Bill Text: IA HF2261 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: A bill for an act expanding the statewide preschool program to include five-year-old children and including applicability provisions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-06 - Introduced, referred to Education. H.J. 213. [HF2261 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-HF2261-Introduced.html

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House File 2261 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  NUNN

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act expanding the statewide preschool program to include
  2    five=year=old children and including applicability
  3    provisions.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
    TLSB 6097YH (2) 87
    md/jh

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 135.173A, subsection 4, paragraph p,
  1  2 Code 2018, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    p.  One person who is part of a local program implementing
  1  4 the statewide preschool program for four=year=old young
  1  5  children under chapter 256C.
  1  6    Sec. 2.  Section 135.173A, subsection 6, paragraph f, Code
  1  7 2018, is amended to read as follows:
  1  8    f.  Make recommendations for improving collaborations
  1  9 between the child care programs involving the department of
  1 10 human services and programs supporting the education and
  1 11 development of young children including but not limited to the
  1 12 federal head start program; the statewide preschool program
  1 13 for four=year=old young children; and the early childhood,
  1 14 at=risk, and other early education programs administered by the
  1 15 department of education.
  1 16    Sec. 3.  Section 256C.1, subsections 1 and 4, Code 2018, are
  1 17 amended to read as follows:
  1 18    1.  "Approved local program" means a school district's
  1 19 program for four=year=old young children approved by the
  1 20 department of education to provide high quality preschool
  1 21 instruction.
  1 22    4.  "Preschool program" means the statewide preschool program
  1 23 for four=year=old young children created in accordance with
  1 24 this chapter.
  1 25    Sec. 4.  Section 256C.1, Code 2018, is amended by adding the
  1 26 following new subsection:
  1 27    NEW SUBSECTION.  7.  "Young children" means children who are
  1 28 four years of age or who are five years of age.
  1 29    Sec. 5.  Section 256C.2, Code 2018, is amended to read as
  1 30 follows:
  1 31    256C.2  Statewide preschool program for four=year=old young
  1 32  children ==== purpose.
  1 33    1.  A statewide preschool program for four=year=old young
  1 34  children is established. The purpose of the preschool program
  1 35 is to provide an opportunity for all young children in the
  2  1 state to enter school ready to learn by expanding voluntary
  2  2 access to quality preschool curricula for all children who are
  2  3 four years old or who are five years old.
  2  4    2.  The state board shall adopt rules in accordance with
  2  5 chapter 17A as necessary to implement the preschool program as
  2  6 provided in this chapter.
  2  7    Sec. 6.  Section 256C.3, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code
  2  8 2018, is amended to read as follows:
  2  9    a.  A child who is a resident of Iowa and is four years of
  2 10 age on or before September 15 of a school year or who is five
  2 11 years of age on or before September 15 of a school year shall be
  2 12 eligible to enroll in the preschool program under this chapter.
  2 13  If such a child is enrolled under this chapter, the child shall
  2 14 be considered to be of compulsory attendance age as provided in
  2 15 section 299.1A, subsection 3.
  2 16    Sec. 7.  Section 256C.3, subsection 4, paragraph b, Code
  2 17 2018, is amended to read as follows:
  2 18    b.  Subject to implementation of chapter 28E agreements
  2 19 between a school district and community=based providers of
  2 20 services to four=year=old children and five=year=old children,
  2 21 a four=year=old child or eligible five=year=old child who is
  2 22 enrolled in a child care center or child development home
  2 23 licensed or registered under chapter 237A, or in an existing
  2 24 public or private preschool program, shall be eligible for
  2 25 services provided by the school district's local preschool
  2 26 program.
  2 27    Sec. 8.  Section 256C.4, subsection 2, Code 2018, is amended
  2 28 to read as follows:
  2 29    2.  Eligible student enrollment.
  2 30    a.  To be included as an eligible student in the enrollment
  2 31 count of the preschool programming provided by a school
  2 32 district approved to participate in the preschool program, a
  2 33 child must be four years of age by September 15 or be five
  2 34 years of age by September 15 in the base year and attending the
  2 35 school district's approved local program.
  3  1    b.  The enrollment count of eligible students shall not
  3  2 include a child who is included in the enrollment count
  3  3 determined under section 257.6 or a child who is served by
  3  4 a program already receiving state or federal funds for the
  3  5 purpose of the provision of four=year=old or five=year=old
  3  6  preschool programming while the child is being served by the
  3  7 program. Such preschool programming includes but is not
  3  8 limited to child development assistance programs provided under
  3  9 chapter 256A, special education programs provided under section
  3 10 256B.9, school ready children grant programs and other programs
  3 11 provided under chapter 256I, and federal head start programs
  3 12 and the services funded by Tit. I of the federal Elementary and
  3 13 Secondary Education Act of 1965.
  3 14    Sec. 9.  Section 298A.2, subsection 2, paragraph a,
  3 15 subparagraph (1), Code 2018, is amended to read as follows:
  3 16    (1)  An approved local program under the statewide preschool
  3 17 program for four=year=old young children under chapter 256C.
  3 18    Sec. 10.  Section 298A.2, subsection 2, paragraph c,
  3 19 subparagraph (1), Code 2018, is amended to read as follows:
  3 20    (1)  Start=up costs for an approved local program under the
  3 21 statewide preschool program for four=year=old young children
  3 22 under chapter 256C.
  3 23    Sec. 11.  Section 299.1A, subsection 3, Code 2018, is amended
  3 24 to read as follows:
  3 25    3.  A child who has reached the age of four by September 15
  3 26 or who has reached the age of five by September 15 and who is
  3 27 enrolled in the statewide preschool program under chapter 256C
  3 28 shall be considered to be of compulsory attendance age unless
  3 29 the parent or guardian of the child submits written notice to
  3 30 the school district implementing the program of the parent's or
  3 31 guardian's intent to remove the child from enrollment in the
  3 32 preschool program.
  3 33    Sec. 12.  APPLICABILITY.  This Act applies to school budget
  3 34 years beginning on or after July 1, 2018.
  3 35                           EXPLANATION
  4  1 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  4  2 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  4  3    This bill expands the statewide preschool program for
  4  4 four=year=old children under Code chapter 256C to also include
  4  5 five=year=old children.  The program is administered by local
  4  6 school districts subject to rules adopted by the state board of
  4  7 education and receives funding through the school aid formula.
  4  8    References to four=year=old children in the program named in
  4  9 Code chapter 256C and in related Code provisions are changed
  4 10 to "young children" or expanded to also refer to five=year=old
  4 11 children.
  4 12    The bill applies to school budget years beginning on or after
  4 13 July 1, 2018.
       LSB 6097YH (2) 87
       md/jh