House File 2495 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE 2495
BY BAGNIEWSKI
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to statewide voluntary preschool program
2 quality standards and renewals.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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1 Section 1. Section 256C.1, Code 2024, is amended by adding
2 the following new subsection:
3 NEW SUBSECTION. 1A. “Collaboration” means ongoing
4 communication, coordination, and cooperation between an
5 approved local program and families, early care providers,
6 and community providers that leads to the provision of
7 comprehensive services and the progression toward the purposes
8 of this chapter.
9 Sec. 2. Section 256C.3, subsection 3, Code 2024, is amended
10 to read as follows:
11 3. Program requirements.
12 a. The state board shall adopt rules to further define the
13 following preschool program requirements which shall be used
14 to determine whether or not a local program implemented by a
15 school district approved to implement the preschool program
16 qualifies as an approved local program:
17 a. (1) Maximum and minimum teacher-to-child ratios and
18 class sizes.
19 b. (2) Applicable state and federal program standards.
20 c. (3) Student learning standards.
21 d. (4) Provisions for the integration of children from
22 other state and federally funded preschools by ensuring,
23 subject to the approval of a child’s parent, guardian, or
24 custodian, that a child integrated into an approved local
25 program has uninterrupted instruction and access to the
26 services provided by the approved local program.
27 e. (5) Collaboration with participating families, early
28 care providers, and community partners including but not
29 limited to early childhood Iowa area boards, head start
30 programs, shared visions and other programs provided under
31 the auspices of the child development coordinating council,
32 licensed child care centers, registered child development
33 homes, area education agencies, child care resource and
34 referral services provided under section 237A.26, early
35 childhood special education programs, services funded by Tit. I
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1 of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,
2 and family support programs.
3 f. (6) A minimum of ten hours per week of instruction
4 delivered on the skills and knowledge included in the student
5 learning standards developed for the preschool program.
6 g. (7) Parental involvement in the local program.
7 h. (8) Provision for ensuring that children receiving
8 care from other child care arrangements can participate in the
9 preschool program with minimal disruption due to transportation
10 and movement from one site to another. The children
11 participating in the preschool program may be transported by
12 the school district to activities associated with the program
13 along with other children.
14 b. Approval of a preschool program under this section shall
15 be valid for five years from the date of approval.
16 Sec. 3. Section 256C.3, subsection 4, paragraph a, Code
17 2024, is amended to read as follows:
18 a. Methods of demonstrating community readiness to
19 implement high-quality instruction in a local program
20 shall be identified. The potential provider shall submit
21 a collaborative program proposal that demonstrates the
22 involvement of multiple community stakeholders including
23 but not limited to, and only as applicable, parents, the
24 school district, accredited nonpublic schools and faith-based
25 representatives, the area education agency, the early childhood
26 Iowa area board, representatives of business, head start
27 programs, shared visions and other programs provided under
28 the auspices of the child development coordinating council,
29 center-based and home-based providers of child care services,
30 human services, public health, and economic development
31 programs. The methods may include but are not limited to a
32 school district providing evidence of a public hearing on the
33 proposed programming and written documentation of collaboration
34 agreements between the school district, existing community
35 providers, and other community stakeholders addressing
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1 operational procedures and other critical measures. At least
2 once every five school budget years, an approved local program
3 shall provide evidence to the state board that the approved
4 local program is sufficiently incorporating community readiness
5 and involving multiple community stakeholders as required by
6 this paragraph.
7 Sec. 4. Section 256C.3, subsection 5, paragraph c, Code
8 2024, is amended to read as follows:
9 c. The department shall implement procedures to monitor the
10 quality of the programming provided under the preschool program
11 and revoke a preschool program’s status as an approved local
12 program if the program fails to meet program quality standards
13 under this chapter.
14 Sec. 5. Section 256C.3, subsection 5, Code 2024, is amended
15 by adding the following new paragraph:
16 NEW PARAGRAPH. e. The state board, in collaboration with
17 the department, shall encourage school districts to collaborate
18 with community partners to ensure comprehensive, integrated
19 early childhood services, including but not limited to the
20 delivery of preschool services outside of a school district in
21 community-based settings where other early childhood services
22 are being provided, are available to all eligible children.
23 Sec. 6. Section 256C.4, subsection 1, paragraph e, Code
24 2024, is amended to read as follows:
25 e. Preschool foundation aid funding shall not be used for
26 the costs of constructing a facility in connection with an
27 approved local program. Preschool foundation aid funding may
28 be used by approved local programs and community providers
29 for any purpose determined by the board of directors of the
30 school district to meet standards for high-quality preschool
31 instruction and for purposes that directly or indirectly
32 benefit students enrolled in the approved local program,
33 including but not limited to professional development for
34 preschool teachers, instructional equipment and supplies,
35 material and equipment designed to develop pupils’ large and
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1 small motor skills, translation services, playground equipment
2 and repair costs, food and beverages used by children in the
3 approved local program, safety equipment, facility rental
4 fees, and for other direct costs that enhance the approved
5 local program, including by contracting with community
6 partners for any such services. Preschool foundation aid
7 funding may be used by approved local programs for the costs
8 of transportation involving children participating in the
9 preschool program. The costs of transporting other children
10 associated with the preschool program or transported as
11 provided in section 256C.3, subsection 3, paragraph “h” “a”,
12 subparagraph (8), may be prorated by the school district.
13 Preschool foundation aid funding received by an approved local
14 program that remains unexpended and unobligated at the end of
15 a fiscal year beginning on or after July 1, 2017, shall be
16 used to build the approved local program’s preschool program
17 capacity in the next succeeding fiscal year excluding that
18 portion of such unexpended and unobligated funding that the
19 school district authorizes for transfer for deposit in the
20 school district’s flexibility account established under section
21 298A.2, subsection 2, if the statutory requirements for the use
22 of such funding are met. For purposes of determining whether a
23 school district has authority to transfer preschool foundation
24 aid funding for deposit in the school district’s flexibility
25 account established under section 298A.2, subsection 2, the
26 school district must have provided preschool programming
27 during the fiscal year for which funding remains unexpended
28 and unobligated to all eligible students for whom a timely
29 application for enrollment was submitted.
30 EXPLANATION
31 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
32 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
33 This bill relates to statewide voluntary preschool program
34 (SVPP) quality standards.
35 The bill defines “collaboration” for purposes of the SVPP as
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1 ongoing communication, coordination, and cooperation between
2 an approved local program and families, early care providers,
3 and community providers that leads to the provision of
4 comprehensive services and the progression toward the purposes
5 of the SVPP.
6 The bill requires the state board of education (BOE) to adopt
7 rules that provide for the integration of children from other
8 state and federally funded preschools by ensuring, subject
9 to the approval of a child’s parent, guardian, or custodian,
10 that a child integrated into an approved local program has
11 uninterrupted instruction and access to the services provided
12 by the approved local program.
13 The bill limits a preschool program’s status as an approved
14 local program for a period of five years.
15 The bill requires, at least once every five years, for an
16 approved local program to provide evidence to the BOE that the
17 approved local program is sufficiently incorporating community
18 readiness and involving multiple community stakeholders.
19 The bill requires the department of education (DE) to
20 implement procedures for revoking a preschool program’s status
21 as an approved local program if it fails to meet program
22 quality standards for the SVPP.
23 The bill requires the BOE, in collaboration with the
24 DE, to encourage school districts to collaborate with
25 community partners to ensure comprehensive, integrated
26 early childhood services, including but not limited to the
27 delivery of preschool services outside of a school district in
28 community-based settings where other early childhood services
29 are being provided, are available to all children for the SVPP.
30 The bill makes conforming changes.
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Statutes affected:
Introduced: 256C.1, 256C.3, 237A.26, 256C.4