.
9    "Scientifically valid research" includes applied research,
10basic research, and field-initiated research in which the
11rationale, design, and interpretation are soundly developed in
12accordance with the principles of scientific research.
13    "Universal Early Childhood Program Application" means an
14application form for services that is required to be utilized
15by each early childhood program in this State that receives
1690% or more of its funding through federal and State funds and
17that provides services to children from birth to 5 years of
18age.
 
19    Section 10. Findings.
20    (a) Every young child and family has the right to
21equitable learning opportunities that help them achieve their
22full potential as engaged learners and valued members of
23society regardless of race, ethnicity, and social
24circumstances. Early childhood programs, including Head Start
25and Early Head Start programs, provide essential support,

 

 

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1structure, and opportunities for young children and blended
2classroom structures that provide support, encourage learning,
3and promote a healthy child.
4    (b) Head Start and Early Head Start programs:
5        (1) provide support for the whole child by promoting
6    school readiness and actively ensuring each child is
7    healthy, including nutrition, oral health, and mental
8    health, and is ready to learn;
9        (2) provide comprehensive health, educational,
10    nutritional, social, and other services needed to aid
11    participating children in attaining their full potential
12    and to prepare children to succeed in school;
13        (3) attract and retain qualified staff who are capable
14    of delivering and implementing a high-quality and
15    comprehensive program, including the ability to carry out
16    a research-based curriculum aligned with State early
17    learning standards;
18        (4) have child-to-teacher ratios, group size, and
19    family service worker caseloads that reflect best
20    practices and are tied to high-quality service delivery;
21        (5) are based on scientifically valid research,
22    including:
23            (A) curricula that are based on scientifically
24        valid research, are developmentally appropriate, and
25        promote the school readiness of children participating
26        in the program involved; and

 

 

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1            (B) teaching practices that are based, as
2        appropriate, on scientifically valid research, that
3        are developmentally appropriate, and that promote the
4        school readiness of children participating in the
5        programs.
6        (6) maintain strong fiscal controls and cost-effective
7    fiscal management;
8        (7) coordinate and collaborate with other public or
9    private entities providing early childhood education and
10    developmental programs and services for young children in
11    the community;
12        (8) coordinate with public and private entities that
13    are willing to commit resources to assist the programs in
14    meeting their program needs;
15        (9) facilitate the involvement of parents,
16    grandparents, and kinship caregivers, as appropriate, of
17    children participating in the programs and in activities
18    at home and, if practicable, at the location of the
19    programs, which is designed to help such persons become
20    full partners in the education of their children;
21        (10) provide an opportunity for parents to participate
22    in the development and overall conduct of the programs at
23    the local level;
24        (11) provide parenting-skills training;
25        (12) perform a family needs assessment with respect to
26    each participating family that includes consultation with

 

 

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1    parents, foster parents, grandparents, and kinship
2    caregivers, as applicable, in a manner and language that
3    such persons can understand, to the extent practicable,
4    about the benefits of parental involvement;
5        (13) meet the diverse needs of the population served,
6    including, but not limited to:
7            (A) meeting the needs of limited
8        English-proficient children and their families by
9        implementing procedures to identify such children,
10        implementing plans to provide trained personnel, and
11        implementing plans to provide services to assist these
12        children in making progress toward the acquisition of
13        the English language, while making meaningful progress
14        in attaining knowledge, skills, abilities, and
15        development; and
16            (B) meeting the needs of children with
17        disabilities by implementing procedures to identify
18        such children and implementing procedures for referral
19        of these children for evaluation to State or local
20        agencies providing services and plans for
21        collaboration with those State or local agencies;
22        (14) reserve a percentage of their funding, as
23    required and set by federal guidelines, for the enrollment
24    of children with disabilities; and
25        (15) meet the needs of homeless children, including
26    their transportation needs, and the needs of children in

 

 

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1    foster care.
2    (c) Blended classrooms in early childhood programs share
3all of the following characteristics:
4        (1) Costs are shared in that costs are prorated from
5    each funding source.
6        (2) Separate audit trails are maintained for each
7    funding source.
8        (3) A classroom must meet the operating requirements
9    of all funding sources. If classroom standards are not
10    comparable or the same between 2 or more classrooms, the
11    most stringent standard applies.
12        (4) Children receive all services for which they are
13    eligible.
14        (5) Wrap-around services provide before-school and
15    after-school child care that is coordinated with child
16    care providers and family resource centers.
17        (6) Head Start and Early Head Start programs
18    coordinate with medical, health, mental health, and social
19    service agencies to meet the comprehensive needs of
20    children and families.
 
21    Section 15. Early Childhood Program Recruitment and
22Eligibility Screening Pilot Program.
23    (a) The Early Childhood Program Recruitment and
24Eligibility Screening Pilot Program is created to coordinate
25the enrollment of children into early childhood programs that

 

 

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1receive 90% or more of their funding through federal and State
2funds and that provide services to children from birth to 5
3years of age. The Early Childhood Program Recruitment and
4Eligibility Screening Pilot Program shall provide improved
5program coordination to identify and serve this State's
6neediest children by avoiding a duplication of services and
7the supplanting of federal funds and shall maximize the use of
8Head Start and Early Head Start program funds. In addition,
9the Early Childhood Program Recruitment and Eligibility
10Screening Pilot Program shall prioritize families who meet
11Head Start or Early Head Start program eligibility guidelines
12for enrollment into those programs, which frees up enrollment
13slots for other early childhood programs in the local
14community that have broader eligibility guidelines.
15    (b) The Early Childhood Program Recruitment and
16Eligibility Screening Pilot Program shall be implemented and
17administered by the State Board of Education, which shall act
18in cooperation with other programs serving young children in
19the community, including public schools, child care providers,
20special education cooperatives, Head Start and Early Head
21Start programs, Preschool for All and Preschool for All
22Expansion programs, and Prevention Initiative programs.
23    (c) The Early Childhood Program Recruitment and
24Eligibility Screening Pilot Program shall begin with the
252021-2022 school year and shall operate for a period of 2
26school years in which either Pilot Program One or Pilot

 

 

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1Program Two shall be implemented as determined by the location
2of the participating entity.
 
3    Section 20. Universal Early Childhood Program Application;
4enrollment.
5    (a) The State Board of Education shall develop a Universal
6Early Childhood Program Application. Each early childhood
7program in a community that receives 90% or more of its funding
8through federal and State funds and that provides services to
9children from birth to 5 years of age shall use the Universal
10Early Childhood Program Application to determine a family's
11eligibility for any and all of the community's early childhood
12programs. One of the eligibility criteria included on the
13Universal Early Childhood Program Application must be based on
14the family's household income level as determined by poverty
15guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the
16U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the
17authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2).
18    (b) If an applicant family meets the income eligibility
19guidelines established by a Head Start or Early Head Start
20program, the applicant family must be offered the opportunity
21for communication about enrollment into the Head Start or
22Early Head Start program and to enroll in the Head Start or
23Early Head Start program prior to enrolling in any other
24community program. If the applicant family does not meet the
25income eligibility guidelines set forth by the Head Start or

 

 

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1Early Head Start program, the applicant family must be offered
2the opportunity for communication about enrolling in another
3community program selected by the applicant family.
4    If a Head Start or Early Head Start program has met full
5utilization, a family may be placed in another early childhood
6program serving young children in the community.
 
7    Section 25. Waiting list. Each early childhood program
8that receives 90% or more of its funding through federal and
9State funds and provides services for children from birth to 5
10years of age shall coordinate with similar early childhood
11programs in the community to ensure that a child whose
12household income meets the eligibility requirements of the
13Head Start program and early childhood programs or the
14eligibility requirements of local, State, or federal early
15childhood programs remains on a waiting list for an eligible
16provider for no longer than 45 days.
 
17    Section 90. Rules. The State Board of Education may adopt
18any rules necessary to implement this Act.
 
19    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
202021.".