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Regular Session, 2014 ENROLLED
SENATE BILL NO. 533
BY SENATORS LAFLEUR AND WALSWORTH AND REPRESENTATIVES CARTER
AND LEGER
AN ACT1
To enact Part X-B of Chapter 1 of Title 17 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be2
comprised of R.S. 17:407.41 through 407.46, relative to early childhood education3
enrollment coordination; to provide for definitions; to provide for prohibitions; to4
authorize local enrollment coordination entities; to provide for responsibilities of the5
State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and approved local enrollment6
coordination entities; to provide for funding of approved local enrollment7
coordination entities; and to provide for related matters.8
Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:9
Section 1. Part X-B of Chapter 1 of Title 17 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of10
1950, comprised of R.S. 17:407.41 through 407.46, is hereby enacted to read as follows:11
PART X-B. LOUISIANA EARLY LEARNING 12
ENROLLMENT COORDINATION13
§407.41. Definitions14
As used in this Part, the following definitions shall apply:15
A. "Coverage area" means the parish, parishes, or other geographical16
area within the jurisdiction of a local early learning enrollment coordinator.17
B. "Department" means the state Department of Education.18
C. "Local early learning enrollment coordinator" means an approved19
entity that conducts a process for informing families about publicly-funded and20
Type III licensed early childhood care and education programs in the coverage21
ACT No. 717 SB NO. 533 ENROLLED
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area; collects family preferences; develops and uses a common application1
process; annually determines demand for publicly-funded early childhood care2
and education within the coverage area; and makes recommendations to the3
department for the distribution of available publicly-funded early childhood4
care and education slots for at-risk children within its coverage area.5
D. "State Board" means the State Board of Elementary and Secondary6
Education.7
§407.42. Authorization of local early learning enrollment coordinators8
A. Prior to authorizing local early learning enrollment coordinators, the9
state board shall:10
(1) By September 1, 2014:11
(a) Provide the governing authority of each public school system and12
each early learning center, nonpublic school which provides publicly-funded13
early childhood services, and Head Start grantee located within the geographic14
boundaries of the public school system with an assessment of the extent to which15
these providers of early childhood services coordinate their efforts to:16
(i) Inform families about the availability of publicly-funded and Type17
III licensed early childhood care and education programs serving students four18
years of age or younger.19
(ii) Coordinate enrollment, eligibility criteria, and waiting lists to ensure20
that families are referred to other available publicly-funded early childhood21
programs should they be ineligible for or unable to access their primary choice.22
(iii) Collect family preferences regarding enrollment choices for23
publicly-funded and Type III licensed early childhood care and education24
programs.25
(iv) Enroll at-risk children, using available public funds, based upon26
stated family preferences.27
(b) Provide public school systems, early learning centers, nonpublic28
schools, Early Head Start grantees, and Head Start grantees with a designated29
time period in which the local early enrollment coordination activities will be30 SB NO. 533 ENROLLED
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developed and implemented.1
(2) By October 1, 2015:2
(a) Publish a list of public school systems within whose geographic3
boundaries there is no coordinated effort by the public school system and the4
early learning centers, nonpublic schools which provide publicly-funded early5
childhood services, and Head Start grantees to:6
(i) Inform families about the availability of publicly-funded and Type7
III licensed early childhood care and education programs serving students four8
years of age or younger.9
(ii) Coordinate enrollment, eligibility criteria, and waiting lists to ensure10
that families are referred to other available publicly-funded early childhood11
programs should they be ineligible for or unable to access their primary choice.12
(iii) Collect family preferences regarding enrollment choices for13
publicly-funded and Type III licensed early childhood care and education14
programs.15
(iv) Enroll at-risk children, using available public funds, based upon16
stated family preferences.17
(b) Provide public school systems, early learning centers, nonpublic18
schools, Early Head Start grantees, and Head Start grantees with a designated19
time period in which the local early enrollment coordination activities will be20
developed and implemented.21
(3) By June 30, 2015, approve a process to authorize entities as local22
early learning enrollment coordinators to begin performing required services23
in the geographic boundaries of public school systems identified pursuant to24
Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, in the 2015-2016 school year.25
(4) Not certify any entity as a local early learning enrollment26
coordinator under this Section unless it is in compliance with procedures and27
regulations established by the state board. The entity shall be a state agency,28
a public school system, a nonprofit or for-profit corporation having an29
educational or social services mission, including but not limited to a nonprofit30 SB NO. 533 ENROLLED
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corporation of a philanthropic or policy nature, a Louisiana public1
postsecondary education institution, or a nonprofit corporation established by2
the governing authority of a parish or municipality.3
(5) Review each proposed local early learning enrollment coordinator4
in a timely manner and determine whether each proposed local early learning5
enrollment coordinator complies with the law and rules and whether the6
proposal is valid, complete, and financially well-structured.7
(6) Approve a process by which the department serves as the local early8
learning enrollment coordinator for those coverage areas without an approved9
entity.10
(7) Promulgate rules establishing an appeals process and designating the11
department to oversee the process through which families and early learning12
centers have the opportunity to appeal decisions made by local early learning13
enrollment coordinators.14
B.(1) The initial authorization of a local early learning enrollment15
coordinator shall be for a period up to five years.16
(2) After the initial authorization period, the state board may grant17
renewal of authorization for additional periods of not less than three years nor18
more than five years after thorough review of the local early learning19
enrollment coordinator activities.20
§407.43. Responsibilities of approved local early learning enrollment21
coordinators22
In accordance with R.S. 17:407.22, local early learning enrollment23
coordinators shall support families in accessing high-quality publicly-funded24
early childhood care and education by:25
(1) Conducting a process for disseminating information about early26
childhood care and education programs and collecting family preferences in27
order to make distribution recommendations.28
(2) Using a common application process, annually determine family29
demand for publicly-funded early childhood care and education within the30 SB NO. 533 ENROLLED
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coverage area.1
(3) Providing a recommendation to the department of the distribution2
of available publicly-funded early childhood care and education slots within the3
coverage area.4
§407.44. Funding of approved local early learning enrollment coordinators5
A.(1) For a coverage area identified by the state board as requiring an6
early learning enrollment coordinator, the department shall allocate not more7
than one percent of the public funds appropriated for each early childhood care8
and education program in the coverage area to support the local early learning9
enrollment coordinator in performing the services required by this Part.10
However, Head Start programs shall fund their respective recruitment,11
selection, and enrollment system mandated by applicable federal laws,12
regulations, standards, and grant requirements. Head Start programs shall13
collaborate with local schools and early learning centers to conduct combined14
recruitment enrollment activities as defined in R.S. 17:407.42.15
(2) The amount allocated from the funding for each early childhood care16
and education program shall be proportionate to the number of children in the17
program enrolled by the local early learning enrollment coordinator for the18
coverage area.19
(3) If an allocation cannot be made from a funding stream to support the20
early learning enrollment coordinator for a coverage area, the amount21
established for that funding stream to support the early learning enrollment22
coordinator shall be allocated from the remaining program funding streams in23
an amount proportionate to the number of children in each program enrolled24
by the local early learning enrollment coordinator for the coverage area.25
(4) The state board shall not allocate additional funds to support early26
learning enrollment coordinators, as provided in Paragraph (3) of this27
Subsection, from the funding stream for any early childhood care and education28
program that has a per-child allocation or subsidy below the state average29
per-child allocation or subsidy for all programs included in the enrollment30 SB NO. 533 ENROLLED
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system.1
(5) The department may use funds allocated pursuant to this Subsection2
to support any local enrollment pilot programs during the 2014-2015 school3
year in order to inform the establishment of rules adopted by the state board on4
or before June 30, 2015.5
B. The department may establish start-up or incubation grants to6
encourage sufficient supply of high-quality local early learning enrollment7
coordinators.8
C. The local early learning enrollment coordinator shall annually submit9
to the department an independent financial audit conducted by a certified10
public accountant who has been approved by the legislative auditor. Such audit11
shall be accompanied by the auditor's statement that the report is free of12
material misstatements. The audit shall be limited in scope to those records13
necessary to ensure that the local early learning enrollment coordinator has14
used funds to perform required services, and it shall be submitted to the15
legislative auditor for review and investigation of any irregularities or audit16
findings. The local early learning enrollment coordinator shall return to the17
state any funds that the legislative auditor determines were expended in a18
manner inconsistent with state law or state board regulations. The cost of such19
audit shall be paid by the department from funds provided pursuant to20
Subsection A of this Section.21
§407.45. Rules22
The state board shall adopt all rules and regulations required in this Part23
in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.24
§407.46. Compliance25
Nothing in this Part shall prevent any Head Start grantee or Early Head26
Start grantee from complying with all applicable federal laws, regulations,27
standards, and grant requirements.28
Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not29
signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature30 SB NO. 533 ENROLLED
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by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If1
vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become2
effective on the day following such approval.3
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED: