Bill Text: NY A09902 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Codifies the early childhood advisory council to promote a comprehensive and high quality early childhood system.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 26-5)

Status: (Passed) 2016-11-04 - approval memo.8 [A09902 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A09902-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         9902--A
                                                                Cal. No. 626
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                     April 26, 2016
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by M. of A. LUPARDO, ROZIC, JAFFEE, MAYER, BUCHWALD, JOYNER,
          ROBINSON, HEVESI, OTIS,  HUNTER,  RA,  DUPREY,  MONTESANO,  GOTTFRIED,
          COOK,  SIMON,  JEAN-PIERRE, FAHY, CANCEL, CAHILL -- Multi-Sponsored by
          -- M. of A.  ABBATE, CROUCH, GALEF, McKEVITT, NOLAN -- read  once  and
          referred  to  the  Committee on Children and Families -- reported from
          committee, advanced to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted,
          retaining its place on the order of third reading
        AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation  to  codifying  the
          early childhood advisory council
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new  section
     2  483-g to read as follows:
     3    §  483-g.  Early childhood advisory council. 1. There is hereby estab-
     4  lished within the council an early childhood advisory council to promote
     5  a comprehensive and high quality early childhood system. Members of  the
     6  early  childhood  advisory council shall include, but not be limited to,
     7  to the maximum extent possible:
     8    (a) a representative of the office of children and family services;
     9    (b) a representative of the state education department;
    10    (c) a representative of local educational agencies;
    11    (d) a representative of institutions of higher education in the state;
    12    (e) a representative of local providers of early  childhood  education
    13  and development services;
    14    (f)  a  representative  of  head start agencies, including migrant and
    15  seasonal head start programs and Indian head start programs;
    16    (g) the director of the head start collaboration office;
    17    (h) a representative from the department of health;
    18    (i) a representative of the office of temporary and disability assist-
    19  ance;
    20    (j) a representative of the office of mental health;
    21    (k) a representative of the office for people with developmental disa-
    22  bilities;
    23    (l) a representative of the empire state development corporation;
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD15090-03-6
        A. 9902--A                          2
     1    (m) a representative of the division of the budget;
     2    (n) at least five representatives of the business community; and
     3    (o) representatives of other entities determined to be relevant by the
     4  governor.
     5    2.  The  early  childhood  advisory  council shall, in addition to any
     6  responsibilities assigned by the governor:
     7    (a) conduct a periodic statewide needs assessment concerning the qual-
     8  ity and  availability  of  early  childhood  education  and  development
     9  programs and services for children from birth to school entry, including
    10  an  assessment  of  the  availability  of  high-quality pre-kindergarten
    11  services for low-income children in the state;
    12    (b) identify opportunities for, and  barriers  to,  collaboration  and
    13  coordination  among federally funded and state funded child development,
    14  child care, and early childhood education programs and services, includ-
    15  ing collaboration and coordination among state agencies responsible  for
    16  administering such programs;
    17    (c)  develop  recommendations for increasing the overall participation
    18  of children in existing federal, state, and local child care  and  early
    19  childhood education programs, including outreach to underrepresented and
    20  special populations;
    21    (d)  develop  recommendations regarding the establishment of a unified
    22  data collection system for public early childhood education and develop-
    23  ment programs and services throughout the state;
    24    (e) develop recommendations regarding statewide professional  develop-
    25  ment  and  career advancement plans for early childhood educators in the
    26  state;
    27    (f) assess the capacity and effectiveness of  two-year  and  four-year
    28  public  and private institutions of higher education in the state toward
    29  supporting the development of early childhood educators,  including  the
    30  extent to which such institutions have in place articulation agreements,
    31  professional  development  and career advancement plans, and practice or
    32  internships for students to spend time in a head start or pre-kindergar-
    33  ten program;
    34    (g) develop and implement strategies  to  engage  business  and  civic
    35  leaders and organizations in early learning planning and advocacy at the
    36  state and local level;
    37    (h) increase business, civic and public awareness of the importance of
    38  early  childhood  education, including, but not limited to, the distrib-
    39  ution of literature through mail or online, organizing of  meetings  and
    40  events  to  promote  the cost benefit of investments in learning and the
    41  hosting of an annual economic summit on early childhood investment;
    42    (i) develop recommendations for increasing public-private  investments
    43  in early childhood and strategies for maximizing resources; and
    44    (j)  make  recommendations  for  improvements  in state early learning
    45  standards and undertake efforts to  develop  high-quality  comprehensive
    46  early learning standards, as appropriate.
    47    3.  Members  of  the  early  childhood advisory council shall serve on
    48  workgroups tasked with implementing  the  duties  required  pursuant  to
    49  subdivision  two of this section.  Such workgroups may be established as
    50  needed, provided however that there shall be a permanent early  learning
    51  investment  workgroup  focused  on  implementation of, at a minimum, the
    52  duties described in paragraphs (g), (h) and (i) of  subdivision  two  of
    53  this  section.  Membership  of  the  early learning investment workgroup
    54  shall include, but not be limited to, representatives  of  the  business
    55  community  appointed  to the council in accordance with paragraph (n) of
    56  subdivision one of this section.
        A. 9902--A                          3
     1    4. The early childhood advisory council shall hold public hearings and
     2  provide an opportunity for public comment on the activities described in
     3  subdivision two of this section.
     4    5. The early childhood advisory council shall submit a statewide stra-
     5  tegic  report  addressing the activities described in subdivision two of
     6  this section to the director of the head start collaboration office, the
     7  governor, the speaker of the assembly and the temporary president of the
     8  senate. After submission of a  statewide  strategic  report,  the  early
     9  childhood  advisory council shall meet periodically to review any imple-
    10  mentation of the recommendations in such report and any changes in state
    11  and local needs.
    12    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.