Attached: H.534.summary.6.12.07.pdf

KIDS ARE PRIORITY ONE COALITION

Live the Promise

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PreK Legislative Wrap-Up

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June 12, 2007

OVERVIEW

Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard on the pre-k bill! After almost five years of debate among policymakers and the public, the legislature passed and the Governor signed H. 534, the legislation which clarifies in law that each local community has the option to use public education dollars for voluntary, high-quality pre-k services to 3 and 4 year olds. Vermont joins only a handful of states that fund pre-k using the state’s school funding formula.

As the bill states in Section 1, “The broader community has a vested interest in assuring that all children and families have access to the care and support needed for the growth and development of children. Failure to meet the needs of young children results in significant societal costs in the future.”

 

Science tells us that what happens in the early years affects the developing architecture of a young child’s brain. As the brain develops – and it develops the most in the first five years of life – the quality of that architecture establishes either a sturdy or a fragile foundation for all of the development and behavior that follow. Getting things right the first time is easier than trying to fix it later. 

This bill will contribute to a solid foundation for later development. By permitting school districts to count pre-k children (up to a certain limit) in their student count, public education funds can go to qualified community-based early care and education programs to increase families’ access to affordable, high-quality child development services by reducing tuition costs and to improve the quality of those early experiences.

Please be sure to thank your legislators who voted for the bill. To find out how they voted, go to:

House: http://www.leg. state.vt. us/database/ status/rcdetail. cfm?Session= 2008&RollCallID=3897

Senate: http://www.leg. state.vt. us/database/ status/rcdetail. cfm?Session= 2008&RollCallID=3959

THE COMPROMISE

Current policy had already allowed school districts to count three and four year olds in their student count.  This policy, however, was not clearly stated in law, and there were challenges to its use, uncertainty as to its future, and a lack of standards as to how school districts provide preschool services. It was important to clear up any uncertainly and have a clear statement of legislative intent on the issue.  H. 534 does this. 

However, moving forward sometimes means compromise. The new law imposes a cap on the number of three and four year olds who can be counted in a district’s student count. The cap limits the number of students a district can count to approximately half of the total number of three and four year olds, not counting special education students. For those who feel quality early education is both necessary for our young children and cost-effective for school districts, this is a serious disappointment.  However, the legislation calls for reporting on the many details of the new policies, including the effectiveness of the programs.  The hope is that the success of the programs will lead to removal of the cap in the near future.

SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION

The legislation:

**Clarifies in law each local community’s option to use public education dollars to provide 10 hours per week of high-quality pre-k by counting preschoolers in their student count (Average Daily Membership or ADM).

**Allows for the provision of preschool services either directly by the school or through contracts with private providers in centers or in homes.

**Directs the Commissioner of Education and the Commissioner of the Department for Children and Families to jointly develop and agree to rules, which will be presented to the State Board of Education for adoption.  The legislation is very explicit about what the rules must include. For example, school districts must use existing qualified service providers before they can establish an on-site preschool program. The rules must also set standards for private providers who would contract with school districts. 

For a copy of the bill, go to: http://www.leg. state.vt. us/docs/legdoc. cfm?URL=/ docs/2008/ bills/passed/ H-534.HTM.)

Attached is a section-by-section summary of the legislation, prepared by Kids Are Priority One staff with help from Cynthia Tarail, Director of the Early Childhood Council of Windham County. This summary will soon be available on the Kids Are Priority One web site as well (www.kidsarepriority one.org).

NEXT STEPS: RULE-MAKING

Rule-making is a formal process which includes requirements for warned public meetings, opportunity for public input, and comment and review by the legislature.  For a description of the rule-making within the Department of Education, see http://education. vermont.gov/ new/pdfdoc/ board/rulemaking _process. pdf The Kids Are Priority One Coalition staff will closely monitor the rule-making process and inform you of opportunities for public input along the way.

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