PRINTER'S NO. 504
No. 68 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY MURPHY, CONTI, RHOADES, WAGNER, BELL, WAUGH,
TOMLINSON, HELFRICK, STOUT, KITCHEN, O'PAKE, COSTA, KUKOVICH,
TARTAGLIONE, GERLACH, DENT, GREENLEAF, MELLOW, MUSTO,
M. WHITE, BOSCOLA, BODACK, LOGAN, SCHWARTZ AND SCARNATI,
FEBRUARY 15, 2001
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 15, 2001
AN ACT
1 Establishing the Early Childhood Education Fund; providing
2 funding for enhancement of the Head Start Program and other
3 similar early childhood education programs; and making a
4 repeal.
5 The General Assembly finds and declares that:
6 (1) Early childhood research indicates that stimulating
7 activities, as those engaged in while participating in
8 quality early childhood education programs, are important in
9 the development of the brain and have a long-term impact on
10 learning and independent thought.
11 (2) When compared to their counterparts, children who
12 have been exposed to quality early childhood education:
13 (i) Exhibit higher measures on reading and social
14 skills in the elementary school years, with benefits
15 lasting into adulthood.
16 (ii) When 21 years of age are more likely to delay
17 parenthood, attend or graduate from college and be
1 gainfully employed.
2 (iii) Are 25% less likely to be retained a grade, at
3 an estimate of the per-child per-year cost of well over
4 $5,200 nationally.
5 (iv) Spend 1.3 fewer years in special education
6 placement, at an average cost of $1,800 more per student
7 per year than the standard curriculum cost.
8 (v) Are one-third more likely to graduate from high
9 school, and unemployment rates for high school graduates
10 are 75% lower than those for nongraduates.
11 (vi) Are five times less likely to be arrested
12 repeatedly by 27 years of age, thus reducing concomitant
13 societal costs associated with crime.
14 (vii) Scored higher and experienced immediate
15 positive effects on their socioemotional development,
16 including self-esteem, achievement motivation and social
17 behavior.
18 (viii) Are one-third less likely to have children
19 out of wedlock and 25% less likely to be teenage parents
20 at a cost to society of $16,600,000,000 in Federal
21 support.
22 (ix) Save the government $2 in special education,
23 unemployment, welfare, incarceration and other
24 intervention costs for every $1 invested in early
25 childhood education.
26 (x) Save the Commonwealth the $100,000 long-term
27 cost that results when government does not provide at
28 least two years of early care and education for every
29 child born into poverty.
30 (xi) Provide the business community with workers
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1 with an academic foundation for learning specialized
2 skills, competencies, attitudes and behaviors that will
3 ensure success in a technology-based, competitive
4 economic environment.
5 (3) This act is enacted in order to ensure a quality
6 early childhood education that maximizes child development,
7 enhances school readiness, involves families, encourages
8 partnerships with government, business, and philanthropic
9 entities and builds upon community resources to emphasize
10 local and regional planning.
11 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
12 hereby enacts as follows:
13 Section 1. Short title.
14 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Early
15 Childhood Education Act.
16 Section 2. Definitions.
17 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
18 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
19 context clearly indicates otherwise:
20 "Department." The Department of Education of the
21 Commonwealth.
22 "Fund." The Early Childhood Education Fund established by
23 this act.
24 "Owner." The term shall have the meaning given to it in
25 section 1301.1 of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176),
26 known as The Fiscal Code.
27 Section 3. Early Childhood Education Fund.
28 (a) Establishment.--The Early Childhood Education Fund is
29 established in the State Treasury. The moneys of the fund are
30 hereby appropriated on a continuing basis to carry out the
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1 provisions of this act. The moneys of the fund shall be invested
2 in accordance with law and shall be used exclusively for the
3 purposes set forth in this act.
4 (b) Sources of funding.--
5 (1) Except for the amount required to be deposited into
6 the separate trust fund designated under section 1301.18(a)
7 of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The
8 Fiscal Code, all funds received by the State Treasurer under
9 Article XIII.1 of The Fiscal Code, including the proceeds
10 from the sale of property under section 1301.17 of The Fiscal
11 Code, shall be deposited into the Early Childhood Education
12 Fund. These moneys shall be designated as the principal of
13 the fund.
14 (2) An owner who is entitled to make a claim for
15 property that has been transferred to the Early Childhood
16 Education Fund may waive the owner's right, title and
17 interest in the property and make a gift of the property to
18 the fund. The identity of an owner who makes such a donation
19 to the fund shall remain anonymous unless the owner agrees in
20 writing to the release of the owner's name.
21 (3) The fund may accept donations from any person.
22 Section 4. Use of fund.
23 (a) Abandoned and unclaimed property claims.--If the owner
24 of property that has been transferred to the Early Childhood
25 Education Fund makes a claim to the State Treasurer under
26 Article XIII.1 of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176),
27 known as The Fiscal Code, and the amount in the separate trust
28 fund designated under section 1301.18(a) of The Fiscal Code is
29 insufficient to pay the claim, the State Treasurer shall pay the
30 claim from the interest or, if the interest is insufficient, the
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1 principal of the Early Childhood Education Fund.
2 (b) Enhancement of early childhood education programs.--On
3 an annual basis, the interest earned on the fund and so much as
4 the amount transferred to the fund but not to exceed
5 $150,000,000 is hereby appropriated to the department:
6 (1) to increase the number of eligible children served
7 by the Head Start Program and any other early childhood
8 program that can demonstrate compliance with Head Start
9 performance standards, including requirements to provide
10 parental involvement and education and access to health,
11 nutrition, and social services or any other standards that
12 meet or exceed the Head Start performance standards; and
13 (2) to increase the hours and days of operation of the
14 Head Start Program to a full day and a full year.
15 (c) Administrative expenses.--The fund shall be used to pay
16 for the administrative expenses of operating the program,
17 provided that no more than $200,000 shall be expended from the
18 fund for those expenses in any year.
19 (d) Priority for funding.--
20 (1) Priority for funding shall be given to programs
21 located in school districts designated as empowerment zones
22 under Article XVII-B of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30,
23 No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949.
24 (2) As a second priority, funding shall be given to
25 programs accessible to low-income children located in school
26 districts with a large number of disadvantaged children under
27 five living in families with incomes at or below the Federal
28 poverty level, the percentage of children participating in
29 the free and reduced price lunch program; the percentage of
30 children at or below 100% of the Federal poverty level who
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1 are not participating in early childhood programs that meet
2 Federal Head Start performance standards or National Academy
3 of Early Childhood Program/National Association for the
4 Education of Young Children accreditation standards and other
5 similar indicators of need, as determined by the department.
6 (e) Accountability.--Each program receiving funding under
7 this act shall prepare an annual report to be provided to the
8 department no later than August 1, following the end of the
9 fiscal year in which the funding was received. The report shall
10 consist of the following:
11 (1) A Head Start program shall demonstrate it has met
12 Federal performance standards established in 45 CFR Part
13 1304, by providing a copy of its latest Federal review to the
14 department with its annual report. If any areas of deficiency
15 were identified in the review, the grantee shall demonstrate
16 that measures to address deficiencies have been put in place.
17 (2) An early childhood education program not receiving
18 Federal Head Start funds shall be reviewed by the department
19 during the first year of funding under this act, and at least
20 once every three years thereafter, to ensure that the program
21 complies with performance standards at least as stringent as
22 those under Head Start or accreditation standards of the
23 National Academy of Early Childhood Program/National
24 Association for the Education of Young Children.
25 (f) Departmental responsibility.--The department shall:
26 (1) Analyze actual enrollment figures to determine what
27 measures may need to be adopted to increase the number of
28 eligible children enrolled.
29 (2) Design and implement a study to track the
30 participants in early childhood education and Head Start
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1 programs funded under this act as they progress through the
2 school system.
3 (3) Report no later than November 30 of each year on its
4 responsibilities under this section to the Education
5 Committee of the Senate and the Education Committee of the
6 House of Representatives.
7 Section 5. Repeal.
8 The provisions of Article XIII.1 of the act of April 9, 1929
9 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, are repealed
10 insofar as they are inconsistent with this act.
11 Section 6. Effective date.
12 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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