Z-1495               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5033

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Senators Gaspard and Saling; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Read first time 1/24/86 and referred to Committee on Education.

AN ACT Relating to preschools; adding new sections to chapter 28A.34 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature intends to establish a process for public or nonpublic preschool programs to seek voluntarily accreditation, by the state board of education, of their child development and educational offerings.  The purpose of the accreditation is to give parents and other consumers of preschool programs some standard to use to assess the quality of preschool programs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the definition used in this section shall apply throughout this chapter.

          "Preschool" means educational programs that emphasize readiness skills and that enroll children of preschool age on a regular basis for four hours per day or less.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The state board of education shall accredit, subject to such accreditation standards and procedures as may be established by the state board of education, all public and nonpublic preschools that apply and qualify for such accreditation.  In developing standards, the state board of education shall use nationally developed standards if, in the judgment of the state board of education, such national standards adequately protect the children and parents who are the consumers of preschool education.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     No public or nonpublic entity may advertise that it has an accredited preschool unless its educational program has been accredited under this chapter.  Any person with a pecuniary interest in the operation of a preschool who intentionally and falsely advertises that such preschool is accredited by the state board of education shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, the fine for which shall be no more than one hundred dollars.  Each day that the violation continues shall be considered a separate violation.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     Sections 1 through 4 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.34 RCW.