SLS 18RS-260 ORIGINAL
2018 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 47
BY SENATOR APPEL
EARLY CHILDHOOD ED. Provides relative to the Early Childhood Care and Education
Network. (gov sig)
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 17:407.23, relative to early childhood education; to provide
3 relative to the Early Childhood Care and Education Network; to clarify the purposes
4 and responsibilities of the network; to delete obsolete statutory provisions; and to
5 provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 17:407.23 is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
8 ยง407.23. Early Childhood Care and Education Network; creation; components;
9 duties and responsibilities
10 A. Not later than July 1, 2013, the The State Board of Elementary and
11 Secondary Education, hereinafter called the state board, shall create a comprehensive
12 and integrated network through which to manage unify, coordinate, and oversee all
13 programs funded through state or federal resources that provide early childhood care
14 or educational services.
15 B. To facilitate the creation of this network, the state board shall:
16 (1) Establish a definition of kindergarten readiness aligned with state content
17 standards for public elementary and secondary schools.
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 47
SLS 18RS-260 ORIGINAL
1 (2) Establish performance targets for children under the age of three and
2 academic standards for to determine kindergarten readiness for three- and four-year
3 old children to be used in publicly funded early childhood education programs.
4 (3)(a) Create a uniform assessment and accountability system for publicly
5 funded early childhood education programs that includes a letter grade indicative of
6 student and program performance.
7 (b) The state board shall designate the 2015-2016 school year as an academic
8 learning year in which a three-level rating system, not to be based on letter grades
9 nor used for consequences, shall be used to create practice performance profiles for
10 publicly funded sites and the community networks in which they are included. The
11 state board and the state Department of Education shall specify in public
12 communications that any ratings assigned during the 2015-2016 school year are
13 practice ratings for the academic learning year. The state board shall submit a
14 written report on the progress of the academic learning year to the House Committee
15 on Education and the Senate Committee on Education not later than forty-five days
16 prior to the 2016 Regular Session of the Legislature.
17 (4) Coordinate with the Department of Children and Family Services and the
18 Louisiana Department of Health to align the standards for the licensing of child care
19 facilities, including the requirements for participation in the Louisiana Quality Start
20 Child Care Rating System a uniform rating and letter grade system, with the
21 standards established for early childhood education programs.
22 (5) Establish a timeline for the creation and implementation of the early
23 childhood care and education network that shall be fully implemented by the
24 beginning of the 2015-2016 school year.
25 C.(1) In creating this network, the state board, through the state Department
26 of Education, shall work cooperatively and collaboratively with the Department of
27 Children and Family Services and the Louisiana Department of Health to establish
28 a seamless early childhood educational system that is unified, coordinated, and
29 integrated across all programs and related state agencies, regardless of public
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 47
SLS 18RS-260 ORIGINAL
1 funding source.
2 (2)(a) The state Department of Education shall submit the plans and
3 recommendations formulated by the impacted agencies to Louisiana's Early
4 Childhood Advisory Council, the Child Care Association of Louisiana, and the
5 nonpublic school commission appointed by the state board pursuant to R.S. 17:11 for
6 review and comment.
7 (b) Each reviewing entity shall submit its comments and recommendations
8 to the state Department of Education, which shall prepare a summary report to be
9 submitted to the state board for its consideration not later than January 1, 2013.
10 (3) By not later than March 1, 2013, the state board shall submit a written
11 report to each member of the legislature, the Senate Committee on Education
12 secretary, and the House Committee on Education secretary on the status of
13 development of the early childhood care and education network. Such report shall
14 include but not be limited to any recommendations relative to changes in law or
15 administrative policy needed to properly implement the network.
16 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
17 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
18 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
19 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
20 effective on the day following such approval.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jeanne C. Johnston.
DIGEST
SB 47 Original 2018 Regular Session Appel
Present law creates the Louisiana Early Childhood Care and Education Network to manage
and oversee all publicly funded programs that provide early childhood care or educational
services.
Proposed law updates and clarifies the purposes and responsibilities of the network and
deletes obsolete statutory provisions relative to implementation of the network.
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Amends R.S. 17:407.23)
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.