House File 14 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE 14
BY BRINK
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to the statewide preschool program by modifying
2 provisions relating to eligibility, funding, and compulsory
3 attendance and including applicability provisions.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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1 Section 1. Section 135.173A, subsection 4, paragraph p,
2 Code 2021, is amended to read as follows:
3 p. One person who is part of a local program implementing
4 the statewide preschool program for four-year-old young
5 children under chapter 256C.
6 Sec. 2. Section 135.173A, subsection 6, paragraph f, Code
7 2021, is amended to read as follows:
8 f. Make recommendations for improving collaborations
9 between the child care programs involving the department of
10 human services and programs supporting the education and
11 development of young children including but not limited to the
12 federal head start program; the statewide preschool program
13 for four-year-old young children; and the early childhood,
14 at-risk, and other early education programs administered by the
15 department of education.
16 Sec. 3. Section 256C.1, subsections 1 and 4, Code 2021, are
17 amended to read as follows:
18 1. “Approved local program” means a school district’s
19 program for four-year-old young children approved by the
20 department of education to provide high quality preschool
21 instruction.
22 4. “Preschool program” means the statewide preschool program
23 for four-year-old young children created in accordance with
24 this chapter.
25 Sec. 4. Section 256C.2, Code 2021, is amended to read as
26 follows:
27 256C.2 Statewide preschool program for four-year-old young
28 children —— purpose.
29 1. A statewide preschool program for four-year-old young
30 children is established. The purpose of the preschool program
31 is to provide an opportunity for all young children in the
32 state to enter school ready to learn by expanding voluntary
33 access to quality preschool curricula for all children who are
34 four years old.
35 2. The state board shall adopt rules in accordance with
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1 chapter 17A as necessary to implement the preschool program as
2 provided in this chapter.
3 Sec. 5. Section 256C.3, subsection 1, paragraphs a and b,
4 Code 2021, are amended to read as follows:
5 a. A child who is a resident of Iowa and who is four
6 years of age on or before September 15 of a school year shall
7 be eligible to enroll in the preschool program under this
8 chapter. For school budget years beginning July 1, 2022, July
9 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, a child who is a resident of Iowa
10 and who reaches five years of age on or after March 15 but on
11 or before September 15 of the calendar year during which the
12 school year begins shall be eligible to enroll in the preschool
13 program under this chapter if the school district elects to
14 enroll children who are five years of age for the three-year
15 period. For school districts that elect to enroll children
16 who are five years of age during such three-year period, a
17 child who enrolled as a four-year-old may enroll again as a
18 five-year-old. However, if insufficient space is available in
19 a preschool program for all eligible children, priority for
20 enrollment shall be given to children who are four years of age
21 on or before September 15 of a school year. If such a child is
22 enrolled under this chapter, the child shall be considered to
23 be of compulsory attendance age as provided in section 299.1A,
24 subsection 3.
25 b. If space and funding are available, including funding
26 from another school district account or fund from which
27 preschool program expenditures are authorized by law, a school
28 district approved to participate in the preschool program
29 may enroll and pay the cost of attendance for a younger or
30 older child in the preschool program who does not satisfy the
31 requirements under paragraph “a”; however, the child shall not
32 be counted for state funding purposes.
33 Sec. 6. Section 256C.3, subsection 4, paragraphs b and c,
34 Code 2021, are amended to read as follows:
35 b. Subject to implementation of chapter 28E agreements
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1 between a school district and community-based providers of
2 services to four-year-old children and eligible five-year-old
3 children, a four-year-old child or eligible five-year-old child
4 who is enrolled in a child care center or child development
5 home licensed or registered under chapter 237A, or in an
6 existing public or private preschool program, shall be eligible
7 for services provided by the school district’s local preschool
8 program.
9 c. A school district shall participate in data collection
10 and performance measurement processes and reporting as defined
11 by rule. In addition to preschool program data collection,
12 the school district data collected by the department shall
13 include data related to the number and birth month and year
14 of pupils who enroll in kindergarten, including all-day,
15 half-day, or transitional kindergarten programs, for more
16 than one school year and whether those pupils previously or
17 concurrently enrolled in the school district’s approved local
18 program. To the extent feasible, the data reporting relating
19 to kindergarten program enrollment shall be done in a manner
20 so as to avoid duplication of individual pupil data within
21 multiple categories.
22 Sec. 7. Section 256C.3, subsection 4, Code 2021, is amended
23 by adding the following new paragraph:
24 NEW PARAGRAPH. e. For budget years beginning on or after
25 July 1, 2022, each approved local program shall provide
26 consultation services for parents or guardians of children
27 enrolled in the approved local program and parents or guardians
28 of children eligible to enroll in the approved local program to
29 assist parents or guardians in assessing the child’s readiness
30 for enrollment in kindergarten or in a preschool program, as
31 applicable.
32 Sec. 8. Section 256C.4, subsection 2, Code 2021, is amended
33 to read as follows:
34 2. Eligible student enrollment.
35 a. To be included as an eligible student in the enrollment
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1 count of the preschool programming provided by a school
2 district approved to participate in the preschool program, a
3 child must be four years of satisfy the age by September 15
4 requirements of section 256C.3, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, in
5 the base year and be attending the school district’s approved
6 local program.
7 b. The enrollment count of eligible students shall not
8 include a child who is included in the enrollment count
9 determined under section 257.6 or a child who is served by
10 a program already receiving state or federal funds for the
11 purpose of the provision of four-year-old or five-year-old
12 preschool programming while the child is being served by the
13 program. Such preschool programming includes but is not
14 limited to child development assistance programs provided under
15 chapter 256A, special education programs provided under section
16 256B.9, school ready children grant programs and other programs
17 provided under chapter 256I, and federal head start programs
18 and the services funded by Tit. I of the federal Elementary and
19 Secondary Education Act of 1965.
20 Sec. 9. Section 298A.2, subsection 2, paragraph a,
21 subparagraph (1), Code 2021, is amended to read as follows:
22 (1) An approved local program under the statewide preschool
23 program for four-year-old young children under chapter 256C.
24 Sec. 10. Section 298A.2, subsection 2, paragraph c,
25 subparagraph (1), Code 2021, is amended to read as follows:
26 (1) Start-up costs for an approved local program under the
27 statewide preschool program for four-year-old young children
28 under chapter 256C.
29 Sec. 11. Section 299.1A, subsection 3, Code 2021, is amended
30 to read as follows:
31 3. A child who has reached the age of four by September 15
32 or five and who is enrolled in the statewide preschool program
33 under chapter 256C shall be considered to be of compulsory
34 attendance age unless the parent or guardian of the child
35 submits written notice to the school district implementing the
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1 program of the parent’s or guardian’s intent to remove the
2 child from enrollment in the preschool program.
3 Sec. 12. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to school budget
4 years beginning on or after July 1, 2022.
5 EXPLANATION
6 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
7 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
8 The statewide preschool program for four-year-old children
9 under Code chapter 256C provides that a child who is a resident
10 of Iowa and is four years of age on or before September 15 of
11 a school year shall be eligible to enroll in the preschool
12 program. Additionally, to be included as an eligible student
13 in the enrollment count of the preschool programming for
14 state funding purposes, a child must be four years of age
15 by September 15 in the base year and attending the school
16 district’s approved local program.
17 For school budget years beginning July 1, 2022, July 1,
18 2023, and July 1, 2024, this bill expands the eligibility and
19 state funding provisions of the statewide preschool program for
20 four-year-old children under Code chapter 256C to also include
21 five-year-old children who reach the age of five on or after
22 March 15 but on or before September 15 of the calendar year
23 during which the school year begins if the school district
24 elects to enroll such children. For school districts that
25 elect to enroll children who are five years of age during such
26 three-year period, a child who enrolled as a four-year-old may
27 enroll again as a five-year-old. However, if insufficient
28 space is available in a preschool program for all eligible
29 children, priority for enrollment shall be given to children
30 who are four years of age on or before September 15 of a school
31 year.
32 References to four-year-old children in the program named in
33 Code chapter 256C and in related Code provisions are changed
34 to “young children” or expanded to also refer to eligible
35 five-year-old children and Code section 299.1A relating to
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1 compulsory education is also modified to reflect changes made
2 in the bill.
3 The bill also requires each approved local program to
4 provide consultation services for parents or guardians of
5 children enrolled in the approved local program and parents or
6 guardians of children eligible to enroll in the approved local
7 program to assist parents or guardians in assessing the child’s
8 readiness for enrollment in kindergarten or in a preschool
9 program, as applicable.
10 The bill modifies provisions relating to school district
11 participation in data collection and performance measurement
12 processes under the statewide preschool program.
13 The bill applies to school budget years beginning on or after
14 July 1, 2022.
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Statutes affected:
Introduced: 135.173A, 256C.1, 256C.3, 256C.4, 298A.2, 299.1A