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| 5 | 5 | | 2023 -- S 0482 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC002545 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE OFFICE OF EARLY |
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| 16 | 16 | | CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMEN T AND LEARNING |
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| 17 | 17 | | Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Pearson, DiPalma, Cano, Lawson, DiMario, Tikoian, |
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| 18 | 18 | | Zurier, Burke, and Valverde |
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| 19 | 19 | | Date Introduced: March 07, 2023 |
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| 20 | 20 | | Referred To: Senate Education |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | |
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| 23 | 23 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND 1 |
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| 25 | 25 | | GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 2 |
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| 26 | 26 | | CHAPTER 165 3 |
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| 27 | 27 | | THE OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING 4 |
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| 28 | 28 | | 42-165-1. Short title. 5 |
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| 29 | 29 | | This chapter shall be known and may be cited as "The Office of Early Childhood 6 |
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| 30 | 30 | | Development and Learning." 7 |
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| 31 | 31 | | 42-165-2. Purpose and intent. 8 |
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| 32 | 32 | | The purpose of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive, statewide governing structure 9 |
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| 33 | 33 | | for the early childhood development and learning system in the State of Rhode Island. Through a 10 |
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| 34 | 34 | | coherent governance model, the state shall facilitate the coordination of federal, state, and local 11 |
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| 35 | 35 | | policies concerning early childhood care, including infant and toddler care and school aged child 12 |
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| 36 | 36 | | care, and pre-kindergarten education and make progress towards ensuring that all children enter 13 |
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| 37 | 37 | | school ready to learn. 14 |
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| 38 | 38 | | 42-165-3. The office of early childhood development and learning. 15 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (a) Effective June 30, 2025, the office of early childhood development and learning ("the 16 |
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| 40 | 40 | | office") is established within the executive branch of state government, to serve as the principal 17 |
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| 41 | 41 | | agency for managing a statewide early learning system. The office shall have the following powers 18 |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | LC002545 - Page 2 of 13 |
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| 45 | 45 | | and duties in accordance with the following schedule: 1 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (1) On or about June 30, 2025, to assume functions related to early childcare set forth in 2 |
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| 47 | 47 | | chapter 12 of title 42, to be transferred from the department of human services, including the 3 |
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| 48 | 48 | | administration of the child care assistance program and child care licensing; 4 |
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| 49 | 49 | | (2) On or about June 30, 2025, to assume functions related to pre-kindergarten set forth in 5 |
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| 50 | 50 | | chapter 87 of title 16, to be transferred from the department of education; 6 |
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| 51 | 51 | | (3) On or before December 1, 2025, to provide the senate and house of representatives a 7 |
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| 52 | 52 | | comprehensive study of the existing early childhood education infrastructure, a review of roles, 8 |
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| 53 | 53 | | functions, and programs of the office of early childhood development and learning, and a workforce 9 |
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| 54 | 54 | | training plan in collaboration with the department of labor and training and the department of 10 |
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| 55 | 55 | | education; and 11 |
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| 56 | 56 | | (4) To be responsible for the development, sustainability and continuous improvement of 12 |
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| 57 | 57 | | a mixed-delivery system of high-quality, accessible and affordable infant and toddler care, as well 13 |
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| 58 | 58 | | as free, high-quality, accessible pre-kindergarten for children ages three (3) and four (4). 14 |
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| 59 | 59 | | (b) The department of administration may furnish the office with suitable offices and 15 |
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| 60 | 60 | | telephone service in the state house, state office building, or some other convenient location, for 16 |
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| 61 | 61 | | the transaction of its business. 17 |
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| 62 | 62 | | (c) The Rhode Island head start collaboration office shall be transferred to the office of 18 |
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| 63 | 63 | | early childhood development and learning. 19 |
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| 64 | 64 | | 42-165-4. Director of early childhood development and learning -- Appointment. 20 |
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| 65 | 65 | | The office shall be under the direction of the director of early childhood development and 21 |
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| 66 | 66 | | learning, whose appointment shall be made by the governor, with the advice and consent of the 22 |
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| 67 | 67 | | senate. The position of director is hereby created in the unclassified service. The director shall be 23 |
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| 68 | 68 | | responsible for implementing the policies and directives of the office. The director shall have the 24 |
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| 69 | 69 | | authority to designate any employee as the director's agent to exercise all or part of the authority, 25 |
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| 70 | 70 | | powers and duties of the director in the director's absence. The director shall have the authority to 26 |
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| 71 | 71 | | hire qualified and effective staff to manage statewide programs and implement accountability 27 |
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| 72 | 72 | | systems. 28 |
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| 73 | 73 | | 42-165-5. The office of early childhood development and learning -- Additional 29 |
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| 74 | 74 | | powers and duties. 30 |
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| 75 | 75 | | (a) The office shall be responsible for: 31 |
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| 76 | 76 | | (1) Administering funds received by the State of Rhode Island pursuant to the federal Child 32 |
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| 77 | 77 | | Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, the child care and development fund, and other 33 |
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| 78 | 78 | | federal child care funds and grants received by the State of Rhode Island and shall have authority 34 |
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| 79 | 79 | | |
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| 80 | 80 | | |
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| 81 | 81 | | LC002545 - Page 3 of 13 |
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| 82 | 82 | | over child care subsidy policy that meets or exceeds federal requirements; 1 |
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| 83 | 83 | | (2) The delivery of services to young children and their families to ensure optimal health, 2 |
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| 84 | 84 | | safety and learning for each young child; 3 |
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| 85 | 85 | | (3) Developing and implementing the early childhood information system, in accordance 4 |
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| 86 | 86 | | with the provisions of this section; 5 |
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| 87 | 87 | | (4) Developing and reporting on the early childhood accountability plan, in accordance 6 |
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| 88 | 88 | | with the provisions of this section; 7 |
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| 89 | 89 | | (5) Implementing a communications strategy for outreach to families, service providers 8 |
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| 90 | 90 | | and policymakers; 9 |
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| 91 | 91 | | (6) Not later than July 1, 2026, in collaboration with the department of education, beginning 10 |
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| 92 | 92 | | a state-wide longitudinal evaluation of the school readiness program examining the educational 11 |
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| 93 | 93 | | progress of children from pre-kindergarten programs to grade four (4); 12 |
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| 94 | 94 | | (7) Developing, coordinating and supporting public and private partnerships to aid early 13 |
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| 95 | 95 | | childhood initiatives; 14 |
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| 96 | 96 | | (8) Developing or identifying and implementing a statewide developmentally appropriate 15 |
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| 97 | 97 | | kindergarten assessment tool that measures a child's level of preparedness for kindergarten; 16 |
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| 98 | 98 | | provided, the assessment shall not be used as a measure of program accountability or used to 17 |
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| 99 | 99 | | demonstrate a child’s kindergarten readiness. Such statewide assessment tool may be incorporated 18 |
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| 100 | 100 | | into the early childhood information system; 19 |
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| 101 | 101 | | (9) Creating a unified set of reporting requirements for the purpose of collecting the data 20 |
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| 102 | 102 | | elements necessary to perform quality assessments and longitudinal analysis; 21 |
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| 103 | 103 | | (10) Continually monitoring and evaluating all early childhood care and pre-kindergarten 22 |
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| 104 | 104 | | education and child development programs and services, focusing on program outcomes in 23 |
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| 105 | 105 | | satisfying the health, safety, developmental and educational needs of all children, while retaining 24 |
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| 106 | 106 | | distinct separation between quality improvement services and child care licensing services; 25 |
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| 107 | 107 | | (11) Providing information and technical assistance to persons seeking early childhood 26 |
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| 108 | 108 | | care, pre-kindergarten education and child development programs and services; 27 |
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| 109 | 109 | | (12) Assisting the state and municipalities in obtaining available federal funding for early 28 |
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| 110 | 110 | | childhood care, pre-kindergarten education and child development programs and services; 29 |
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| 111 | 111 | | (13) Providing technical assistance to providers of early childhood care and pre- 30 |
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| 112 | 112 | | kindergarten education programs, workforce training, and services to obtain licensing and improve 31 |
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| 113 | 113 | | program quality; 32 |
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| 114 | 114 | | (14) Managing a quality rating and improvement system covering home-based, center- 33 |
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| 115 | 115 | | based, and school-based early child care and pre-kindergarten education; 34 |
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| 116 | 116 | | |
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| 117 | 117 | | |
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| 118 | 118 | | LC002545 - Page 4 of 13 |
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| 119 | 119 | | (15) Maintaining an accreditation facilitation initiative to assist early childhood care and 1 |
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| 120 | 120 | | pre-kindergarten education and service providers in achieving national standards and program 2 |
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| 121 | 121 | | improvement; 3 |
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| 122 | 122 | | (16) Consulting on behalf of the early childhood development and learning council with 4 |
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| 123 | 123 | | other external stakeholders in the early learning landscape, including the Rhode Island early 5 |
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| 124 | 124 | | learning council, the head start advisory committee, and the legislative commission on child care 6 |
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| 125 | 125 | | in Rhode Island; 7 |
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| 126 | 126 | | (17) Ensuring a coordinated and comprehensive statewide system of professional 8 |
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| 127 | 127 | | development for providers and staff of early childhood care, pre-kindergarten education and child 9 |
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| 128 | 128 | | development programs and services; 10 |
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| 129 | 129 | | (18) Providing families with opportunities for choice in services for quality childhood care, 11 |
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| 130 | 130 | | including community-based, family-centered services; 12 |
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| 131 | 131 | | (19) Integrating early childhood care and pre-kindergarten education; 13 |
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| 132 | 132 | | (20) Promoting universal access to early childhood care and pre-kindergarten education; 14 |
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| 133 | 133 | | (21) Ensuring nonduplication of monitoring and evaluation; 15 |
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| 134 | 134 | | (22) Performing any other activities that will assist in the provision of early child care and 16 |
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| 135 | 135 | | pre- kindergarten education; 17 |
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| 136 | 136 | | (23) Adopting research-based early learning and development quality standards to be used 18 |
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| 137 | 137 | | by early child care and pre-kindergarten education providers; 19 |
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| 138 | 138 | | (24) Managing the performance-based evaluation system to evaluate licensed child care 20 |
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| 139 | 139 | | centers; 21 |
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| 140 | 140 | | (25) Managing early child care and pre-kindergarten program licensing that meets or 22 |
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| 141 | 141 | | exceeds federal requirements and national licensing benchmarks; 23 |
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| 142 | 142 | | (26) Ensuring licensing standards and program quality standards are maintained through 24 |
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| 143 | 143 | | inspection and a data collection and reporting system; and 25 |
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| 144 | 144 | | (27) Coordinating with the early intervention programs administered by the executive 26 |
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| 145 | 145 | | office of health and human services and the preschool special education program administered by 27 |
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| 146 | 146 | | the department of education for the purpose of ensuring children with developmental delays or 28 |
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| 147 | 147 | | disabilities have access to child care and early learning programs. 29 |
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| 148 | 148 | | (b) The office of early childhood development and learning may enter into agreements with 30 |
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| 149 | 149 | | and accept donations from nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to accomplish the purposes 31 |
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| 150 | 150 | | of this section. 32 |
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| 151 | 151 | | 42-165-6. Early childhood information system. 33 |
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| 152 | 152 | | (a) The office of early childhood development and learning, under the direction of the 34 |
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| 153 | 153 | | |
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| 154 | 154 | | |
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| 155 | 155 | | LC002545 - Page 5 of 13 |
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| 156 | 156 | | director pursuant to § 42-165-4, shall develop and implement an early childhood information 1 |
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| 157 | 157 | | system. Such early childhood information system shall facilitate and encourage the sharing of data 2 |
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| 158 | 158 | | between and among early childhood service and pre-kindergarten providers by tracking: 3 |
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| 159 | 159 | | (1) The health, safety and school readiness of all young children receiving early care and 4 |
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| 160 | 160 | | pre-kindergarten education services from any local or regional board of education, school readiness 5 |
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| 161 | 161 | | program, or any program receiving public funding; 6 |
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| 162 | 162 | | (2) The characteristics of the existing and potential workforce serving such children; 7 |
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| 163 | 163 | | (3) The location of the early care and pre-kindergarten education providers; and 8 |
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| 164 | 164 | | (4) The characteristics of such programs serving such children, as required by the office. 9 |
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| 165 | 165 | | (b) Any local education agency, licensed child care provider, or licensed pre-kindergarten 10 |
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| 166 | 166 | | provider shall ensure that all enrolled children and all employed staff are entered into the early 11 |
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| 167 | 167 | | childhood information system. 12 |
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| 168 | 168 | | (c) The office and any local education agency, licensed child care provider, or licensed pre-13 |
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| 169 | 169 | | kindergarten provider must comply with the following data security measures: 14 |
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| 170 | 170 | | (1) Limit the collection of personal data to what is adequate, relevant, and reasonably 15 |
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| 171 | 171 | | necessary in relation to the purposes for which such data is processed; 16 |
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| 172 | 172 | | (2) Establish, implement and maintain reasonable administrative, technical and physical 17 |
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| 173 | 173 | | data security practices to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of personal data; 18 |
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| 174 | 174 | | (3) Limit and delineate who shall have access to the information within the organization; 19 |
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| 175 | 175 | | and 20 |
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| 176 | 176 | | (4) Ensure parents and staff are able to review and correct any data in the system in order 21 |
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| 177 | 177 | | to ensure its accuracy. 22 |
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| 178 | 178 | | (d) The office shall use the data collected from the early childhood information system for 23 |
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| 179 | 179 | | the purposes of policymaking, identifying trends, progress, and potential challenges. Only 24 |
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| 180 | 180 | | aggregate and de-identified data may be publicly shared. 25 |
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| 181 | 181 | | 42-165-7. The early childhood accountability plan. 26 |
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| 182 | 182 | | (a) The office of early childhood development and learning shall develop, in consultation 27 |
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| 183 | 183 | | with the early childhood development and learning council, an early childhood accountability plan. 28 |
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| 184 | 184 | | Such plan shall: 29 |
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| 185 | 185 | | (1) Identify and define appropriate population indicators and program and system 30 |
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| 186 | 186 | | performance measures of the health, safety and readiness of children to enter kindergarten, and 31 |
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| 187 | 187 | | early school success of children, and shall identify any new or improved data required for such 32 |
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| 188 | 188 | | purposes; and 33 |
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| 189 | 189 | | (2) Include aggregate information on the characteristics of children and programs tracked 34 |
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| 190 | 190 | | |
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| 191 | 191 | | |
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| 192 | 192 | | LC002545 - Page 6 of 13 |
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| 193 | 193 | | by the early childhood information system, including, but not limited to, family income, whether 1 |
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| 194 | 194 | | the families of such children receive public assistance through temporary assistance for needy 2 |
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| 195 | 195 | | families or a similar program, and the communities in which such children reside using a 3 |
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| 196 | 196 | | performance measurement accountability framework. 4 |
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| 197 | 197 | | (b) Not later than March 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the office shall develop report 5 |
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| 198 | 198 | | cards containing the indicators and performance measures identified in the early childhood 6 |
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| 199 | 199 | | accountability plan and provide yearly updates to the council. 7 |
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| 200 | 200 | | (c) Not later than March 1, 2026, the office of early childhood development and learning 8 |
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| 201 | 201 | | shall: 9 |
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| 202 | 202 | | (1) Submit the early childhood accountability plan to the council; and 10 |
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| 203 | 203 | | (2) Annually report on the results of such plan and report cards to the speaker of the house 11 |
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| 204 | 204 | | and the senate president. 12 |
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| 205 | 205 | | 42-165-8. The early childhood development and learning council -- Appointments. 13 |
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| 206 | 206 | | (a) There is established the early childhood development and learning council. The council 14 |
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| 207 | 207 | | is established to advise and coordinate with the office of early childhood development and learning 15 |
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| 208 | 208 | | to help achieve a unified and aligned system of early learning education and services. 16 |
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| 209 | 209 | | (b) When appointing council members under this section, the governor, the senate 17 |
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| 210 | 210 | | president, and the speaker of the house of representatives shall ensure that the council members 18 |
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| 211 | 211 | | represent the racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity of children in this state who are five (5) years of 19 |
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| 212 | 212 | | age or younger. 20 |
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| 213 | 213 | | (c) The council shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate 21 |
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| 214 | 214 | | and be composed of thirteen (13) members consisting of: 22 |
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| 215 | 215 | | (1) The executive director of Rhode Island Kids Count, or designee, who shall serve as 23 |
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| 216 | 216 | | chairperson of the council; 24 |
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| 217 | 217 | | (2) The director of the office of early childhood development and learning; 25 |
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| 218 | 218 | | (3) The commissioner of the department of education, or designee; 26 |
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| 219 | 219 | | (4) The director of the department of human services, or designee; 27 |
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| 220 | 220 | | (5) The commissioner of postsecondary education, or designee; 28 |
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| 221 | 221 | | (6) One representative from the department of education who is responsible for programs 29 |
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| 222 | 222 | | required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq., appointed 30 |
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| 223 | 223 | | by the commissioner of education; 31 |
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| 224 | 224 | | (7) A representative from head start or early head start programs; 32 |
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| 225 | 225 | | (8) An early child care provider of a state funded child care center; 33 |
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| 226 | 226 | | (9) A community-based child care provider; 34 |
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| 227 | 227 | | |
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| 228 | 228 | | |
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| 229 | 229 | | LC002545 - Page 7 of 13 |
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| 230 | 230 | | (10) A representative from the superintendents' association or a school district; 1 |
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| 231 | 231 | | (11) Two (2) parents or guardians of children in early child care or pre-kindergarten, at 2 |
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| 232 | 232 | | least one of whom shall be the parent or guardian of a child that receives or received early 3 |
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| 233 | 233 | | intervention and/or preschool special education services in early child care or pre-kindergarten; and 4 |
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| 234 | 234 | | (12) A representative of organized labor. 5 |
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| 235 | 235 | | (d) The council shall meet at least quarterly. Members shall not be compensated for their 6 |
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| 236 | 236 | | services. Any member who fails to attend three (3) consecutive meetings or who fails to attend fifty 7 |
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| 237 | 237 | | percent (50%) of all meetings held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned from 8 |
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| 238 | 238 | | the council. 9 |
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| 239 | 239 | | (e) A simple majority of the members of the authority shall constitute a quorum. No 10 |
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| 240 | 240 | | vacancy in the membership of the authority shall impair the right of a quorum to exercise all the 11 |
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| 241 | 241 | | rights and perform all of the duties of the authority. 12 |
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| 242 | 242 | | 42-165-9. The early childhood development and learning council – Powers and duties. 13 |
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| 243 | 243 | | The early childhood development and learning council shall: 14 |
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| 244 | 244 | | (1) Advise the office of early childhood development and learning; 15 |
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| 245 | 245 | | (2) Recommend measures for the efficient and effective consolidation of administrative 16 |
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| 246 | 246 | | functions relating to the statewide early learning system, to the extent practicable, including, but 17 |
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| 247 | 247 | | not limited to, training and technical assistance, planning and budgeting; 18 |
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| 248 | 248 | | (3) Advise on the office’s adoption of written policies that establish training and technical 19 |
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| 249 | 249 | | assistance programs to ensure that personnel have skills in appropriate areas, including, but not 20 |
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| 250 | 250 | | limited to, cultural and gender differences and other areas, as needed; 21 |
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| 251 | 251 | | (4) Develop a plan for the implementation of a common data system for early childhood 22 |
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| 252 | 252 | | programs; 23 |
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| 253 | 253 | | (5) Assist with the coordination of existing and new early childhood programs to provide 24 |
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| 254 | 254 | | a range of community-based supports; 25 |
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| 255 | 255 | | (6) Review and verify that all plans for early childhood services are coordinated and 26 |
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| 256 | 256 | | consistent with federal and state law, including, but not limited to, plans for Rhode Island pre- 27 |
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| 257 | 257 | | kindergarten programs, federal head start programs, early childhood special education services, 28 |
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| 258 | 258 | | early intervention services and public health services; 29 |
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| 259 | 259 | | (7) Identify how the statewide early learning system for children who are zero through five 30 |
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| 260 | 260 | | (5) years of age will link with systems of support for older children and their families; and 31 |
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| 261 | 261 | | (8) Review and approve the early childhood accountability plan. 32 |
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| 262 | 262 | | 42-165-10. Open government requirements. 33 |
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| 263 | 263 | | The council shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 46 of title 42 ("open meetings") 34 |
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| 264 | 264 | | |
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| 265 | 265 | | |
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| 266 | 266 | | LC002545 - Page 8 of 13 |
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| 267 | 267 | | and chapter 2 of title 38 ("access to public records"). Any rules and regulations, or any amendments 1 |
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| 268 | 268 | | to rules and regulations, to carry out the requirements of this chapter shall be adopted in accordance 2 |
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| 269 | 269 | | with the provisions of chapter 35 of title 42 ("administrative procedures") where applicable. 3 |
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| 270 | 270 | | 42-165-11. Office of early childhood development and learning transition. 4 |
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| 271 | 271 | | (a) Transition working group. There shall be created a transition working group consisting 5 |
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| 272 | 272 | | of: 6 |
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| 273 | 273 | | (1) The director of the department of human services, or designee; 7 |
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| 274 | 274 | | (2) The commissioner of the department of education, or designee; 8 |
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| 275 | 275 | | (3) The commissioner of postsecondary education, or designee; 9 |
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| 276 | 276 | | (4) The director of the department of health, or designee; 10 |
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| 277 | 277 | | (5) The director of the department of administration, or designee; 11 |
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| 278 | 278 | | (6) Staff and chair of the children’s cabinet, who shall be responsible for convening the 12 |
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| 279 | 279 | | transition working group; and 13 |
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| 280 | 280 | | (7) The co-chairs of the RI early learning council. In lieu of serving on the transition 14 |
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| 281 | 281 | | working group, each of the co-chairs of the early learning council may appoint a designee from the 15 |
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| 282 | 282 | | early learning council’s membership group. 16 |
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| 283 | 283 | | (b) The transition working group shall convene a minimum of four (4) subgroups to work 17 |
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| 284 | 284 | | with the transition working group in developing recommendations for a transition plan. The 18 |
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| 285 | 285 | | required four (4) subgroups shall focus on: 19 |
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| 286 | 286 | | (1) Special education and early intervention service delivery for RI early child care and 20 |
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| 287 | 287 | | pre-kindergarten; 21 |
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| 288 | 288 | | (2) The implementation of universal pre-kindergarten; 22 |
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| 289 | 289 | | (3) Innovative data, technology, evaluation, and accountability; and 23 |
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| 290 | 290 | | (4) Governance, operations and funding. 24 |
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| 291 | 291 | | (c) The members of the transition working group shall select the subgroup members and 25 |
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| 292 | 292 | | members must have appropriate and relevant experience, knowledge, and expertise. 26 |
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| 293 | 293 | | (d) Transition plan. On or before December 1, 2024, the transition working group, working 27 |
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| 294 | 294 | | as needed with consulting facilitators and/or project managers, and with the advice of the transition 28 |
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| 295 | 295 | | advisory group, as defined in this section, must submit the transition plan to the RI early learning 29 |
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| 296 | 296 | | council for approval. The transition plan shall include, but need not be limited to: 30 |
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| 297 | 297 | | (1) The coordination and administration of early childhood programs and services for the 31 |
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| 298 | 298 | | office of early childhood development and learning created in this title, effective June 30, 2025; 32 |
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| 299 | 299 | | (2) The governance and structure of the office of childhood development and learning; 33 |
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| 300 | 300 | | (3) Mission and vision statements and guiding values and principles; 34 |
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| 301 | 301 | | |
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| 302 | 302 | | |
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| 303 | 303 | | LC002545 - Page 9 of 13 |
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| 304 | 304 | | (4) Fiscal structure for the office of childhood development and learning and the services 1 |
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| 305 | 305 | | provided and programs administered, including the necessary administrative and operational 2 |
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| 306 | 306 | | infrastructure; 3 |
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| 307 | 307 | | (5) Coordination and collaboration with state agencies that oversee or operate programs 4 |
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| 308 | 308 | | that are not moved into the office of childhood development and learning in order to maximize the 5 |
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| 309 | 309 | | effectiveness of services; and 6 |
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| 310 | 310 | | (6) Early childhood data system strategies to inform planning, leverage resources, 7 |
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| 311 | 311 | | maximize children’s access to programs, and support data driven decision making. 8 |
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| 312 | 312 | | (e) Members of the transition working group and the governor’s office shall provide staff 9 |
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| 313 | 313 | | assistance and resources, as necessary, to assist in completing the duties of the transition working 10 |
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| 314 | 314 | | group identified in this section. 11 |
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| 315 | 315 | | (f) Transition advisory group. The co-chairs of the RI early leaning council shall convene 12 |
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| 316 | 316 | | a transition advisory group to advise the transition working group in developing the transition plan. 13 |
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| 317 | 317 | | The transition advisory group must prioritize consideration of the child and family experience in 14 |
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| 318 | 318 | | accessing and using early childhood programs and services in advising the transition working group 15 |
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| 319 | 319 | | on the design of the new office of early childhood development and learning. 16 |
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| 320 | 320 | | (g) The co-chairs of the RI early learning council shall determine the appropriate size and 17 |
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| 321 | 321 | | specific membership of the transition advisory group to ensure that the representation of 18 |
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| 322 | 322 | | perspectives on the transition advisory group is sufficiently broad and diverse to adequately inform 19 |
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| 323 | 323 | | the transition working group concerning the full spectrum of early childhood programs and issues. 20 |
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| 324 | 324 | | The transition advisory group must include at a minimum: 21 |
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| 325 | 325 | | (1) Parents of children who are enrolled in a variety of public and private early childhood 22 |
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| 326 | 326 | | programs; 23 |
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| 327 | 327 | | (2) Members of the early childhood workforce, including community and school based 24 |
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| 328 | 328 | | educators; 25 |
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| 329 | 329 | | (3) Representatives of a diverse geographic community and programs and school based 26 |
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| 330 | 330 | | public and private early childhood program providers; and 27 |
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| 331 | 331 | | (4) Representatives of the business community, private nonprofits, early childhood and 28 |
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| 332 | 332 | | education advocacy organizations, and persons with expertise in early childhood and business 29 |
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| 333 | 333 | | practices. 30 |
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| 334 | 334 | | (h) The co-chairs of the RI early learning council shall to the extent practicable ensure that 31 |
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| 335 | 335 | | persons from under-resourced and under-represented communities constitute at least one-third (1/3) 32 |
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| 336 | 336 | | of the members of the transition advisory group. 33 |
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| 337 | 337 | | (i) On or before January 1, 2025, the RI early learning council, in coordination with the 34 |
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| 338 | 338 | | |
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| 339 | 339 | | |
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| 340 | 340 | | LC002545 - Page 10 of 13 |
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| 341 | 341 | | transition working group must submit the approved transition plan to the senate president, speaker 1 |
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| 342 | 342 | | of the house of representatives, and the governor, along with any proposed legislative 2 |
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| 343 | 343 | | recommendations aimed at facilitating an effective transition of services to a new office of early 3 |
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| 344 | 344 | | childhood development and learning. 4 |
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| 345 | 345 | | (j) By May 1, 2025, RI early learning council, in coordination with the transition working 5 |
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| 346 | 346 | | group, shall submit a final transition plan update demonstrating complete readiness for the 6 |
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| 347 | 347 | | establishment of the office of early childhood development and learning on June 30, 2025, to the 7 |
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| 348 | 348 | | senate president, speaker of the house of representatives, and the governor. 8 |
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| 349 | 349 | | (k) To facilitate the transition planning process described in this section, the general 9 |
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| 350 | 350 | | assembly shall appropriate two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) to the children’s cabinet 10 |
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| 351 | 351 | | established under chapter 72.5 of title 42 or its fiscal agent for the primary purpose of contracting 11 |
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| 352 | 352 | | a vendor or vendors to consult with and assist the transition working group, with advice from the 12 |
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| 353 | 353 | | transition advisory group, in developing a transition plan. Any vendor selected for this purpose 13 |
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| 354 | 354 | | must at a minimum have expertise in early childhood systems, program administration, and 14 |
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| 355 | 355 | | information technology. The department of administration shall ensure that a consultant contracted 15 |
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| 356 | 356 | | for this purpose does not have a financial interest in any aspect of the early childhood system in 16 |
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| 357 | 357 | | Rhode Island. 17 |
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| 358 | 358 | | SECTION 2. Section 16-87-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-87 entitled "Rhode Island 18 |
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| 359 | 359 | | Pre-Kindergarten Education Act" is hereby repealed. 19 |
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| 360 | 360 | | 16-87-3. Planning phase for a pre-Kindergarten program. 20 |
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| 361 | 361 | | (a) The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education shall begin 21 |
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| 362 | 362 | | planning an initial, pilot pre-Kindergarten program that meets high quality standards, builds on the 22 |
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| 363 | 363 | | existing early childhood education infrastructure in the state (including child care, Head Start and 23 |
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| 364 | 364 | | public schools) and serves children ages three (3) and four (4) who reside in communities with 24 |
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| 365 | 365 | | concentrations of low performing schools. This planning phase will develop specific goals to 25 |
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| 366 | 366 | | expand the pilot pre-Kindergarten program over time and will also identify opportunities to 26 |
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| 367 | 367 | | strengthen care and learning programs for infants and toddlers. 27 |
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| 368 | 368 | | (b) During this planning phase, the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary 28 |
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| 369 | 369 | | education will quantify the resources needed to achieve and maintain high quality standards in pre-29 |
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| 370 | 370 | | Kindergarten programs and identify incentives and supports to develop a qualified early education 30 |
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| 371 | 371 | | workforce, including opportunities for experienced early childhood educators and 31 |
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| 372 | 372 | | paraprofessionals to acquire college degrees and earn early childhood teacher certification. 32 |
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| 373 | 373 | | (c) The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education will begin to 33 |
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| 374 | 374 | | develop plans to collect and analyze data regarding the impact of the pilot pre-Kindergarten 34 |
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| 375 | 375 | | |
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| 376 | 376 | | |
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| 377 | 377 | | LC002545 - Page 11 of 13 |
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| 378 | 378 | | program on participating children's school readiness and school achievement. 1 |
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| 379 | 379 | | SECTION 3. Sections 40-6.5-1 and 40-6.5-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 40-6.5 entitled 2 |
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| 380 | 380 | | "Child Day Care Grant Program" are hereby repealed. 3 |
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| 381 | 381 | | 40-6.5-1. Grant program -- Child day care. 4 |
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| 382 | 382 | | The director of human services shall establish a program of grants to establish and/or 5 |
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| 383 | 383 | | expand child daycare programs, not to exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) per grantee, and not 6 |
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| 384 | 384 | | to exceed a total expenditure of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000). 7 |
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| 385 | 385 | | 40-6.5-2. Rules and regulations. 8 |
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| 386 | 386 | | The director shall promulgate reasonable rules and regulations establishing eligibility 9 |
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| 387 | 387 | | requirements, and provide that at least fifty percent (50%) of the total grant funds available be 10 |
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| 388 | 388 | | distributed to nonprofit agencies that meet the following standards: 11 |
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| 389 | 389 | | (1) Each grantee shall employ, educate, or train significant numbers of parents whose 12 |
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| 390 | 390 | | incomes are below the statewide median family income; 13 |
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| 391 | 391 | | (2) Each grantee shall demonstrate a need for additional child daycare services in their 14 |
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| 392 | 392 | | service delivery area; and 15 |
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| 393 | 393 | | (3) In selecting additional grantees for the remainder of the available funds, priority shall 16 |
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| 394 | 394 | | be given to grant proposals that would develop: (i) child daycare programs and opportunities for 17 |
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| 395 | 395 | | children with special healthcare needs; and (ii) specialized childcare programs, such as programs 18 |
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| 396 | 396 | | for parents who work nontraditional hours and programs for sick childcare. All grantees must 19 |
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| 397 | 397 | | demonstrate that childcare services established under this childcare grant program will be certified 20 |
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| 398 | 398 | | or licensed in accordance with Rhode Island law. 21 |
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| 399 | 399 | | SECTION 4. Sections 42-12-24 and 42-12-26 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-12 22 |
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| 400 | 400 | | entitled "Department of Human Services" are hereby repealed. 23 |
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| 401 | 401 | | 42-12-24. Development, innovation and start-up of early education and care 24 |
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| 402 | 402 | | programs. 25 |
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| 403 | 403 | | (a) The general assembly shall annually appropriate to the department of human services 26 |
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| 404 | 404 | | such funds as it deems necessary to enable the department to develop and expand availability of 27 |
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| 405 | 405 | | child care providers and programs. The development and expansion of child care providers and 28 |
|---|
| 406 | 406 | | programs shall include, without limitation, the development of innovative start-up arrangements 29 |
|---|
| 407 | 407 | | linked to small businesses, the development of programs and providers in geographically 30 |
|---|
| 408 | 408 | | underserved areas, and the establishment of before and after school programs with priority to be 31 |
|---|
| 409 | 409 | | given by the department to programs linked to schools, to infant/toddler programs, programs related 32 |
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| 410 | 410 | | to child opportunity zone family centers, and programs that serve children with special health needs 33 |
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| 411 | 411 | | or developmental risks. Funds may be used for start up costs which may include building, 34 |
|---|
| 412 | 412 | | |
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| 413 | 413 | | |
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| 414 | 414 | | LC002545 - Page 12 of 13 |
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| 415 | 415 | | rehabilitation or construction costs. 1 |
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| 416 | 416 | | (b) The director of the department of human services is further authorized to request such 2 |
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| 417 | 417 | | appropriation for each state fiscal year as he or she deems necessary to carry out the program and 3 |
|---|
| 418 | 418 | | purposes of this section. 4 |
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| 419 | 419 | | 42-12-26. Expansion and enhancement of early education and care for low-income 5 |
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| 420 | 420 | | children. 6 |
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| 421 | 421 | | (a) The general assembly shall annually appropriate such funds as it deems necessary to 7 |
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| 422 | 422 | | enable the department of human services to establish a program whose express purposes are: 8 |
|---|
| 423 | 423 | | (i) To increase the numbers of eligible children in existing Head Start program, especially 9 |
|---|
| 424 | 424 | | in underserved areas; and 10 |
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| 425 | 425 | | (ii) To increase resources to childcare providers for the enhancement of services to low 11 |
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| 426 | 426 | | income children. Enhancement of services shall include social services, health, mental health, 12 |
|---|
| 427 | 427 | | nutrition service, parent involvement and transition services for children entering kindergarten. 13 |
|---|
| 428 | 428 | | (b) The director of the department of human services is further authorized to request such 14 |
|---|
| 429 | 429 | | appropriation for each state fiscal year as he or she deems necessary to carry out the programs and 15 |
|---|
| 430 | 430 | | purposes of this section. 16 |
|---|
| 431 | 431 | | (c) A panel comprised of the members of the children's cabinet and five (5) members of 17 |
|---|
| 432 | 432 | | the public, to be chosen by the chairperson of the children's cabinet, shall be responsible for 18 |
|---|
| 433 | 433 | | determining how the funds prescribed in this section shall be allocated; and shall by May 1, 1999 19 |
|---|
| 434 | 434 | | establish the methodology of enhancing comprehensive services in child care programs serving low 20 |
|---|
| 435 | 435 | | income children and establish the numbers of additional Head Start slots in underserved areas to be 21 |
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| 436 | 436 | | funded; provided, however, that priority shall be given in the allocation of funds to applicants who 22 |
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| 437 | 437 | | serve children in underserved communities; who integrate children with special needs; who 23 |
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| 438 | 438 | | collaborate with existing early education and care programs and other existing services including 24 |
|---|
| 439 | 439 | | child opportunity zone family centers, schools and agencies providing health, mental health, 25 |
|---|
| 440 | 440 | | nutrition and social services; and who address the child care needs of the families to be served. 26 |
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| 441 | 441 | | SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage. 27 |
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| 442 | 442 | | ======== |
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| 443 | 443 | | LC002545 |
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| 445 | 445 | | |
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| 446 | 446 | | |
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| 447 | 447 | | LC002545 - Page 13 of 13 |
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| 448 | 448 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 449 | 449 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 450 | 450 | | OF |
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| 451 | 451 | | A N A C T |
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| 452 | 452 | | RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE OFFICE OF EARLY |
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| 453 | 453 | | CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMEN T AND LEARNING |
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| 454 | 454 | | *** |
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| 455 | 455 | | This act would establish the office of early childhood development and learning to manage 1 |
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| 456 | 456 | | a statewide early learning system for children from birth through five (5) years of age, ensure the 2 |
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| 457 | 457 | | coordination of federal, state and local policies concerning early childhood care and pre-3 |
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| 458 | 458 | | kindergarten education and ensure that all children enter school ready to learn. This act would 4 |
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| 459 | 459 | | further establish the early childhood development and learning council to advise and coordinate 5 |
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| 460 | 460 | | with the office of early childhood development and learning. This act would further repeal the 6 |
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| 461 | 461 | | applicable statutory laws vesting authority in the department of human services in regards to early 7 |
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| 462 | 462 | | childcare and pre-kindergarten and transfer such powers to the office of early childhood 8 |
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| 463 | 463 | | development and learning. This act would further provide for a two hundred fifty thousand dollar 9 |
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| 464 | 464 | | ($250,000) appropriation for contracting with a vendor to consult with the transition working group. 10 |
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| 465 | 465 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 11 |
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| 466 | 466 | | ======== |
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| 467 | 467 | | LC002545 |
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| 469 | 469 | | |
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