Bill Text: IA HF242 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced


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

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-11 - Subcommittee: Brink, Ehlert and Hanusa. H.J. 252. [HF242 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2019-HF242-Introduced.html
House File 242 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 242 BY MASCHER A BILL FOR An Act expanding the statewide preschool program to include 1 certain five-year-old children and including effective date 2 and applicability provisions. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2176YH (3) 88 md/jh
H.F. 242 Section 1. Section 135.173A, subsection 4, paragraph p, 1 Code 2019, is amended to read as follows: 2 p. One person who is part of a local program implementing 3 the statewide preschool program for four-year-old young 4 children under chapter 256C . 5 Sec. 2. Section 135.173A, subsection 6, paragraph f, Code 6 2019, is amended to read as follows: 7 f. Make recommendations for improving collaborations 8 between the child care programs involving the department of 9 human services and programs supporting the education and 10 development of young children including but not limited to the 11 federal head start program; the statewide preschool program 12 for four-year-old young children; and the early childhood, 13 at-risk, and other early education programs administered by the 14 department of education. 15 Sec. 3. Section 256C.1, subsections 1 and 4, Code 2019, are 16 amended to read as follows: 17 1. “Approved local program” means a school district’s 18 program for four-year-old young children approved by the 19 department of education to provide high quality preschool 20 instruction. 21 4. “Preschool program” means the statewide preschool program 22 for four-year-old young children created in accordance with 23 this chapter . 24 Sec. 4. Section 256C.1, Code 2019, is amended by adding the 25 following new subsection: 26 NEW SUBSECTION . 7. “Young children” means children who are 27 four years of age or who are five years of age and have not 28 previously enrolled in a preschool program. 29 Sec. 5. Section 256C.2, Code 2019, is amended to read as 30 follows: 31 256C.2 Statewide preschool program for four-year-old young 32 children —— purpose. 33 1. A statewide preschool program for four-year-old young 34 children is established. The purpose of the preschool program 35 -1- LSB 2176YH (3) 88 md/jh 1/ 4
H.F. 242 is to provide an opportunity for all young children in the 1 state to enter school ready to learn by expanding voluntary 2 access to quality preschool curricula for all children who 3 are four years old or who are five years old and have not 4 previously enrolled in a preschool program . 5 2. The state board shall adopt rules in accordance with 6 chapter 17A as necessary to implement the preschool program as 7 provided in this chapter . 8 Sec. 6. Section 256C.3, subsection 1, paragraphs a and b, 9 Code 2019, are amended to read as follows: 10 a. A child who is a resident of Iowa and is four years of 11 age on or before September 15 of a school year or who is five 12 years of age on or before September 15 of a school year and 13 has not previously enrolled in a preschool program shall be 14 eligible to enroll in the preschool program under this chapter . 15 If such a child is enrolled under this chapter , the child shall 16 be considered to be of compulsory attendance age as provided in 17 section 299.1A, subsection 3 . 18 b. If space and funding are available, including funding 19 from another school district account or fund from which 20 preschool program expenditures are authorized by law, a school 21 district approved to participate in the preschool program may 22 enroll and pay the cost of attendance for a child younger than 23 four years of age or older child in the preschool program than 24 five years of age ; however, the child shall not be counted for 25 state funding purposes. 26 Sec. 7. Section 256C.3, subsection 4, paragraph b, Code 27 2019, is amended to read as follows: 28 b. Subject to implementation of chapter 28E agreements 29 between a school district and community-based providers of 30 services to four-year-old children and five-year-old children , 31 a four-year-old child or eligible five-year-old child who is 32 enrolled in a child care center or child development home 33 licensed or registered under chapter 237A , or in an existing 34 public or private preschool program, shall be eligible for 35 -2- LSB 2176YH (3) 88 md/jh 2/ 4
H.F. 242 services provided by the school district’s local preschool 1 program. 2 Sec. 8. Section 256C.4, subsection 2, Code 2019, is amended 3 to read as follows: 4 2. Eligible student enrollment. 5 a. To be included as an eligible student in the enrollment 6 count of the preschool programming provided by a school 7 district approved to participate in the preschool program, a 8 child must be four years of age by September 15 or be five years 9 of age and meet the criteria under section 256C.3, subsection 10 1, paragraph “a” , in the base year and attending the school 11 district’s approved local program. 12 b. The enrollment count of eligible students shall not 13 include a child who is included in the enrollment count 14 determined under section 257.6 or a child who is served by 15 a program already receiving state or federal funds for the 16 purpose of the provision of four-year-old or five-year-old 17 preschool programming while the child is being served by the 18 program. Such preschool programming includes but is not 19 limited to child development assistance programs provided under 20 chapter 256A , special education programs provided under section 21 256B.9 , school ready children grant programs and other programs 22 provided under chapter 256I , and federal head start programs 23 and the services funded by Tit. I of the federal Elementary and 24 Secondary Education Act of 1965. 25 Sec. 9. Section 298A.2, subsection 2, paragraph a, 26 subparagraph (1), Code 2019, is amended to read as follows: 27 (1) An approved local program under the statewide preschool 28 program for four-year-old young children under chapter 256C . 29 Sec. 10. Section 298A.2, subsection 2, paragraph c, 30 subparagraph (1), Code 2019, is amended to read as follows: 31 (1) Start-up costs for an approved local program under the 32 statewide preschool program for four-year-old young children 33 under chapter 256C . 34 Sec. 11. Section 299.1A, subsection 3, Code 2019, is amended 35 -3- LSB 2176YH (3) 88 md/jh 3/ 4
H.F. 242 to read as follows: 1 3. A child who has reached the age of four or five by 2 September 15 and who is enrolled in the statewide preschool 3 program under chapter 256C shall be considered to be of 4 compulsory attendance age unless the parent or guardian 5 of the child submits written notice to the school district 6 implementing the program of the parent’s or guardian’s intent 7 to remove the child from enrollment in the preschool program. 8 Sec. 12. EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT. This Act, being deemed 9 of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment. 10 Sec. 13. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to school budget 11 years beginning on or after July 1, 2019. 12 EXPLANATION 13 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 14 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 15 This bill expands the statewide preschool program for 16 four-year-old children under Code chapter 256C to also include 17 five-year-old children who have not previously enrolled in a 18 preschool program under that Code chapter. The program is 19 administered by local school districts subject to rules adopted 20 by the state board of education and receives funding through 21 the school aid formula. 22 References to four-year-old children in the program named in 23 Code chapter 256C and in related Code provisions are changed 24 to “young children” or expanded to also refer to five-year-old 25 children who have not previously enrolled in a preschool 26 program under Code chapter 256C. 27 The bill takes effect upon enactment and applies to school 28 budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2019. 29 -4- LSB 2176YH (3) 88 md/jh 4/ 4
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