S-1972.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5731

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl, Wood, Brown, Winsley, Bauer and Kline)

Read first time 02/25/97.

Creating the Washington fund for student child care in higher education.

    AN ACT Relating to child care grants for state institutions of higher education; and adding a new chapter to Title 28B RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The Washington fund for student child care in higher education is established.  The higher education coordinating board shall administer the program.  Through this program the board may award on a competitive basis child care grants to state institutions of higher education to encourage programs to address the need for high quality, accessible, and affordable child care for students at higher education institutions.  Grants shall not exceed a two-year period.  The university administration and student government association, or its equivalent, of each institution receiving the award shall contribute financial support in an amount equal to the child care grant received by the institution.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The higher education coordinating board shall have the following powers and duties in administering the program:

    (1) To adopt rules necessary to carry out the program;

    (2) To establish one or more review committees to assist in the evaluation of proposals for funding.  The review committee shall include but not be limited to individuals from the Washington association for the education of young children, the child care coordinating committee, and the child care resource and referral network;

    (3) To establish each biennium specific guidelines for submitting grant proposals consistent with the overall goals of the program.  During the 1997-99 biennium the guidelines shall be consistent with the following desired outcomes of increasing access to child care for students, addressing the demand for infant and toddler care, providing affordable child care alternatives, creating more cooperative preschool programs, creating models that can be replicated at other institutions, creating a partnership between student governments and university administrations, and increasing efficiency and innovation at campus child care centers;

    (4) To establish guidelines for an allocation system based on factors that include but are not limited to:  The amount of money available in the trust fund; characteristics of the institutions including the size of the faculty and student body; and the number of child care grants received;

    (5) To solicit grant proposals and provide information to the institutions of higher education about the program; and

    (6) To establish reporting, evaluation, accountability, monitoring, and dissemination requirements for the recipients of the grants.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  The fund for student child care in higher education is established in the custody of the state treasurer.  Moneys in the fund may be spent only for the purposes of section 1 of this act.  Disbursements from the fund shall be on the authorization of the higher education coordinating board.  The fund is subject to the allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for disbursements.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  Sections 1 through 3 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 28B RCW.

                            --- END ---