PRINTER'S NO. 596
No. 553 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY STAIRS, COLAFELLA, SAYLOR, FLICK, HERMAN,
McILHATTAN, R. MILLER, NAILOR, SCHULER, CURRY, GRUCELA,
MUNDY, ROEBUCK, STURLA, ALLEN, BOYES, BUNT, CALTAGIRONE,
CAWLEY, CLARK, L. I. COHEN, COSTA, CRUZ, DeLUCA, DeWEESE,
DiGIROLAMO, EACHUS, FEESE, FREEMAN, GEORGE, HARHAI,
HENNESSEY, JADLOWIEC, JOSEPHS, LaGROTTA, LAUGHLIN, LEDERER,
MANDERINO, MANN, MARKOSEK, MELIO, MICOZZIE, PIPPY, READSHAW,
RUBLEY, SAINATO, SAMUELSON, SATHER, SCRIMENTI, SEMMEL,
SHANER, B. SMITH, STABACK, STERN, SURRA, E. Z. TAYLOR, TIGUE,
TRELLO, TULLI, WALKO, WANSACZ, WATERS, J. WILLIAMS,
WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD, YUDICHAK, ZUG AND C. WILLIAMS,
FEBRUARY 7, 2001
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 7, 2001
AN ACT
1 Establishing a State grant program to assist school districts
2 establishing prekindergarten programs and imposing powers and
3 duties on the Department of Education and the Secretary of
4 Education.
5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7 Section 1. Short title.
8 This act shall be known and may be cited as the
9 Prekindergarten Program Incentive Act.
10 Section 2. Definitions.
11 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
12 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
13 context clearly indicates otherwise:
14 "At-risk students." A student at risk of educational failure
1 because of limited English proficiency, poverty, community
2 factors, truancy, academic difficulties or economic
3 disadvantage.
4 "Department." The Department of Education of the
5 Commonwealth.
6 "Eligible children." Children three years of age or older.
7 "Prekindergarten program." A preschool or nursery school
8 program established for eligible children as defined by this
9 act.
10 "Qualified staff." Teachers certified in early childhood
11 education and teacher aides with training in early childhood
12 education.
13 Section 3. Purpose.
14 The grants are intended to act as an incentive to encourage
15 school districts to establish and maintain prekindergarten
16 programs that enable at-risk students to be academically
17 successful and to make the programs available to eligible
18 children in their district.
19 Section 4. Incentive grants.
20 Beginning with the 2001-2002 fiscal year and continuing each
21 school year thereafter, the department shall award incentive
22 grants to eligible school districts in order to encourage these
23 institutions to establish quality prekindergarten programs and
24 make them available to eligible children in their district or
25 geographical area.
26 Section 5. Eligibility and funding.
27 (a) Guidelines.--The department shall establish guidelines
28 for grant recipients' eligibility and the amount of grant
29 awards. The department shall allocate grants to eligible school
30 districts from funds appropriated by the General Assembly for
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1 the implementation of this act.
2 (b) Requirements.--School districts eligible for the grant
3 shall:
4 (1) Operate or plan to operate a prekindergarten
5 program.
6 (2) Demonstrate the ability to offer a quality
7 prekindergarten program. The quality of the programs will be
8 determined by:
9 (i) Meeting the needs of children and promoting
10 physical, social, emotional and cognitive development.
11 (ii) Employing qualified staff, including teachers
12 certified in early childhood education.
13 (iii) Stressing parental involvement in the
14 prekindergarten program and giving parents needed
15 resources to better understand and enhance their
16 children's growth.
17 (iv) Linking children and their parents to
18 insurance, nutrition, physical and mental health care and
19 developmental screening services.
20 (3) Make the prekindergarten program available to all
21 eligible students in the district, including targeting those
22 that would be considered at-risk students.
23 (4) Comply with such application requirements, rules or
24 standards as may be promulgated by the department pursuant to
25 section 7.
26 (c) Preference in funding.--Preference in funding should be
27 given to school districts, intermediate units or charter schools
28 on the education empowerment list or an education empowerment
29 district as defined in Article XVII-B of the act of March 10,
30 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949,
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1 that would establish quality prekindergarten programs.
2 Section 6. Use of funds.
3 The grants provided for by this act may be used to:
4 (1) Establish a quality preschool program aligned with
5 the current academic standards contained in 22 Pa Code, Ch. 4
6 (relating to academic standards and assessments).
7 (2) Plan a curriculum and purchase those materials
8 necessary to carry it out.
9 (3) Hire certified staff to teach and qualified
10 teacher's aides.
11 Section 7. Duties of department.
12 (a) Applications.--Grant applications shall be filed on a
13 form and in such manner as determined by the department. The
14 application shall address the determination of eligibility
15 pursuant to section 5.
16 (b) Budget submission.--The department shall annually, as
17 part of the department's budget proposal submitted to the
18 Governor, include an estimate of State funds required for the
19 ensuing fiscal year to fund the grants provided by this act.
20 Section 8. Rules and regulations.
21 The department may promulgate such rules and regulations
22 necessary to administer and enforce this act.
23 Section 9. Program evaluation.
24 (a) General rule.--The department shall conduct an annual
25 evaluation of the prekindergarten program to determine its
26 effectiveness in providing prekindergarten programs to the
27 eligible children.
28 (b) Use of evaluation.--This evaluation shall be used to
29 determine the overall effectiveness of whether prekindergarten
30 education programs conducted by the school districts improve the
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1 classroom learning environment and academic progress of students
2 toward the established academic standards.
3 (c) Report to General Assembly.--At the conclusion of every
4 school year in which prekindergarten program grants are awarded,
5 the department shall prepare a comprehensive report outlining
6 its findings concerning the effectiveness of the prekindergarten
7 programs. This final report shall be made to the Governor and to
8 the chairman and minority chairman of the Education Committee of
9 the Senate and the chairman and minority chairman of the
10 Education Committee of the House of Representatives no later
11 than July 1 at the end of the school year.
12 Section 10. Effective date.
13 This act shall take effect July 1, 2001, or immediately,
14 whichever is later.
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