The bill introduces a new preschool pilot program to be developed by the Arizona Department of Education, which will operate in up to five school districts during the 2025-2026, 2026-2027, and 2027-2028 school years. The program aims to provide early childhood education to eligible students before they enroll in kindergarten. The Department of Education is tasked with establishing application procedures for school districts, selecting participants with priority given to districts with high percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches or those that are rural, and adopting policies to carry out the program. Each selected school district must report the results of the pilot program by September 30, 2028, and the Department will compile these reports and submit a summary to state leaders by November 30, 2028. The section concerning the pilot program will be repealed on December 31, 2028.

The bill also includes a financial provision, appropriating $3,000,000 from the state general fund for the 2024-2025 fiscal year to implement the preschool pilot program. This appropriation is exempt from the provisions that typically cause unspent funds to lapse, with the exception that any unencumbered or unexpended monies will revert to the state general fund after December 31, 2028.