12
AN ACT establishing the fast start school readiness
preschool program;
13 prescribing powers,
duties and functions for the state board of edu-
14 cation; prescribing
guidelines for grants; making and concerning ap-
15 propriations for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, for the depart-
16 ment of education.
17
18 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the
State of Kansas:
19 Section 1. The
provisions of sections 1 through 5 and amendments
20 thereto shall be known and may be cited as
the Kansas fast start school
21 readiness preschool program act.
22 Sec. 2. As used in
the Kansas fast start school readiness preschool
23 program act:
24 (a) ``At-risk children''
means those children who are Kansas residents,
25 who are four years of age and who have
attributes or characteristics which
26 are determined by the state board of
education to constitute significant
27 factors which negatively affect the ability
of such children to successfully
28 attend and complete an elementary and
secondary education and which
29 shall include such children who have one or
more of the following attri-
30 butes or characteristics: (1) Living in
poverty or under other circum-
31 stances which would qualify the children
for free meals under the national
32 school lunch program, (2) having emotional
or behavioral disorders, (3)
33 being referred to the preschool program for
services by the department
34 of social and rehabilitation services, (4)
having teenaged parents, (5) living
35 in a family that is eligible to receive
benefits or services under the federal
36 women, infants and children program
administered by the department of
37 health and environment, (6) being eligible
or living in a family that is
38 eligible for assistance under the state
temporary assistance to families
39 program or another assistance program of
the department of social and
40 rehabilitation services funded through the
federal temporary assistance
41 to needy families (TANF) block grant, or
(7) having parents who are in
42 transition from receiving public assistance
to being intergrated into the
43 workforce.
HB 2844
2
1 (b) ``Preschool
program model'' means a preschool program model
2 developed by the national association
for the education of young children
3 and includes other successful
preschool program models as determined
4 by the state board of education.
5 Sec. 3. (a)
In accordance with the provisions of this act, the state
6 board of education shall develop and
administer a competitive grant pro-
7 gram for community preschool programs
in Kansas communities. The
8 Kansas fast start school readiness
preschool program shall be designed to
9 award grants for establishing and
maintaining preschool programs pro-
10 viding services primarily for at-risk
children. In developing criteria for the
11 competitive grant program for fast start
school readiness preschool pro-
12 gram grants, the state board of education
shall review preschool programs
13 in other states, including those providing
services for fees set on a sliding
14 scale, and, in addition to other factors
and characteristics of successful
15 preschool programs, shall consider factors
that assist parents who are in
16 transition from receiving public assistance
to become successfully inter-
17 grated into the workforce. The state board
of education shall utilize this
18 information about other successful
preschool programs to assist in estab-
19 lishing the criteria for the grant program
for fast start school readiness
20 preschool program grants. The fast start
school readiness preschool pro-
21 gram grants shall be awarded annually on a
competitive basis and may be
22 renewed. The state board of education shall
designate annually a portion
23 of all moneys appropriated for fast start
school readiness preschool pro-
24 gram grants, which shall be equal to not
less than 25% of all moneys
25 appropriated for fast start school
readiness preschool program grants, for
26 grants to community preschool programs
serving at-risk children with
27 emotional or behavioral disorders.
28 (b) Each Kansas fast
start school readiness preschool grant awarded
29 by the state board of education shall be
for an early childhood develop-
30 ment program that the state board of
education determines will provide
31 for or otherwise directly assist in
assuring the school readiness and healthy
32 development of preschool aged Kansas
residents. In issuing requests for
33 proposals and making such grants, the state
board of education shall en-
34 courage proposals for new or innovative
preschool programs in addition
35 to established preschool programs.
36 Sec. 4. In addition
to other criteria that may be established by the
37 state board of education, eligibility
criteria for fast start school readiness
38 preschool grants shall include that:
39 (a) The application
shall be jointly submitted by the public school
40 district, community mental health center
and the county health depart-
41 ment and shall be coordinated with other
programs and services in the
42 community and shall be developed through
collaboration with represen-
43 tatives of involved public and private
agencies and organizations such as
HB 2844
3
1 public schools, community mental
health centers and other licensed men-
2 tal health providers, human services
agencies, families and parents need-
3 ing preschool and child care
services, law enforcement agencies, busi-
4 nesses, religious organizations,
civic and youth organizations, public
5 health agencies, state and local
governmental entities and other interested
6 community entities;
7 (b) the preschool
program shall be based on a successful preschool
8 program model;
9 (c) a primary
focus for the preschool programs shall be to provide
10 services for at-risk children;
11 (d) certified teachers
and special services professionals shall provide
12 the direct services to the children in the
program; and
13 (e) each applicant shall
demonstrate that the applicant has applied
14 for and has utilization plans for available
funding from federal, state and
15 local sources to meet the needs of the
at-risk children and other children
16 served by the preschool program and to
prevent duplication of services
17 and funding.
18 Sec. 5. (a) The
state board of education shall issue requests for fast
19 start school readiness preschool program
grants annually. Grant applica-
20 tions shall be reviewed, evaluated and
ranked by an evaluation team ap-
21 pointed by the governor. The evaluation
team shall include one or more
22 educators, mental health providers,
representatives of local public health
23 entities, employees of the department of
education, employees of the
24 department of health and environment and
early childhood development
25 specialists and other appropriately
qualified professionals. The governor
26 shall appoint the members of the evaluation
team so that the number of
27 persons appointed who are affiliated with
any one political party do not
28 constitute a majority of the members of the
evaluation team.
29 (b) Applications for
fast start school readiness preschool program
30 grants shall be evaluated, ranked and
funded in accordance with quality
31 indicators developed by the evaluation
team. The quality indicators shall
32 be consistent with the program curriculum
and assessment guidelines
33 developed and adopted by the national
association for the education of
34 young children. Fast start school readiness
preschool program grants shall
35 be awarded in accordance with the
recommendations of the evaluation
36 team.
37 Sec. 6.
38
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
39 (a) There is
appropriated for the above agency from the following
40 special revenue fund or funds for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1999,
41 all moneys now or hereafter lawfully
credited to and available in such
42 fund or funds, except that expenditures
shall not exceed the following:
43
\tb\Fast start school readiness preschool program
grants fund[cm$10,000,000[et
HB 2844
4
1 Provided, That not less than
25% of the expenditures from the fast start school readiness
2 preschool program grants fund shall
be for fast start school readiness preschool program
3 grants to community preschool
programs serving at-risk children with emotional or behav-
4 ioral disorders.
5 (b) On July 1,
1998, or as soon thereafter as moneys are available,
6 the director of accounts and reports
shall transfer amounts specified by
7 the governor to the fast start school
readiness preschool program grants
8 fund from the state general fund and
from specified special revenue funds
9 in the state treasury that are
credited with moneys received from the
10 federal government and other sources, which
moneys are available or may
11 be used for this purpose, including the
temporary assistance to needy
12 families block grant federal fund, child
welfare services block grant fed-
13 eral fund, and any other federal block
grant program funds, in accordance
14 with the specification by the governor:
Provided, That the aggregate of
15 all such transfers to the fast start school
readiness preschool program
16 grants fund shall be equal to $10,000,000:
And provided further, That the
17 secretary of social and rehabilitation
services, the secretary of health and
18 environment and other heads of state
agencies that are receiving moneys
19 from the federal government under federal
block grant programs or other
20 applicable federal programs, shall make
such applications and request
21 such approvals as may be necessary or
expedient to allow moneys received
22 under such federal block grant programs or
other applicable programs to
23 be used for this purpose.
24 Sec. 7. This act
shall take effect and be in force from and after July
25 1, 1998, and its publication in the statute
book.
26
27