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