EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1475*
HOUSE BILL 1475
F5 5lr3279
By: Delegate Feldmark
Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
Assigned to: Ways and Means
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Office of Child Care Advisory Council – Publicly Funded Prekindergarten – 2
Analysis and Report 3
(Mixed Delivery Model Viability Act) 4
FOR the purpose of requiring the Office of Child Care Advisory Council within the State 5
Department of Education to conduct an analysis of the mixed delivery, publicly 6
funded prekindergarten system established under the Blueprint for Maryland’s 7
Future; and generally relating to an analysis of the mixed delivery, publicly funded 8
prekindergarten program. 9
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 10
That: 11
(a) The Office of Child Care Advisory Council within the State Department of 12
Education shall conduct an analysis of the mixed delivery, publicly funded prekindergarten 13
system established under Title 7, Subtitle 1A of the Education Article. 14
(b) In conducting the analysis required under subsection (a) of this section, the 15
Council shall review: 16
(1) any discrepancies between State policies that regulate private and 17
public prekindergarten providers, including differences in policies for rests or nap time, 18
substitute teachers, and the day–to–day governance of prekindergarten providers 19
identified by the Council; 20
(2) the implementation of the requirements for publicly funded 21
prekindergarten programs under Chapter 165 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2024; 22
(3) the method by which private prekindergarten providers are reimbursed 23
and whether a method of payment through forward funding would be a feasible alternative; 24
2 HOUSE BILL 1475
(4) inefficiencies in the invoicing process for private prekindergarten 1
providers and delays in private provider payments; 2
(5) whether the timeline for the operation of a prekindergarten educational 3
program required by the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant Program under § 4
7–101.2(c)(1)(iii) of the Education Article matches the typical needs of prekindergarten 5
students and parents; 6
(6) the feasibility of changing the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant 7
Program guidelines after grant agreements have been executed and whether there are 8
appropriate changes that should be made to the guidelines; 9
(7) the process through which quality rating levels in the Maryland 10
EXCELS Program are changed, including: 11
(i) disciplining a prekindergarten provider for an infraction by 12
lowering the quality rating level; 13
(ii) whether, when using a reduction of a prekindergarten provider’s 14
quality rating as a disciplinary measure, the reduction is commensurate with the severity 15
of the infraction; 16
(iii) the process for appealing a change in a prekindergarten 17
provider’s quality rating; 18
(iv) the feasibility of making standardized changes in the quality 19
rating level; and 20
(v) whether there are alternative methods available to address 21
infractions, including methods to deal with infractions caused by a single employee; 22
(8) the administrative processes that a private prekindergarten provider 23
must undertake in order to participate in publicly funded prekindergarten and whether the 24
processes could be streamlined or reduced; 25
(9) the feasibility of streamlining or reducing the administrative processes 26
for enrolling a child in publicly funded prekindergarten; 27
(10) the languages in which grant applications, agreements, guidelines, 28
technical support, training, and professional development are offered and whether the 29
languages offered align with those spoken by potential private prekindergarten providers; 30
(11) the languages in which materials provided to parents of children 31
enrolled with a private prekindergarten provider are offered and whether the languages 32
offered align with those spoken by the parents; and 33
HOUSE BILL 1475 3
(12) opportunities to pool resources among private prekindergarten 1
providers, including employee benefits, creating a centralized substitute teacher pool, and 2
other benefits that might come from economies of scale. 3
(c) In conducting the analysis required under subsection (a) of this section, the 4
Council shall solicit feedback from public prekindergarten providers, private 5
prekindergarten providers, and child care providers who have elected not to participate in 6
the publicly funded prekindergarten program. 7
(d) (1) The Council may consult additional subject matter and policy experts 8
that the Council determines are beneficial in conducting the analysis. 9
(2) The Council may establish subcommittees to carry out the analysis 10
required under this section. 11
(e) (1) On or before June 1, 2026, the Council shall submit to the State Board 12
of Education and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General 13
Assembly, an interim report on the results of its analysis, including recommendations for 14
changes to regulations, policies, and procedures to increase the efficacy of the publicly 15
funded prekindergarten program and to make the program more equitable for providers 16
and families. 17
(2) On or before December 31, 2027, the Council shall submit a final report 18
to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on 19
the results of the analysis conducted under subsection (a) of this section, any changes made 20
by the State Department of Education in response to the recommendations in the interim 21
report, and any additional recommendations from the Council for changes to regulation, 22
policies, procedures, or statute regarding the mixed delivery, publicly funded 23
prekindergarten system. 24
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 25
1, 2025. It shall remain effective for a period of 3 years and, at the end of June 30, 2028, 26
this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and 27
of no further force and effect. 28