By: Deshotel H.B. No. 617
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the establishment of the office of early learning
within the Texas Education Agency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
amended by adding Sections 29.15301 and 29.15302 to read as
follows:
Sec. 29.15301. OFFICE OF EARLY LEARNING. (a) The
commissioner by rule shall establish the office of early learning
as a division within the agency to:
(1) provide oversight of prekindergarten programs and
prekindergarten funding;
(2) provide guidance to school districts to ensure
prekindergarten programs meet quality standards and best
practices; and
(3) assist school districts in developing local
solutions and improving prekindergarten programs.
(b) The office of early learning shall:
(1) monitor state funding of prekindergarten
programs;
(2) adopt accountability standards for the use of
public funds for prekindergarten programs;
(3) create a process for school districts to form
partnerships with child-care centers to provide prekindergarten
programs;
(4) assist school districts in developing local
strategies to promote early childhood development; and
(5) seek the assistance of the Children's Learning
Institute of The University of Texas Health Science Center at
Houston and regional education service centers to:
(A) determine the type of data needed from school
districts to assess prekindergarten programs; and
(B) publish approved assessment instruments that
may be administered to students in prekindergarten programs.
Sec. 29.15302. TEXAS EARLY LEARNING COUNCIL ADVISORY ROLE.
(a) The governor's Texas Early Learning Council shall act in an
advisory role to the office of early learning and provide
assistance when requested by the office.
(b) The governor's Texas Early Learning Council shall meet
to discuss requests received from the office of early learning
under Subsection (a) at least four times each year. The council may
address issues relating to the office of early learning during any
other scheduled meeting of the council.
SECTION 2. Section 29.1534, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (b), (c), and (e), and adding Subsection (f)
to read as follows:
(b) The office of early learning [agency] shall develop
joint strategies with other state agencies regarding methods to
increase community awareness of prekindergarten programs through
programs that provide information relating to public assistance
programs.
(c) The office of early learning [agency] may develop
outreach materials for use by school districts to increase
community awareness of prekindergarten programs.
(e) The office of early learning [agency] shall provide
information to school districts regarding effective methods to
communicate to the parent of an eligible child the availability of
prekindergarten programs, including information regarding
prekindergarten programs through public, private, and nonprofit
institutions that provide assistance and support to families with
children eligible for prekindergarten programs.
(f) On an annual basis each school district shall submit to
the office of early learning a report that details the district's
plan for promoting and increasing community awareness of
prekindergarten programs in the district.
SECTION 3. Section 29.154, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 29.154. EVALUATION OF PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS. (a)
The commissioner of education, in consultation with the executive
commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission and the
office of early learning [human services], shall monitor and
evaluate prekindergarten programs as to their developmental
appropriateness. The commissioner, executive commissioner, and
the office [commissioners] shall also evaluate the potential for
coordination on a statewide basis of prekindergarten programs with
government-funded early childhood care and education programs such
as child care administered under Chapter 44, Human Resources Code,
and federal Head Start programs. That evaluation shall use
recommendations formulated by the office of early learning under
Subsection (b) [contained in the report to the 71st Legislature
required by Chapter 717, Acts of the 70th Legislature, Regular
Session, 1987]. For the purpose of providing cost-effective care
for children during the full workday with developmentally
appropriate curriculum, the commissioner, executive commissioner,
and the office [commissioners] shall investigate the use of
existing child-care program sites as prekindergarten sites.
Following the evaluation required by this section, the
commissioner, executive commissioner, and the office
[commissioners], in cooperation with school districts and other
program administrators, shall integrate programs, staff, and
program sites for prekindergarten, child-care, and federal Head
Start programs to the greatest extent possible.
(b) The office of early learning shall formulate
recommendations based on national best practices for increasing the
quality of the state's prekindergarten programs.
SECTION 4. Sections 29.158(a) and (d), Education Code, are
amended to read as follows:
(a) In a manner consistent with federal law and regulations,
each prekindergarten program provider, Head Start and Early Head
Start program provider, and provider of an after-school child-care
program provided at a school shall coordinate with the office of
early learning [agency], the Texas Workforce Commission, and local
workforce development boards regarding subsidized child-care
services.
(d) In coordinating child-care services under this section
and in making any related decision to contract with another
provider for child-care services, the office of early learning
[agency], Texas Workforce Commission, local workforce development
boards, and each prekindergarten program provider, Head Start and
Early Head Start program provider, and provider of an after-school
child-care program provided at a school shall consider the quality
of the services involved in the proposed coordination or
contracting decision and shall give preference to services of the
highest quality. Any appropriate indicator of quality services may
be considered under this subsection, including whether the provider
of the services:
(1) meets Texas Rising Star Program certification
criteria;
(2) is accredited by a nationally recognized
accrediting organization approved by the Texas Workforce
Commission and the Department of Family and Protective Services;
(3) meets standards developed by the State Center for
Early Childhood Development; or
(4) has achieved any other measurable target relevant
to improving the quality of child care in this state.
SECTION 5. Subchapter E, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 29.162 to read as follows:
Sec. 29.162. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON
PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM COORDINATION. (a) The office of early
learning, the Texas Workforce Commission, the Children's Learning
Institute of The University of Texas Health Science Center at
Houston, the Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office, the
Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, the Health and
Human Services Commission, and the Department of Family and
Protective Services shall enter into a memorandum of understanding
regarding the coordination of early childhood learning programs,
including prekindergarten programs. The memorandum of
understanding must:
(1) identify opportunities for and barriers to
collaboration and coordination among federally funded and
state-funded child development, child-care, and early childhood
learning programs and services that are administered by the
agencies that are party to the memorandum; and
(2) require the parties to the memorandum to implement
steps to take advantage of the opportunities and eliminate the
barriers identified under Subdivision (1) in an effort to establish
a comprehensive, statewide system of early childhood care and
education.
(b) Not later than August of each year, the office of early
learning and the other agencies and organizations shall review and
update the memorandum.
(c) The rulemaking body for each agency by rule shall adopt
the memorandum of understanding and all revisions to the
memorandum.
SECTION 6. Not later than January 1, 2016, the Texas
Education Agency, the Texas Workforce Commission, the Children's
Learning Institute of The University of Texas Health Science Center
at Houston, the Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office, the
Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, the Health and
Human Services Commission, and the Department of Family and
Protective Services shall enter into the memorandum of
understanding required under Section 29.162, Education Code, as
added by this Act.
SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2015.