BILL REQ. #:  H-4695.1 

Read first time 01/23/08.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning & Children's Services.

     AN ACT Relating to the creation of the Washington head start program; and adding new sections to chapter 43.215 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that:
     (a) The state is committed to providing early learning services to all eligible economically disadvantaged families;
     (b) Research has demonstrated that comprehensive services, including family support services designed to meet the early education needs of low-income and at-risk children, are successful in improving school readiness, reducing the risk of juvenile delinquency and incarceration, and reducing reliance on public assistance among these children later in life;
     (c) The state's early childhood education and assistance program was originally established to serve as the state counterpart to the federal head start program. When it was created, it aligned with the federal program in both standards and funding levels;
     (d) The state early childhood education and assistance program has served an important role in providing comprehensive services to low-income children. However, since it was first created, per-child funding levels for the state program have not kept pace with funding levels for the federal program. This has resulted in fewer service hours, fewer home visits, and fewer services to children with disabilities;
     (e) Aligning performance standards and funding levels for the state early childhood education and assistance program with federal head start will improve the quality of state-supported early learning programs. Additionally, it will improve school readiness through measures, such as a forty percent increase in class time, and it will achieve administrative efficiencies making the state-supported services more easily recognizable and accessible to parents and families eligible for these programs; and
     (f) Providing quality early learning services for children from birth to age three is the most cost-effective investment society can make. Additionally, the state can use the demonstrated results from the federal early head start program as an example to expand its reach of services already provided to three and four-year old children to children in the critical birth to three years age category.
     (2) Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to establish the goal of aligning the state early childhood education and assistance program with the federal head start and early head start programs by the year 2010. There should then be one integrated Washington head start program implemented statewide, supported by both state and federal funds.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The department shall develop a plan to implement a statewide Washington head start program. The program must align the state early childhood education and assistance program with federal head start program eligibility criteria, guidelines, and performance standards. In this plan, the department shall make recommendations that:
     (a) Identify federal head start program guidelines, performance measures and standards, or other requirements for which state flexibility would be recommended. This shall include an analysis of how state flexibility may impact outcomes for children and how that flexibility might deviate from outcomes associated with the federal standards. Areas to be examined must include, but are not limited to, transportation requirements, service hour configurations, and delivery methods;
     (b) Identify any change in the state early childhood education and assistance program laws that would be required to implement a Washington head start program;
     (c) Identify additional resources needed to meet federal guidelines and standards. Areas to be examined must include, but are not limited to: Per-child funding levels, professional development and training needs, facilities needs, and technical assistance;
     (d) Identify state early childhood education and assistance programs that offer full-day, full-year services to children, and what steps need to be taken to transition these programs into a Washington head start program; and
     (e) To the extent that state funds are provided for this purpose, identify and report on the implementation of state-supported pilot programs modeled on the federal early head start program. Recommendations must include a timeline, strategy, and funding needs to implement a statewide, state-supported early head start program that will be a part of the Washington head start program.
     (2) The department shall deliver this report to the governor and legislature by December 1, 2008. In developing its recommendations for this plan, the department shall consult with and solicit input from existing state early childhood education and assistance program providers, including providers who operate solely state-supported programs.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   Sections 1 and 2 of this act are each added to chapter 43.215 RCW.