2023 -- H 5790

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LC001545

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PRE-KINDERGARTEN EDUCATION

ACT

     Introduced By: Representatives Cotter, Baginski, Morales, Speakman, Tanzi, Casimiro,
Kazarian, Kislak, McNamara, and Batista

     Date Introduced: February 22, 2023

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Chapter 16-87 of the General Laws entitled "Rhode Island Pre-Kindergarten

Education Act" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following sections:

     16-87-8. High-quality, universal pre-kindergarten.

     (a) The general assembly acknowledges the need to adequately prepare all children to

succeed in school by providing access to publicly funded, high quality pre-kindergarten education

programs for all children ages three (3) and four (4).

     (b) Access to free, inclusive and high-quality pre-kindergarten classrooms in a mixed-

delivery system that includes Head Start agencies, local education agencies, licensed center-based

child care providers, and licensed family child care providers, or family child care networks, shall

be expanded annually across all communities in Rhode Island until every family who wants a high-

quality pre-kindergarten seat for their children ages three (3) or four (4), has one.

     (c) Universal access will be considered achieved when no less than seventy percent (70%)

of all children ages three (3) and four (4) are enrolled in high-quality pre-kindergarten programs.

     (d) For the school year 2024-2025, the Rhode Island pre-kindergarten program

administered by the department of education shall make funds available to offer no less than four

thousand (4,000) high-quality pre-kindergarten seats through a mixed-delivery model, of which no

less than twenty-five percent (25%) shall be made available for all children age three (3).

     (e) No later than December 31, 2023, the department of education, in collaboration with

the department of human services, the Head Start Collaboration Office, and the RI early learning

council shall submit to the governor, speaker of the house, senate president, and chairs of house

and senate finance committees and education committees a year-by-year growth plan to achieve

universal access to high-quality pre-kindergarten for all children ages three (3) and four (4). The

growth plan shall detail annual growth targets and projected funding needs, as well as how the state

will:

     (1) Equitably distribute pre-kindergarten funding to eligible providers, as described in §

16-87-9(a);

     (2) Ensure that infant-toddler care is further strengthened through state investments as the

state pre-kindergarten program is expanded to achieve universal access;

     (3) Prepare, recruit and retain a highly-qualified early childhood workforce, and ensure

adequate wages for early childhood educators, regardless of setting, that provide a living wage and

are equivalent to wages for elementary educators with similar credentials and experience in the

state;

     (4) Build capacity among new and existing providers to ensure quality standards are met

in all settings; and

     (5) Ensure providers in the mixed-delivery system have sufficient facilities to expand

access to high-quality pre-kindergarten services.

     16-87-9. High quality elements.

     (a) To expand access to high-quality pre-kindergarten education programs, the state shall

implement and provide sufficient funding to support a mixed-delivery system comprised of eligible

providers including local education agencies, Head Start agencies, licensed center-based child care

providers, licensed family child care providers or licensed family child-care provider networks, or

a consortium of these entities.

     (b) To build and maintain an adequate system of providers, the state shall support a

continuous quality improvement system for providers of pre-kindergarten services participating in,

or seeking to participate in, the state pre-kindergarten program.

     (c) The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education (the

"department") is hereby authorized to promulgate and adopt rules and regulations for the

implementation of high quality, universal pre-kindergarten. Research-based quality standards shall

be defined in regulation by the department, and shall include, but not be limited to:

     (1) Teacher education and certification;

     (2) Class size and staff ratios;

     (3) Learning time;

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     (4) Developmentally appropriate, evidence-based learning standards;

     (5) Curriculum prioritizing developmentally appropriate, play-based learning;

     (6) Access, inclusion and support for students with special needs;

     (7) Support for English language learners;

     (8) Professional development;

     (9) Child assessments; and

     (10) Observations and coaching to improve practice.

     (d) To whatever extent deemed necessary by the department, quality standards may be

differentiated by pre-kindergarten education setting, such that every provider-type in a mixed-

delivery model is able and expected to meet the highest research-based quality standards as defined

by the department.

     16-87-10. Successful transitions.

     (a) Successful coordination between Rhode Island’s high-quality pre-kindergarten and

kindergarten programs is essential for setting a solid foundation for all students. In order to have a

seamless pathway from pre-kindergarten to third grade, standards, curriculum, instruction and

assessments shall be aligned.

     (b) Effective transition programs and practices to help students and families move

successfully from one setting to another shall be established.

     (c) All local education agencies (LEAs) in Rhode Island shall develop a kindergarten

transition strategy to support incoming students and families. The transition strategy shall include

two (2) parts:

     (1) Student and family communication and engagement plans; and

     (2) Program-level transition plans.

     (d) These strategies may include:

     (1) For student and family transition, the following strategies shall be considered:

     (i) Student visits to their future kindergarten classroom;

     (ii) Kindergarten teacher visits to the pre-kindergarten classrooms;

     (iii) Workshops for families of incoming kindergarten children; and

     (iv) Kindergarten orientation sessions the summer before school starts.

     (2) For program-level transition planning the following strategies shall be considered:

     (i) Creation of transition teams and liaisons between pre-kindergarten programs and district

schools;

     (ii) Joint professional development and data sharing for pre-kindergarten to third grade

teachers; and

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     (iii) Teacher-to-teacher conferences.

     16-87-11. Pre-Kindergarten facilities.

     (a) No later than December 31, 2023, the department of human services shall provide the

senate president and the speaker of the house with a report on the status of disbursement and impact

of capital funds made available by the early learning facilities general obligation bond approved on

March 2, 2021.

     (b) The department of elementary and secondary education and the department of human

services shall establish programs and initiatives to ensure providers renovate, acquire, develop,

and/or expand facilities that meet licensing and facilities standards, in order to increase access to

high-quality pre-kindergarten learning environments. Programs and initiatives may include, but

shall not be limited to:

     (1) Grant programs to be used for facility planning, predevelopment activities, and/or

urgent facility maintenance required for the health, safety and quality of existing programs;

     (2) Supporting the establishment of strategic partnerships between local education agencies

and community-based early learning providers to make use of available space in existing facilities;

and/or

     (3) Technical assistance for providers to access capital, navigate licensing standards for

facilities, and/or begin the facility improvement and development processes.

     SECTION 2. Section 16-87-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-87 entitled "Rhode Island

Pre-Kindergarten Education Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     16-87-4. Early childhood workforce development.

     (a) The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education shall work with

other state departments and private philanthropy to establish a statewide, comprehensive, research-

based early childhood workforce development scholarship program to expand the number of early

childhood educators who have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and

who work with children from birth to age five (5).

     (b)(1) In furtherance of the goals set forth in this chapter, no later than January 1, 2023, the

governor’s workforce board shall convene a working group comprised of representatives from the

department of elementary and secondary education, department of human services, office of the

postsecondary commissioner, the RI early learning council, organized labor, and early childhood

education industry employers, whose purpose shall be to identify barriers to entry into the early

childhood education workforce, and to design accessible and accelerated pathways into the

workforce, including, but not limited to, registered apprenticeships and postsecondary credit for

prior work experience.

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     (2) No later than April 1, 2023, the working group shall provide the general assembly with

recommendations for addressing the barriers to workforce entry and implementing the solutions

identified by the working group; the recommendations shall outline any administrative and

legislative action that would be required by participating agencies to implement the

recommendations.

     (3) If and when appropriate, and in accordance with program administration guidelines, the

industry employers may seek to create a sector partnership via the real jobs Rhode Island program

to implement workforce solutions.

     SECTION 3. Sections 16-87-3 and 16-87-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-87 entitled

"Rhode Island Pre-Kindergarten Education Act" are hereby repealed.

     16-87-3. Planning phase for a pre-Kindergarten program.

     (a) The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education shall begin

planning an initial, pilot pre-Kindergarten program that meets high quality standards, builds on the

existing early childhood education infrastructure in the state (including child care, Head Start and

public schools) and serves children ages three (3) and four (4) who reside in communities with

concentrations of low performing schools. This planning phase will develop specific goals to

expand the pilot pre-Kindergarten program over time and will also identify opportunities to

strengthen care and learning programs for infants and toddlers.

     (b) During this planning phase, the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary

education will quantify the resources needed to achieve and maintain high quality standards in pre-

Kindergarten programs and identify incentives and supports to develop a qualified early education

workforce, including opportunities for experienced early childhood educators and

paraprofessionals to acquire college degrees and earn early childhood teacher certification.

     (c) The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education will begin to

develop plans to collect and analyze data regarding the impact of the pilot pre-Kindergarten

program on participating children's school readiness and school achievement.

     16-87-5. Reporting.

     The Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education shall report back to

the general assembly and the governor on the progress of the pilot planning phase no later than

October 31, 2008.

     SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PRE-KINDERGARTEN EDUCATION

ACT

***

     This act would create public, high-quality pre-kindergarten education programs which are

available to all children ages three (3) and four (4) throughout Rhode Island to increase children’s

school readiness. This act would also require the Rhode Island Pre-Kindergarten Program to make

funds available to offer no less than four thousand (4,000) high-quality pre-kindergarten seats for

the school year 2024-2025. This act would repeal the statutory laws pertaining to the initial pilot

pre-kindergarten program.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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