Bill Text: NY S04535 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Establishes a division of early childhood within the office of children and family services to coordinate, consolidate and integrate early childhood programs.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-11 - PRINT NUMBER 4535A [S04535 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S04535-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         4535--A

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 14, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and  Families  --
          recommitted  to  the  Committee on Children and Families in accordance
          with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN  ACT  to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a divi-
          sion of early childhood within  the  office  of  children  and  family
          services

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 500 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
     2  subdivision 4 to read as follows:
     3    4. (a) There is hereby established within the office of  children  and
     4  family  services  a  division  of early childhood. The division shall be
     5  under the direction of the commissioner of the office  of  children  and
     6  family  services. The division of early childhood shall be headed by the
     7  director of early childhood  who  shall  be  appointed  by  a  committee
     8  composed  of  the  governor  or  his or her designee, the speaker of the
     9  assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the minority leader  of
    10  the assembly and the minority leader of the senate.
    11    (b) The primary duties of the division of early childhood are to coor-
    12  dinate,  consolidate and integrate early childhood programs, in order to
    13  administer programs and funding as efficiently as  possible.  The  divi-
    14  sion's duties shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
    15    (i) to develop, coordinate and support public and private partnerships
    16  to aid early childhood programs across the state;
    17    (ii)  to  work cooperatively and in coordination with the early child-
    18  hood advisory council;
    19    (iii) to collaborate with the education department  to  ensure  proper
    20  and  appropriate connections and smooth transitions between early child-
    21  hood programs and kindergarten through grade twelve programs;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04504-02-0
        S. 4535--A                          2

     1    (iv) to coordinate the delivery of services  for  young  children  and
     2  their  families  to  ensure the state is utilizing all available funding
     3  streams in a unified fashion; and
     4    (v)  to  perform any other activities that will assist in the division
     5  of early childhood programs and services.
     6    (c) The director of early childhood shall be  responsible  for  imple-
     7  menting  the policies and directives of the division of early childhood.
     8  The director may seek and shall be entitled to receive from other  state
     9  agencies  such  assistance as may be required to perform such director's
    10  duties pursuant to this subdivision. The director may appoint such offi-
    11  cers, employees, agents and consultants as he or she may deem necessary.
    12  To the extent practicable, the  director  shall  appoint  the  officers,
    13  employees,  agents  and consultants for the division of early childhood,
    14  from among the existing officers and employees of the office of children
    15  and family services.
    16    (d) On or before January first, two thousand twenty-one, the  division
    17  of  early childhood shall begin a statewide assessment and evaluation of
    18  the current funding streams for the state. The  division  shall,  on  or
    19  before  October  first, two thousand twenty-one, provide to the governor
    20  and the legislature programmatic and legislative recommendations,  based
    21  on its statewide assessment and evaluation.
    22    (e)  The  division of early childhood shall submit to the governor and
    23  legislature, within one year of the effective date of this  subdivision,
    24  a  report  as the various early childhood programs that are available in
    25  the state. The report shall include recommendations and an  action  plan
    26  to further consolidate and coordinate early childhood programs and fund-
    27  ing sources that support these programs.
    28    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.