BP BHEAD INT H [atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to after-school care for middle school youth grant program; amending RCW 74.13.0903; adding a new section to chapter 28A.215 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that middle school youth, grades six, seven, and eight, are experiencing remarkable physical and emotional development. These changes often affect how they perform in school and how they relate to parents and others in the community. This is the age when adolescents crave excitement and activities with their peers. Law enforcement officials affirm that if these needs are not met in quality programs organized by responsible adults, the adolescents become more likely to participate in unhealthy or criminal activity.

The legislature further finds that there is a lack of affordable, safe, age-appropriate child care opportunities for middle school youth.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.215 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The department of social and health services shall establish a grant program to be administered by the office of child care policy to provide funding for after-school care for middle school youth. Under the grant program:

(a) Public schools and other public, private, and nonprofit organizations may apply for grants to provide after-school care to youth in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades;

(b) Grants may be awarded to provide funding to either supplement existing programs or start new programs;

(d) Preference is to be given to providing grants to programs that will:

(i) Serve low-income youth;

(ii) Serve youth with special needs, including youth with developmental or physical disabilities and youth in individualized educational programs;

(iii) Serve economically depressed areas;

(iv) Provide age-appropriate activities for the youth; and

(v) Be geographically diverse.

(2) In administering the grant program, the office of child care policy shall:

(a) Establish an advisory board that includes representatives from middle schools, parents of middle school youth, and providers from community-based organizations and is geographically diverse. The advisory board shall review and rate applications prior to selection by the office of child care policy;

(b) Develop outcome measures with input from the advisory board and keep track of program impact using developmental assets as performance measures; and

(3) The department of social and health services shall adopt rules under chapter 34.05 RCW setting forth criteria, application procedures, and methods to implement this section.

Sec. 3. RCW 74.13.0903 and 1997 c 58 s 404 are each amended to read as follows:

The office of child care policy is established to operate under the authority of the department of social and health services. The duties and responsibilities of the office include, but are not limited to, the following, within appropriated funds:

(1) Staff and assist the child care coordinating committee in the implementation of its duties under RCW 74.13.090;

(2) Work in conjunction with the state-wide child care resource and referral network as well as local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and community child care advocates to create local child care resource and referral organizations. These organizations may carry out needs assessments, resource development, provider training, technical assistance, and parent information and training;

(3) Actively seek public and private money for distribution as grants to the state-wide child care resource and referral network and to existing or potential local child care resource and referral organizations;

(4) Adopt rules regarding the application for and distribution of grants to local child care resource and referral organizations. The rules shall, at a minimum, require an applicant to submit a plan for achieving the following objectives:

(a) Provide parents with information about child care resources, including location of services and subsidies;

(b) Carry out child care provider recruitment and training programs, including training under RCW 74.25.040;

(d) Provide information for businesses regarding child care supply and demand;

(e) Advocate for increased public and private sector resources devoted to child care;

(f) Provide technical assistance to employers regarding employee child care services; and

(g) Serve recipients of temporary assistance for needy families and working parents with incomes at or below household incomes of one hundred seventy-five percent of the federal poverty line;

(5) Provide staff support and technical assistance to the state-wide child care resource and referral network and local child care resource and referral organizations;

(6) Maintain a state-wide child care licensing data bank and work with department of social and health services licensors to provide information to local child care resource and referral organizations about licensed child care providers in the state;

(7) Through the state-wide child care resource and referral network and local resource and referral organizations, compile data about local child care needs and availability for future planning and development;

(8) Coordinate with the state-wide child care resource and referral network and local child care resource and referral organizations for the provision of training and technical assistance to child care providers; ((~~and~~))

(9) Collect and assemble information regarding the availability of insurance and of federal and other child care funding to assist state and local agencies, businesses, and other child care providers in offering child care services;

(10) Administer the after-school care for middle school youth grant program established in section 2 of this act.