Bill Text: IA HF421 | 2017-2018 | 87th 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 17-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-02-23 - Introduced, referred to Education. H.J. 458. [HF421 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-HF421-Introduced.html

House File 421 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  BRECKENRIDGE, HUNTER,
                                     KACENA, HANSON,
                                     ANDERSON, KEARNS,
                                     OURTH, BEARINGER,
                                     STECKMAN, COHOON,
                                     GASKILL, GAINES,
                                     WINCKLER, LENSING,
                                     MASCHER, NIELSEN, and
                                     THEDE

                                 (COMPANION TO SF 98 BY
                                     HART)

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act expanding the statewide preschool program to include
  2    certain five=year=old children and including effective date
  3    and applicability provisions.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 135.173A, subsection 4, paragraph p,
  1  2 Code 2017, 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 2017, 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 2017, 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 2017, 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 and have not
  1 29 previously enrolled in a preschool program.
  1 30    Sec. 5.  Section 256C.2, Code 2017, is amended to read as
  1 31 follows:
  1 32    256C.2  Statewide preschool program for four=year=old young
  1 33  children ==== purpose.
  1 34    1.  A statewide preschool program for four=year=old young
  1 35  children is established. The purpose of the preschool program
  2  1 is to provide an opportunity for all young children in the
  2  2 state to enter school ready to learn by expanding voluntary
  2  3 access to quality preschool curricula for all children who
  2  4 are four years old or who are five years old and have not
  2  5 previously enrolled in a preschool program.
  2  6    2.  The state board shall adopt rules in accordance with
  2  7 chapter 17A as necessary to implement the preschool program as
  2  8 provided in this chapter.
  2  9    Sec. 6.  Section 256C.3, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code
  2 10 2017, is amended to read as follows:
  2 11    a.  A child who is a resident of Iowa and is four years of
  2 12 age on or before September 15 of a school year or who is five
  2 13 years of age on or before September 15 of a school year and
  2 14 has not previously enrolled in a preschool program shall be
  2 15 eligible to enroll in the preschool program under this chapter.
  2 16  If such a child is enrolled under this chapter, the child shall
  2 17 be considered to be of compulsory attendance age as provided in
  2 18 section 299.1A, subsection 3.
  2 19    Sec. 7.  Section 256C.3, subsection 4, paragraph b, Code
  2 20 2017, is amended to read as follows:
  2 21    b.  Subject to implementation of chapter 28E agreements
  2 22 between a school district and community=based providers of
  2 23 services to four=year=old children and five=year=old children,
  2 24 a four=year=old child or eligible five=year=old child who is
  2 25 enrolled in a child care center or child development home
  2 26 licensed or registered under chapter 237A, or in an existing
  2 27 public or private preschool program, shall be eligible for
  2 28 services provided by the school district's local preschool
  2 29 program.
  2 30    Sec. 8.  Section 256C.4, subsection 2, Code 2017, is amended
  2 31 to read as follows:
  2 32    2.  Eligible student enrollment.
  2 33    a.  To be included as an eligible student in the enrollment
  2 34 count of the preschool programming provided by a school
  2 35 district approved to participate in the preschool program, a
  3  1 child must be four years of age by September 15 or be five years
  3  2 of age and meet the criteria under section 256C.3, subsection
  3  3 1, paragraph "a", in the base year and attending the school
  3  4 district's approved local program.
  3  5    b.  The enrollment count of eligible students shall not
  3  6 include a child who is included in the enrollment count
  3  7 determined under section 257.6 or a child who is served by
  3  8 a program already receiving state or federal funds for the
  3  9 purpose of the provision of four=year=old or five=year=old
  3 10  preschool programming while the child is being served by the
  3 11 program. Such preschool programming includes but is not
  3 12 limited to child development assistance programs provided under
  3 13 chapter 256A, special education programs provided under section
  3 14 256B.9, school ready children grant programs and other programs
  3 15 provided under chapter 256I, and federal head start programs
  3 16 and the services funded by Tit. I of the federal Elementary and
  3 17 Secondary Education Act of 1965.
  3 18    Sec. 9.  Section 299.1A, subsection 3, Code 2017, is amended
  3 19 to read as follows:
  3 20    3.  A child who has reached the age of four by September 15
  3 21 or who has reached the age of five by September 15 and who is
  3 22 enrolled in the statewide preschool program under chapter 256C
  3 23 shall be considered to be of compulsory attendance age unless
  3 24 the parent or guardian of the child submits written notice to
  3 25 the school district implementing the program of the parent's or
  3 26 guardian's intent to remove the child from enrollment in the
  3 27 preschool program.
  3 28    Sec. 10.  EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT.  This Act, being deemed
  3 29 of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
  3 30    Sec. 11.  APPLICABILITY.  This Act applies to school budget
  3 31 years beginning on or after July 1, 2017.
  3 32                           EXPLANATION
  3 33 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  3 34 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  3 35    This bill expands the statewide preschool program for
  4  1 four=year=old children under Code chapter 256C to also include
  4  2 five=year=old children who have not previously enrolled in a
  4  3 preschool program under that Code chapter.  The program is
  4  4 administered by local school districts subject to rules adopted
  4  5 by the state board of education and receives funding through
  4  6 the school aid formula.
  4  7    References to four=year=old children in the program named in
  4  8 Code chapter 256C and in related Code provisions are changed
  4  9 to "young children" or expanded to also refer to five=year=old
  4 10 children who have not previously enrolled in a preschool
  4 11 program under Code chapter 256C.
  4 12    The bill takes effect upon enactment and applies to school
  4 13 budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2017.
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