Bill Text: NY S07427 | 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: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-06-09 - SUBSTITUTED BY A9902A [S07427 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-S07427-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         7427--A
                    IN SENATE
                                     April 29, 2016
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and  Families  --
          reported  favorably from said committee and committed to the Committee
          on Finance -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
          amended and recommitted to said committee
        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;
    24    (m) a representative of the division of the budget;
    25    (n) at least five representatives of the business community; and
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD15090-04-6
        S. 7427--A                          2
     1    (o) representatives of other entities determined to be relevant by the
     2  governor.
     3    2.  The  early  childhood  advisory  council shall, in addition to any
     4  responsibilities assigned by the governor:
     5    (a) conduct a periodic statewide needs assessment concerning the qual-
     6  ity and  availability  of  early  childhood  education  and  development
     7  programs and services for children from birth to school entry, including
     8  an  assessment  of  the  availability  of  high-quality pre-kindergarten
     9  services for low-income children in the state;
    10    (b) identify opportunities for, and  barriers  to,  collaboration  and
    11  coordination  among federally funded and state funded child development,
    12  child care, and early childhood education programs and services, includ-
    13  ing collaboration and coordination among state agencies responsible  for
    14  administering such programs;
    15    (c)  develop  recommendations for increasing the overall participation
    16  of children in existing federal, state, and local child care  and  early
    17  childhood education programs, including outreach to underrepresented and
    18  special populations;
    19    (d)  develop  recommendations regarding the establishment of a unified
    20  data collection system for public early childhood education and develop-
    21  ment programs and services throughout the state;
    22    (e) develop recommendations regarding statewide professional  develop-
    23  ment  and  career advancement plans for early childhood educators in the
    24  state;
    25    (f) assess the capacity and effectiveness of  two-year  and  four-year
    26  public  and private institutions of higher education in the state toward
    27  supporting the development of early childhood educators,  including  the
    28  extent to which such institutions have in place articulation agreements,
    29  professional  development  and career advancement plans, and practice or
    30  internships for students to spend time in a head start or pre-kindergar-
    31  ten program;
    32    (g) develop and implement strategies  to  engage  business  and  civic
    33  leaders and organizations in early learning planning and advocacy at the
    34  state and local level;
    35    (h) increase business, civic and public awareness of the importance of
    36  early  childhood  education, including, but not limited to, the distrib-
    37  ution of literature through mail or online, organizing of  meetings  and
    38  events  to  promote  the cost benefit of investments in learning and the
    39  hosting of an annual economic summit on early childhood investment;
    40    (i) develop recommendations for increasing public-private  investments
    41  in early childhood and strategies for maximizing resources; and
    42    (j)  make  recommendations  for  improvements  in state early learning
    43  standards and undertake efforts to  develop  high-quality  comprehensive
    44  early learning standards, as appropriate.
    45    3.  Members  of  the  early  childhood advisory council shall serve on
    46  workgroups tasked with implementing  the  duties  required  pursuant  to
    47  subdivision  two of this section.  Such workgroups may be established as
    48  needed, provided however that there shall be a permanent early  learning
    49  investment  workgroup  focused  on  implementation of, at a minimum, the
    50  duties described in paragraphs (g), (h) and (i) of  subdivision  two  of
    51  this  section.  Membership  of  the  early learning investment workgroup
    52  shall include, but not be limited to, representatives  of  the  business
    53  community  appointed  to the council in accordance with paragraph (n) of
    54  subdivision one of this section.
        S. 7427--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.