Connecticut 2024 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB05346 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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7		-	General Assembly ~~Substitute~~ Bill No. 5346
	5	+	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5346
8	6		February Session, 2024
	7	+	LCO No. 2296
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	10	+	Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
	11	+
	12	+
	13	+	Introduced by:
	14	+	(ED)
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14	19		AN ACT CONCERNING EARLY CHILD CARE.
15	20		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
16	21		Assembly convened:
17	22
18	23		Section 1. Section 10-511 of the 2024 supplement to the general 1
19	24		statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
20	25		(Effective July 1, 2024): 3
21	26		The Comptroller shall establish the Early Childhood Education Fund. 4
22	27		Said fund may contain any moneys required or permitted by law to be 5
23	28		deposited in the fund, including any unexpended funds deposited 6
24	29		pursuant to section 8-210, as amended by this act, or section 10-16p, as 7
25	30		amended by this act, and any funds received from any public or private 8
26	31		contributions, gifts, grants, donations, bequests or devises to the fund. 9
27	32		Such fund shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year but shall be 10
28	33		available for expenditure during the next fiscal year. 11
29	34		Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 8-210 of the 2024 supplement to the 12
30	35		general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 13
31	36		thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 14
32		-	(b) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of 15
	37	+	(b) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of 15 Raised Bill No. 5346
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33	43		Early Childhood, may enter into a contract with a municipality, a group 16
34	44		child care home or family child care home, as described in section 19a-17
35		-	77, a human resource development agency or a nonprofit corporation 18 Substitute Bill No. 5346
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	45	+	77, a human resource development agency or a nonprofit corporation 18
42	46		for state financial assistance in developing and operating child care 19
43	47		centers, group child care homes and family child care homes for 20
44	48		children disadvantaged by reasons of economic, social or environmental 21
45	49		conditions, provided no such financial assistance shall be available for 22
46	50		the operating costs of any such child care center, group child care home 23
47	51		or family child care home unless it has been licensed by the 24
48	52		Commissioner of Early Childhood pursuant to section 19a-80. Such 25
49	53		financial assistance shall be available for a program of a municipality, of 26
50	54		a group child care home or family child care home, of a human resource 27
51	55		development agency or of a nonprofit corporation which may provide 28
52	56		for personnel, equipment, supplies, activities, program materials and 29
53	57		renovation and remodeling of the physical facilities of such child care 30
54	58		centers, group child care homes or family child care homes. Such 31
55	59		contract shall provide for state financial assistance, within available 32
56	60		appropriations, in the form of a state grant-in-aid (1) for a portion of the 33
57	61		cost of such program, as determined by the Commissioner of Early 34
58	62		Childhood, if not federally assisted, (2) equal to one-half of the amount 35
59	63		by which the net cost of such program, as approved by the 36
60	64		Commissioner of Early Childhood, exceeds the federal grant-in-aid 37
61	65		thereof, or (3) in an amount not less than (A) the per child cost as 38
62	66		described in subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of section 10-16q, for each 39
63	67		child in such program that is three or four years of age and each child 40
64	68		that is five years of age who is not eligible to enroll in school, pursuant 41
65	69		to section 10-15c, while maintaining services to children under three 42
66	70		years of age under this section, and (B) thirteen thousand five hundred 43
67	71		dollars for each child three years of age or under who is in infant or 44
68	72		toddler care and not in a preschool program. Any such contract entered 45
69	73		into on or after July 1, 2022, shall include a provision that at least sixty 46
70	74		per cent of the children enrolled in such child care center, group child 47
71	75		care home or family child care home are members of families who are 48
72	76		at or below seventy-five per cent of the state median income. The 49
73		-	Commissioner of Early Childhood may authorize child care centers, 50
	77	+	Commissioner of Early Childhood may authorize child care centers, 50 Raised Bill No. 5346
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74	83		group child care homes and family child care homes receiving financial 51
75	84		assistance under this subsection to apply a program surplus to the next 52
76		-	program year. The Commissioner of Early Childhood shall consult with 53 Substitute Bill No. 5346
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	85	+	program year. The Commissioner of Early Childhood shall consult with 53
83	86		directors of child care centers in establishing fees for the operation of 54
84	87		such centers. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, the Commissioner 55
85	88		of Early Childhood shall, within available appropriations, enter into 56
86	89		contracts under this section for the purpose of expanding the number of 57
87	90		spaces available to children three years of age or under who are in infant 58
88	91		or toddler care and not in a preschool program. Any unexpended funds 59
89	92		appropriated for purposes of this section shall not lapse at the end of the 60
90	93		fiscal year but shall be deposited in the Early Childhood Education Fund 61
91	94		established pursuant to section 10-511, as amended by this act. 62
92	95		Sec. 3. Subsection (e) of section 10-16p of the 2024 supplement to the 63
93	96		general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 64
94	97		thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 65
95	98		(e) [(1)] If funds appropriated for the purposes of subsection (c) of this 66
96	99		section are not expended, the commissioner [may] shall deposit such 67
97	100		unexpended funds in the [account established under section 10-16aa 68
98	101		and use such unexpended funds in accordance with the provisions of 69
99	102		section 10-16aa] Early Childhood Education Fund established pursuant 70
100	103		to section 10-511, as amended by this act. 71
101	104		[(2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and each fiscal year 72
102	105		thereafter, if funds appropriated for the purposes of subsection (c) of 73
103	106		this section are not expended, an amount up to one million dollars of 74
104	107		such unexpended funds may be available for the provision of 75
105	108		professional development for early childhood care and education 76
106	109		program providers, and staff employed in such programs, provided 77
107	110		such programs accept state funds for infant, toddler and preschool slots. 78
108	111		Such unexpended funds may be available for use in accordance with the 79
109	112		provisions of this subparagraph for the subsequent fiscal year. The 80
110	113		commissioner may use such unexpended funds on and after July 1, 2015, 81
111	114		to support early childhood education programs accepting state funds in 82
112		-	satisfying the staff qualifications requirements of subparagraphs (B) and 83
	115	+	satisfying the staff qualifications requirements of subparagraphs (B) and 83 Raised Bill No. 5346
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113	121		(C) of subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section. The commissioner 84
114	122		shall use any such funds to provide assistance to individual staff 85
115		-	members, giving priority to those staff members (A) attending an 86 Substitute Bill No. 5346
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	123	+	members, giving priority to those staff members (A) attending an 86
122	124		institution of higher education accredited by the Board of Regents for 87
123	125		Higher Education or the Office of Higher Education, and approved by 88
124	126		the Office of Early Childhood, and regionally accredited, at a maximum 89
125	127		of ten thousand dollars per staff member per year for the cost of higher 90
126	128		education courses leading to a bachelor's degree or, not later than 91
127	129		December 31, 2015, an associate degree, as such degrees are described 92
128	130		in said subparagraphs (B) and (C), or (B) receiving noncredit 93
129	131		competency-based training approved by the office, at a maximum of one 94
130	132		thousand dollars per staff member per year, provided such staff 95
131	133		members have applied for all available federal and state scholarships 96
132	134		and grants, and such assistance does not exceed such staff members' 97
133	135		financial need. Individual staff members shall apply for such 98
134	136		unexpended funds in a manner determined by the commissioner. The 99
135	137		commissioner shall determine how such unexpended funds shall be 100
136	138		distributed. 101
137	139		(3) If funds appropriated for the purposes of subsection (c) of this 102
138	140		section are not expended pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, 103
139	141		deposited pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, or used 104
140	142		pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection, the commissioner may 105
141	143		use such unexpended funds to support local school readiness programs. 106
142	144		The commissioner may use such funds for purposes including, but not 107
143	145		limited to, (A) assisting local school readiness programs in meeting and 108
144	146		maintaining accreditation requirements, (B) providing training in 109
145	147		implementing the preschool assessment and curriculum frameworks, 110
146	148		including training to enhance literacy teaching skills, (C) developing a 111
147	149		state-wide preschool curriculum, (D) developing student assessments 112
148	150		for students in grades kindergarten to two, inclusive, (E) developing 113
149	151		and implementing best practices for parents in supporting preschool 114
150	152		and kindergarten student learning, (F) developing and implementing 115
151	153		strategies for children to successfully transition to preschool and from 116
152		-	preschool to kindergarten, including through parental engagement and 117
	154	+	preschool to kindergarten, including through parental engagement and 117 Raised Bill No. 5346
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153	160		whole-family supports that may be utilized through the two -118
154	161		generational initiative, established pursuant to section 17b-112l, or 119
155		-	through other available resources, (G) providing for professional 120 Substitute Bill No. 5346
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	162	+	through other available resources, (G) providing for professional 120
162	163		development, including assisting in career ladder advancement, for 121
163	164		school readiness staff, (H) providing supplemental grants to other 122
164	165		towns that are eligible for grants pursuant to subsection (c) of this 123
165	166		section, and (I) developing a plan to provide spaces in an accredited 124
166	167		school readiness program or a school readiness program seeking 125
167	168		accreditation to all eligible children who reside in an area or town 126
168	169		described in subparagraphs (A) to (D), inclusive, of subdivision (1) of 127
169	170		subsection (d) of this section.] 128
170	171		Sec. 4. (Effective from passage) The Department of Administrative 129
171	172		Services shall conduct a study regarding the availability of state 130
172	173		property for the provision of early childhood care and early childhood 131
173	174		education programs, housing and adult training programs. Such study 132
174	175		shall include, but need not be limited to, a review of (1) state-owned 133
175	176		buildings that house offices of agencies of the state for the purpose of 134
176	177		determining whether such buildings contain available space that may 135
177	178		be utilized to provide early childhood care and early childhood 136
178	179		education programs, and (2) real property owned by the state that is 137
179	180		vacant and may be developed for the purpose of providing early 138
180	181		childhood care and early childhood education programs, housing or 139
181	182		adult training programs. Not later than January 1, 2026, the department 140
182	183		shall submit a report on its findings and any recommendations to the 141
183	184		joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 142
184	185		matters relating to education, in accordance with the provisions of 143
185	186		section 11-4a of the general statutes. 144
	187	+	Sec. 5. (Effective from passage) The Office of Early Childhood shall 145
	188	+	conduct a study regarding the feasibility of expanding the qualifications 146
	189	+	required for a person to be issued an early childhood teacher credential 147
	190	+	under section 10-520b of the general statutes to include experience in 148
	191	+	nontraditional child care settings and other forms of informal child care. 149
	192	+	Not later than January 1, 2025, the office shall submit a report on its 150
	193	+	findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the 151 Raised Bill No. 5346
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	199	+	General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, 152
	200	+	in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 153
186	201		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
187	202		sections:
188	203
189	204		Section 1 July 1, 2024 10-511
190	205		Sec. 2 July 1, 2024 8-210(b)
191	206		Sec. 3 July 1, 2024 10-16p(e)
192	207		Sec. 4 from passage New section
	208	+	Sec. 5 from passage New section
193	209
194		-	ED Joint Favorable Subst. C/R APP
	210	+	Statement of Purpose:
	211	+	To provide the Early Childhood Education Fund with unexpended
	212	+	funds from certain early childhood programs; to require the Department
	213	+	of Administrative Services to conduct a study of state-owned buildings
	214	+	and property for the purpose of utilizing or converting such buildings
	215	+	and property for early childhood care, early childhood education,
	216	+	housing and adult training programs; and to require the Office of Early
	217	+	Childhood to study ways to include experience in nontraditional child
	218	+	care settings and other informal child care arrangements for purposes
	219	+	of issuing an early childhood teacher credential.
	220	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	221	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	222	+	underlined.]
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