This bill seeks to enhance early childhood education and care in Iowa by revising existing laws related to the statewide preschool program and child development services. A significant change is the inclusion of community-based providers as approved participants in the preschool program, which was previously restricted to school districts. The bill also establishes a new pilot program for child care continuum partnership grants, aimed at fostering collaborations between preschool providers and licensed child care centers to deliver full-day early childhood education and care. Additionally, it transfers responsibilities from the child development coordinating council to the Department of Education (DE), which will now oversee the development of standards and materials for early childhood education.

Moreover, the bill introduces new eligibility criteria for the state child care assistance program, allowing parents or guardians employed in child care facilities to qualify for assistance under specific conditions. It mandates the DE to create a preschool accountability system and revise early learning standards to ensure high-quality educational outcomes for prekindergarten programs. The legislation emphasizes the importance of collaboration among various stakeholders in early childhood education and care, aiming to improve access and quality of services for at-risk children and their families in Iowa.

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