THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY BISHOP, ROEBUCK, HARKINS, THOMAS, WAGNER, YOUNGBLOOD, CRUZ AND JOHNSON, MARCH 8, 2011

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, MARCH 8, 2011  

AN ACT

Providing for a comprehensive interagency plan for child day-

care services and early childhood development services and

for the powers and duties of the Department of Public

Welfare.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Short title.

This act shall be known and may be cited as the Child Day

Care and Early Childhood Development State Plan Act.

Section 2.  Definitions.

The following words and phrases when used in this act shall

have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Child day care."  Care in lieu of parental care given for

part of the 24-hour day to children under 16 years of age, away

from their own homes. The term does not include child day care

furnished in places of worship during religious services.

"Department."  The Department of Public Welfare of the

Commonwealth.

"Early childhood development services."  Services which are

intended to provide an environment which enhances the

educational, social, cultural, emotional and recreational

development of children from birth through eight years of age

but which are not intended to serve as a substitute for

compulsory academic programs.

Section 3.  Annual comprehensive State plan for child day-care

and early childhood development services.

(a)  Annual plan.--Through an annual State plan on child day-

care and early childhood development services, the department,

in coordination with the Department of Health and the Department

of Education, shall establish goals and objectives and review

and assess the State's child day-care and early childhood

development service delivery system, including State efforts to

assure the provision of accessible, available and affordable

quality child day-care and early childhood development services 

and a continuum of early childhood programs to the general

public. The plan shall be developed in relation to Statewide and

local needs and shall take into consideration available

demographic studies. It shall reflect the needs of families in

different social, economic and cultural circumstances and the

needs of children of different ages and stages of development

and of children with special needs.

(b)  Submission.--No later than May 1 of each year, the

department shall submit to the Governor, the Chief Clerk of the

Senate and the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives a

State plan on child day-care and early childhood development

services for the ensuing year.

(c)  Common policies and practices.--In the development and

implementation of an annual State plan, the department shall

promote common policies and practices in programs to the fullest

extent possible and develop mechanisms for interagency

collaboration to create a coordinated State child day-care and

early childhood development services delivery system. This

subsection includes simplification and coordination of the

application process for families needing services.

(d)  Public hearings.--To prepare the State plan, the

department shall hold at least four public hearings in different

geographic locations in this Commonwealth to seek input and

recommendations from parents, early childhood development

professionals, child day-care providers, child advocates,

educators, representatives of local government, health and human

service organizations, health care professionals, labor

organizations, businesses, school officials and other

individuals or agencies interested in issues affecting children

and families.

(e)  Contents of plans.--The State plan shall include the

following information:

(1)  A summary of recommendations submitted to the

department pursuant to Statewide public hearings and the

department's response to the recommendations.

(2)  The amount of Federal, State and local funds

requested for child day-care and early childhood development

services and the allocation of these funds, by the type of

care and by administrative costs. Funding includes the Social

Services Block Grant Act (Public Law 97-35, 42 U.S.C. § 1397 

et seq.); Titles I and VI of the Personal Responsibility and

Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law

104-193, 110 Stat. 2105); the Head Start Act (Public Law

97-35, 42 U.S.C. § 9831 et seq.); subarticle (b) of Article

XV-D of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as

the Public School Code of 1949; the act of December 19, 1990

(P.L.1372, No.212), known as the Early Intervention Services

System Act; and other pertinent State appropriations.

(3)  A description of child day-care, early childhood

development and early childhood education programs in this

Commonwealth.

(4)  The following information, if available: the 

unduplicated number of children served and assisted with

Federal, State and local funds, by type of care and age;

funding source for the services; the average duration of the

child-care service; and the child capacity of regulated

providers.

(5)  Income eligibility guidelines for federally funded

and State-funded child day-care and early childhood

development services, including, as applicable, sliding fee

scales and the extent to which the income guidelines and fee

scales are adjusted to reflect the most recent available

State income data.

(6)  The State's practices regarding the monitoring of

child day-care and early childhood development programs to

ensure the health, safety, welfare and early learning

outcomes of children. In describing the monitoring system,

the department shall identify the extent of announced and

unannounced inspections of regulated providers, the level of

compliance with State standards and the staff-to-provider

ratio to accomplish this task. This paragraph includes

recommendations on ways to improve both the enforcement and

monitoring of standards and compliance with standards.

(7)  The department's coordination, identification or

arrangement of training and professional preparation and

development for providers in specific program areas that are

designed to improve the quality of child day-care and early

childhood development services. The department shall identify

any Federal, State, local or private funding allocated for

training and professional preparation and development; the

objectives of the training and professional preparation and

development; the way in which training and professional

preparation and development will be accomplished; and an

evaluation of the previous year's training and professional

preparation and development programs.

(8)  An analysis of any recent demonstration projects

related to child day care or early childhood development

established by the department or the Department of Health or

the Department of Education, using Federal or State funds,

along with a summary of the cost of the projects and the

findings and recommendations of the department.

(9)  A summary of any recent reports, data or surveys

concerning the compensation of child day-care and early

childhood development professionals, loan forgiveness

programs, the State's reimbursement rates and any changes in

rates recommended by the department.

(10)  A summary of the most recent available demographic

information related to the need for child day-care and early

childhood development programs in this Commonwealth.

(11)  Efforts by the private sector and State and local

government to encourage employer-sponsored child day-care

services and policies aimed at addressing the child day-care

needs of working parents.

(12)  A description of the responsibilities and programs

of various State departments with respect to child day-care

and early childhood development services and how coordination

among agencies is addressed. The department shall describe

its responsibilities and programs under various program

offices and related programs or services available through

the Department of Aging, the Department of Community and

Economic Development, the Department of Education, the

Department of Health or the Department of Labor and Industry.

(13)  Standards, training and professional preparation

and development for child day-care providers who receive

payment through Federal or State child day-care or early

childhood development programs. The standards, training and

professional preparation and development shall promote the

health, safety and developmental needs of children.

(14)  Identification of gaps in child day-care and early

childhood development services, unmet needs, administrative

barriers that serve as obstacles to obtaining services and

recommendations on how the State can address these issues.

(15)  Statutory and regulatory changes recommended by the

department to address the quality, affordability and

availability of child day-care and early childhood

development services.

Section 10.  Effective date.

This act shall take effect in 60 days.