15-1251. State block grant for early childhood education; evaluation

A. The state block grant for early childhood education program is established in the state board of education. The purpose of the program is to promote improved pupil achievement by providing flexible supplemental funding for early childhood programs, including preschool programs for economically disadvantaged children, and programs that serve all public school pupils statewide who are in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three.

B. Funding for the program for each fiscal year shall be allocated based on the number of pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three in each charter school or school district who were eligible for free lunches during the prior fiscal year under the national school lunch and child nutrition acts (42 United States Code sections 1751 through 1785). Any charter school or school district that did not determine for the prior fiscal year if its pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three were eligible for free lunches under the national school lunch and child nutrition acts shall receive funding for the program in the current fiscal year based on the number of its pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three who would have been eligible for free lunches in the prior fiscal year according to the statewide kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three eligibility average for all school districts and charter schools collectively for the prior fiscal year. Notwithstanding this section, a school district or charter school with an average daily membership of more than six hundred pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three in the prior fiscal year shall have participated in the national school lunch and child nutrition acts free lunches program in the prior fiscal year to be eligible for program funding in the current fiscal year.

C. A school district or charter school that devotes part or all of its program funding to preschool programs shall comply with all of the following requirements:

1. Restrict the preschool program only to preschool children eligible for free or reduced price lunches under the national school lunch and child nutrition acts.

2. Allow participating pupils to receive preschool services only from a public, federally funded or private child care provider, each of which shall be licensed by the department of health services and each of which, beginning in fiscal year 1999-2000, also shall be accredited by a state board of education approved organization that provides accreditation for preschool programs.

3. Provide all federally funded or private child care providers located within the school district or within ten miles of the charter school with information necessary for them to participate in the program, including names and addresses of children selected for participation and of their parents or guardians.

4. Provide all parents or guardians of children selected for the program with a list of licensed federally funded or private child care providers located within the school district or within ten miles of the charter school and explain to parents or guardians that they may choose to have their child receive services under the program from any provider on the list if that provider agrees to participate.

5. Allow at least fifty per cent of pupils selected for the program to receive preschool services from a federally funded or private child care provider of their parent's or guardian's own choosing.

6. Allow any eligible child care provider located within the school district or within ten miles of the charter school to participate in the program if it is willing to provide services at a unit cost similar to that paid to other providers in the area under the program.

7. Limit the use of contracts with federally funded and private child care providers to financial agreements pertaining to numbers of children to be served, hours of service to be provided per child, payment rates and other financial aspects of the program.

8. Limit to five per cent the amount of block grant monies that may be used locally for program administration.

9. Pay participating federally funded and private child care providers in a timely manner.

D. The legislative council shall conduct a programmatic evaluation of the state block grant for early childhood education program every three years. For this evaluation, the staff of legislative council shall develop outcome measures to indicate the effectiveness of the early childhood education program. The department of education shall assist the staff of legislative council in collecting any information necessary to complete the evaluation.