The bill aims to enhance early childhood education and care in Iowa by modifying existing provisions related to the statewide preschool program, the responsibilities of the Department of Education (DE), and the early childhood Iowa initiative. A significant change is the inclusion of community-based providers as approved participants in the preschool program, which was previously limited to school districts. The bill also introduces a pilot program for child care continuum partnership grants, allowing competitive grants for collaborations between preschool providers and licensed child care centers to offer full-day early childhood education and care. Additionally, it revises eligibility criteria for the state child care assistance program, enabling parents or guardians employed in child care facilities to qualify under specific conditions.

Furthermore, the bill transfers responsibilities from the child development coordinating council to the DE, eliminating certain requirements and provisions related to at-risk children. It emphasizes evidence-based practices and accountability in early childhood education, mandating the DE to develop a list of effective curricula and implement a preschool accountability system. The legislation seeks to streamline governance, improve service delivery, and enhance educational outcomes for vulnerable populations, particularly at-risk children, by promoting collaboration among early care, education, and health services.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 256C.1, 256C.3, 257.16, 256C.4, 256C.5, 17A.4, 256.9, 256.163, 256A.3, 279.49, 256A.5, 237A.26, 262.71, 273.2, 279.51, 256A.2, 279.60, 256I.4, 256I.6, 225A.4