AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD.
To (1) amend school readiness programs by allowing children to become eligible at birth rather than age three, requiring grant awards every two years rather than annually, removing the requirement that rate increases be used exclusively for staff salaries and requiring that a written authorization signed by parents be filed with a school district upon agreement that a child will attend a school readiness program for another year rather than attend school; (2) remove the requirement that rate increases for child care centers be used exclusively for staff salaries; (3) amend the Smart Start program by removing the sunset date and by removing the requirement that programs in which fifty per cent or more of children are eligible for free or reduced priced lunches be given a priority for grants; (4) simplify and extend staff qualification requirements at state-funded child care programs and repeal the requirement to issue early childhood teacher credentials; (5) require the establishment of a two-tier income eligibility threshold for the child care subsidy program to comply with federal regulations; (6) allow the establishment of a parent cabinet; (7) rename "early childhood council" to "local early childhood collaborative"; (8) allow the Office of Early Childhood to order a medical examination during an investigation of a child care center, group child care home or family child care home; and (9) to allow the disclosure, without redaction, to a law enforcement officer, upon request, of the name of a person making a report or complaint and any records resulting from an investigation of a child care center, group child care home, family child care home or youth camp.
Introduced by:
Education Committee
