AN ACT Relating to early learning coordinators at educational service districts; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.310 RCW.

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, each educational service district must designate an early learning coordinator to support increased collaboration, recruitment, enrollment, and service delivery across Washington's prekindergarten through third grade continuum.

(a) Facilitate access to high quality early learning programs by supporting school districts and early learning providers in the community with coordinated eligibility, recruitment, enrollment, and placement of children ages three through five;

(b)(i) Improve access to early learning programs with inclusive services that support children ages three through five with disabilities in a least restrictive environment, and support coordination of special education services and protocols in either school districts or early learning providers in the community, or both;

(ii) Provide technical assistance on effective transitions between early learning programs, including the delivery of services for students with individualized education programs;

(c) In partnership with the statewide child care resource and referral organization, meet regularly with early learning providers in the community, school districts, and other partners to support development and implementation of plans for coordinated recruitment efforts in accordance with the best practices established under RCW 28A.300.072(4) and to help families find early learning providers and services that meet their needs;

(i) Provide technical assistance to school districts around coordinated recruitment, student placement, enrollment, and implementation of various models of preschool programs, including performance standards, eligibility requirements, and funding parameters;

(ii) In partnership with the early learning coordinator's regional child care resource and referral organization, assist school districts in identifying available programs and slots, as well as funding and braiding funding to maximize quality and access;

(iii) Provide training and coaching to school districts in accordance with the guidelines established under RCW 28A.300.072(3), including support to the office of the superintendent of public instruction in coordinating site visits to school districts, charter schools, or state-tribal education compact schools providing transition to kindergarten programs to support implementation of elements related to site readiness, developmentally appropriate instruction, and professional development opportunities;

(iv) Provide training and coaching on developmentally appropriate instructional practices for all-day kindergarten programs under RCW 28A.150.315;

(v) Provide training and technical assistance to school districts on creating a robust prekindergarten to third grade system that includes strategies for strengthening alignment between these grade levels using existing tools such as school district needs assessments, instructional frameworks for alignment of instructional content, developmentally appropriate instructional practices, policies and systems, professional development, and coaching on inclusive practices; and

(vi) Support school district instructional leaders in improving student learning across prekindergarten through grade 12 within the early learning coordinator's local context, including implementation of the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills as established by RCW 28A.655.080, school improvement requirements under chapter 28A.657 RCW, the transitional bilingual instruction program established in chapter 28A.180, inclusion as defined in RCW 28A.415.443, multitiered systems of support, and the teacher and principal evaluation systems established in RCW 28A.405.100.