HOUSE BILL NO. 4668

May 24, 2019, Introduced by Reps. Stone, Pagan, Clemente, Camilleri, Brenda Carter, Wittenberg, Manoogian, Sowerby, Kennedy, Koleszar, Love, Brixie, Hope, Gay-Dagnogo, Hoadley and Sabo and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

"The state school aid act of 1979,"

by amending section 32d (MCL 388.1632d), as amended by 2018 PA 586.

the people of the state of michigan enact:

Sec. 32d. (1) From the funds appropriated in section 11, there is allocated to eligible intermediate districts and consortia of intermediate districts for great start readiness programs an amount not to exceed $244,600,000.00 for 2018-2019. Funds allocated under this section for great start readiness programs shall be used to provide part-day, school-day, or GSRP/Head Start blended comprehensive free compensatory classroom programs designed to improve the readiness and subsequent achievement of educationally disadvantaged children who meet the participant eligibility and prioritization guidelines as defined by the department. For a child to be eligible to participate in a program under this section, the child shall be at least 4, but less than 5, years of age as of September 1 of the school year in which the program is offered and shall meet those eligibility and prioritization guidelines. A child who is not 4 years of age as of September 1, but who will be 4 years of age not later than December 1, is eligible to participate if the child's parent or legal guardian seeks a waiver from the September 1 eligibility date by submitting a request for enrollment in a program to the responsible intermediate district, if the program has capacity on or after September 1 of the school year, and if the child meets eligibility and prioritization guidelines.

(2) From the funds allocated under subsection (1), an amount not to exceed $242,600,000.00 is allocated to intermediate districts or consortia of intermediate districts based on the formula in section 39. An intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts receiving funding under this section shall act as the fiduciary for the great start readiness programs. In order to be eligible to receive funds allocated under this subsection from an intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts, a district, a consortium of districts, or a public or private for-profit or nonprofit legal entity or agency shall comply with this section and section 39.

(3) In addition to the allocation under subsection (1), from the general fund money appropriated under section 11, there is allocated an amount not to exceed $300,000.00 for 2018-2019 for a competitive grant to continue a longitudinal evaluation of children who have participated in great start readiness programs.

(4) To be eligible for funding under this section, a program shall prepare children for success in school through comprehensive part-day, school-day, or GSRP/Head Start blended programs that contain all of the following program components, as determined by the department:

(a) Participation in a collaborative recruitment and enrollment process to assure that each child is enrolled in the program most appropriate to his or her needs and to maximize the use of federal, state, and local funds.

(b) An age-appropriate educational curriculum that is in compliance with the early childhood standards of quality for prekindergarten children adopted by the state board, including, at least, the Connect4Learning curriculum.

(d) Physical and dental health and developmental screening services for all program participants.

(e) Referral services for families of program participants to community social service agencies, including mental health services, as appropriate.

(f) Active and continuous involvement of the parents or guardians of the program participants.

(g) A plan to conduct and report annual great start readiness program evaluations and continuous improvement plans using criteria approved by the department.

(h) Participation in a school readiness advisory committee convened as a workgroup of the great start collaborative that provides for the involvement of classroom teachers, parents or guardians of program participants, and community, volunteer, and social service agencies and organizations, as appropriate. The advisory committee annually shall review and make recommendations regarding the program components listed in this subsection. The advisory committee also shall make recommendations to the great start collaborative regarding other community services designed to improve all children's school readiness.

(i) The ongoing articulation of the kindergarten and first grade programs offered by the program provider.

(j) Participation in this state's great start to quality process with a rating of at least 3 stars.

(5) An application for funding under this section shall provide for the following, in a form and manner determined by the department:

(a) Ensure compliance with all program components described in subsection (4).

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, ensure that at least 90% of the children participating in an eligible great start readiness program for whom the intermediate district is receiving funds under this section are children who live with families with a household income that is equal to or less than 250% 350% of the federal poverty level. If the intermediate district determines that all eligible children are being served and that there are no children on the waiting list who live with families with a household income that is equal to or less than 250% 350% of the federal poverty level, the intermediate district may then enroll children who live with families with a household income that is equal to or less than 300% 400% of the federal poverty level. The enrollment process shall consider income and risk factors, such that children determined with higher need are enrolled before children with lesser need. For purposes of this subdivision, all age-eligible children served in foster care or who are experiencing homelessness or who have individualized education plans programs recommending placement in an inclusive preschool setting shall be are considered to live with families with household income equal to or less than 250% 350% of the federal poverty level regardless of actual family income and shall be are prioritized for enrollment within the lowest quintile.

(i) Teachers possessing proper training. A lead teacher must have a valid teaching certificate with an early childhood (ZA or ZS) endorsement or a bachelor's or higher degree in child development or early childhood education with specialization in preschool teaching. However, if an applicant demonstrates to the department that it is unable to fully comply with this subparagraph after making reasonable efforts to comply, teachers who have significant but incomplete training in early childhood education or child development may be used if the applicant provides to the department, and the department approves, a plan for each teacher to come into compliance with the standards in this subparagraph. A teacher's compliance plan must be completed within 2 years of the date of employment. Progress toward completion of the compliance plan shall consist consists of at least 2 courses per calendar year.

(ii) Paraprofessionals possessing proper training in early childhood education, including an associate's degree in early childhood education or child development or the equivalent, or a child development associate (CDA) credential. However, if an applicant demonstrates to the department that it is unable to fully comply with this subparagraph after making reasonable efforts to comply, the applicant may use paraprofessionals who have completed at least 1 course that earns college credit in early childhood education or child development if the applicant provides to the department, and the department approves, a plan for each paraprofessional to come into compliance with the standards in this subparagraph. A paraprofessional's compliance plan must be completed within 2 years of the date of employment. Progress toward completion of the compliance plan shall consist consists of at least 2 courses or 60 clock hours of training per calendar year.

(d) Include a program budget that contains only those costs that are not reimbursed or reimbursable by federal funding, that are clearly and directly attributable to the great start readiness program, and that would not be incurred if the program were not being offered. Eligible costs include transportation costs. The program budget shall indicate the extent to which these funds will supplement other federal, state, local, or private funds. Funds received under this section shall not be used to supplant any federal funds received by the applicant to serve children eligible for a federally funded preschool program that has the capacity to serve those children.

(6) For a grant recipient that enrolls pupils in a school-day program funded under this section, each child enrolled in the school-day program shall be is counted as described in section 39 for purposes of determining the amount of the grant award.

(7) For a grant recipient that enrolls pupils in a GSRP/Head Start blended program, the grant recipient shall ensure that all Head Start and GSRP policies and regulations are applied to the blended slots, with adherence to the highest standard from either program, to the extent allowable under federal law.

(8) An intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts receiving a grant under this section shall designate an early childhood coordinator, and may provide services directly or may contract with 1 or more districts or public or private for-profit or nonprofit providers that meet all requirements of subsections (4) and (5).

(9) An intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts may retain for administrative services provided by the intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts an amount not to exceed 4% of the grant amount. Expenses incurred by subrecipients engaged by the intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts for directly running portions of the program shall be are considered program costs or a contracted program fee for service.

(10) An intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts may expend not more than 2% of the total grant amount for outreach, recruiting, and public awareness of the program.

(11) Each grant recipient shall enroll children identified under subsection (5)(b) according to how far the child's household income is below 250% 350% of the federal poverty level by ranking each applicant child's household income from lowest to highest and dividing the applicant children into quintiles based on how far the child's household income is below 250% 350% of the federal poverty level, and then enrolling children in the quintile with the lowest household income before enrolling children in the quintile with the next lowest household income until slots are completely filled. If the grant recipient determines that all eligible children are being served and that there are no children on the waiting list who live with families with a household income that is equal to or less than 250% 350% of the federal poverty level, the grant recipient may then enroll children who live with families with a household income that is equal to or less than 300% 400% of the federal poverty level. The enrollment process shall consider income and risk factors, such that children determined with higher need are enrolled before children with lesser need. For purposes of this subdivision, subsection, all age-eligible children served in foster care or who are experiencing homelessness or who have individualized education plans programs recommending placement in an inclusive preschool setting shall be are considered to live with families with household income equal to or less than 250% 350% of the federal poverty level regardless of actual family income and shall be are prioritized for enrollment within the lowest quintile.

(12) An intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts receiving a grant under this section shall allow parents of eligible children who are residents of the intermediate district or within the consortium to choose a program operated by or contracted with another intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts and shall enter into a written agreement regarding payment, in a manner prescribed by the department.

(13) An intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts receiving a grant under this section shall conduct a local process to contract with interested and eligible public and private for-profit and nonprofit community-based providers that meet all requirements of subsection (4) for at least 30% of its total allocation. For the purposes of this 30% allocation, an intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts may count children served by a Head Start grantee or delegate in a blended Head Start and great start readiness school-day program. Children served in a program funded only through Head Start shall not be are not counted toward this 30% allocation. The intermediate district or consortium shall report to the department, in a manner prescribed by the department, a detailed list of community-based providers by provider type, including private for-profit, private nonprofit, community college or university, Head Start grantee or delegate, and district or intermediate district, and the number and proportion of its total allocation allocated to each provider as subrecipient. If the intermediate district or consortium is not able to contract for at least 30% of its total allocation, the grant recipient shall notify the department and, if the department verifies that the intermediate district or consortium attempted to contract for at least 30% of its total allocation and was not able to do so, then the intermediate district or consortium may retain and use all of its allocation as provided under this section. To be able to use this exemption, the intermediate district or consortium shall demonstrate to the department that the intermediate district or consortium increased the percentage of its total allocation for which it contracts with a community-based provider and the intermediate district or consortium shall submit evidence satisfactory to the department, and the department must be able to verify this evidence, demonstrating that the intermediate district or consortium took measures to contract for at least 30% of its total allocation as required under this subsection, including, but not limited to, at least all of the following measures:

(a) The intermediate district or consortium notified each nonparticipating licensed child care center located in the service area of the intermediate district or consortium regarding the center's eligibility to participate, in a manner prescribed by the department.

(b) The intermediate district or consortium provided to each nonparticipating licensed child care center located in the service area of the intermediate district or consortium information regarding great start readiness program requirements and a description of the application and selection process for community-based providers.

(c) The intermediate district or consortium provided to the public and to participating families a list of community-based great start readiness program subrecipients with a great start to quality rating of at least 3 stars.

(14) If an intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts receiving a grant under this section fails to submit satisfactory evidence to demonstrate its effort to contract for at least 30% of its total allocation, as required under subsection (13), the department shall reduce the allocation to the intermediate district or consortium by a percentage equal to the difference between the percentage of an intermediate district's or consortium's total allocation awarded to community-based providers and 30% of its total allocation.

(15) In order to assist intermediate districts and consortia in complying with the requirement to contract with community-based providers for at least 30% of their total allocation, the department shall do all of the following:

(a) Ensure that a great start resource center or the department provides each intermediate district or consortium receiving a grant under this section with the contact information for each licensed child care center located in the service area of the intermediate district or consortium by March 1 of each year.

(b) Provide, or ensure that an organization with which the department contracts provides, a community-based provider with a validated great start to quality rating within 90 days of the provider's having submitted a request and self-assessment.

(c) Ensure that all intermediate district, district, community college or university, Head Start grantee or delegate, private for-profit, and private nonprofit providers are subject to a single great start to quality rating system. The rating system shall ensure that regulators process all prospective providers at the same pace on a first-come, first-served basis and shall not allow 1 type of provider to receive a great start to quality rating ahead of any other type of provider.

(d) Not later than December 1 of each year, compile the results of the information reported by each intermediate district or consortium under subsection (13) and report to the legislature a list by intermediate district or consortium with the number and percentage of each intermediate district's or consortium's total allocation allocated to community-based providers by provider type, including private for-profit, private nonprofit, community college or university, Head Start grantee or delegate, and district or intermediate district.

(16) A recipient of funds under this section shall report to the center in a form and manner prescribed by the center the information necessary to derive the number of children participating in the program who meet the program eligibility criteria under subsection (5)(b), the number of eligible children not participating in the program and on a waitlist, and the total number of children participating in the program by various demographic groups and eligibility factors necessary to analyze equitable and priority access to services for the purposes of subsection (3).

(17) As used in this section:

(a) "GSRP/Head Start blended program" means a part-day program funded under this section and a Head Start program, which are combined for a school-day program.

(b) "Part-day program" means a program that operates at least 4 days per week, 30 weeks per year, for at least 3 hours of teacher-child contact time per day but for fewer hours of teacher-child contact time per day than a school-day program.

(c) "School-day program" means a program that operates for at least the same length of day as a district's first grade program for a minimum of 4 days per week, 30 weeks per year. A classroom that offers a school-day program must enroll all children for the school day to be considered a school-day program.

(18) An intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts receiving funds under this section shall establish and charge tuition according to a sliding scale of tuition rates based upon household income for children participating in an eligible great start readiness program who live with families with a household income that is more than 250% 350% of the federal poverty level to be used by all of its providers, as approved by the department.

(19) From the amount appropriated in subsection (1), there is allocated an amount not to exceed $10,000,000.00 for reimbursement of transportation costs for children attending great start readiness programs funded under this section. To receive reimbursement under this subsection, not later than November 1, 2018, a program funded under this section that provides transportation shall submit to the intermediate district that is the fiscal agent for the program a projected transportation budget. The amount of the reimbursement for transportation under this subsection shall be is no more than the projected transportation budget or $300.00 multiplied by the number of children funded for the program under this section. If the amount allocated under this subsection is insufficient to fully reimburse the transportation costs for all programs that provide transportation and submit the required information, the reimbursement shall be prorated in an equal amount per child funded. Payments shall be made to the intermediate district that is the fiscal agent for each program, and the intermediate district shall then reimburse the program provider for transportation costs as prescribed under this subsection.

(20) Subject to, and from the funds allocated under, subsection (19), the department shall reimburse a program for transportation costs related to parent- or guardian-accompanied transportation provided by transportation service companies, buses, or other public transportation services. To be eligible for reimbursement under this subsection, a program must submit to the intermediate district or consortia of intermediate districts all of the following:

(a) The names of families provided with transportation support along with a documented reason for the need for transportation support and the type of transportation provided.

(b) Financial documentation of actual transportation costs incurred by the program, including, but not limited to, receipts and mileage reports, as determined by the department.

(21) The department shall implement a process to review and approve age-appropriate comprehensive classroom level quality assessments for GSRP grantees that support the early childhood standards of quality for prekindergarten children adopted by the state board. The department shall make available to intermediate districts at least 2 classroom level quality assessments that were approved in 2018.

(22) An intermediate district that is a GSRP grantee may approve the use of a supplemental curriculum that aligns with and enhances the age-appropriate educational curriculum in the classroom. If the department objects to the use of a supplemental curriculum approved by an intermediate district, the superintendent of public instruction shall establish a review committee independent of the department. The review committee shall meet within 60 days of the department registering its objection in writing and provide a final determination on the validity of the objection within 60 days of the review committee's first meeting.

(23) The department shall implement a process to evaluate and approve age-appropriate educational curricula that are in compliance with the early childhood standards of quality for prekindergarten children adopted by the state board.

(24) From the funds allocated under subsection (1), there is allocated an amount not to exceed $2,000,000.00 for payments to intermediate districts or consortia of intermediate districts for professional development and training materials for educators in programs implementing new curricula in 2019-2020.

(25) A great start readiness program or a GSRP/Head Start blended program funded under this section shall be is permitted to utilize AmeriCorps Pre-K Reading Corps members in classrooms implementing research-based early literacy intervention strategies.