2023 -- S 0185

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LC001199

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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 HUMAN SERVICES -- EARLY LEARNING HUBS

     Introduced By: Senators DiMario, Euer, Gallo, Lawson, and Cano

     Date Introduced: February 16, 2023

     Referred To: Senate Education

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Title 40 of the General Laws entitled "HUMAN SERVICES" is hereby

amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

CHAPTER 6.7

EARLY LEARNING HUBS

     40-6.7-1. Definitions.

     As used in this chapter:

     (1) "Early learning hub" means any entity serving as an intermediary among partners to

coordinate support for early learning providers in the delivery of early childhood care and

education, as determined by rules and regulations adopted by the department of human services.

     (2) "Early learning intermediary" means any Rhode Island-based entity with experience

and expertise in the design, implementation and/or evaluation of early childhood care and

education, who has the capacity and authority, as determined by the department of human services,

to coordinate programs, resources and services intended to support other early childhood care and

learning providers to offer, expand or improve service delivery to children and families in Rhode

Island.

     (3) "Hub partners" may include, but are not limited to, early childhood care and education

providers, community-based service providers, the Rhode Island department of education, the

Rhode Island department of labor and training, cities or towns, school districts, community

colleges, public universities, private educational institutions, faith-based organizations, and tribes.

     40-6.7-2. Early learning hubs established.

     (a) The department of human services shall establish no more than five (5) early learning

hubs throughout the state, taking into consideration ease of access and the unique needs of the

geographic regions of the state, that shall be coordinated by early learning intermediaries identified

by the department.

     (b) Led by early learning intermediaries, the early learning hubs, shall serve as one-stop

service centers to support early childhood care and education providers, and those looking to

become providers, to access resources, receive technical assistance, be licensed, meet research-

based quality standards and improve their quality rating based on the state's quality rating and

improvement system, recruit and retain qualified staff, and deliver high-quality early childhood

services.

     (c) The department shall ensure that early learning hubs:

     (i) Conduct outreach to early childhood care and education providers, including center-

based and family childcare providers, to assess the most critical needs facing providers in the

delivery of high-quality services to children and families;

     (ii) Convene and coordinate hub partners for the purpose of coordinating resources and

services aimed at building capacity among early childhood care and education providers;

     (iii) Reduce barriers facing prospective, new or existing early childhood care and education

providers in establishing, expanding or improving programs in the early childhood care and

learning system in Rhode Island; and

     (iv) Evaluate the impact of enhanced and streamlined services to providers through

measures defined by the department.

     (d) The department of human services may promulgate rules and regulations to achieve the

purpose of this chapter.

     40-6.7-3. Proposals and requirements.

     (a) The department shall implement a process for requesting proposals from entities to

become early learning hubs. Proposals submitted under this subsection shall comply with criteria

and requirements adopted by the department by rule or regulation, including:

     (1) The entity will be able to coordinate early learning provider support services.

     (2) The entity will ensure that the support services will be in alignment with, and further

the quality standards defined by, the department of human services and department of elementary

and secondary education.

     (3) The entity will be able to integrate efforts among education and workforce providers,

providers of health and human services and providers of other programs and services in the

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community.

     (4) The entity will use coordinated and transparent budgeting.

     (5) The entity will operate in a fiscally sound manner.

     (6) The entity must have or establish a community advisory body that:

     (i) Has the authority to initiate audits, recommend the terms of a contract and provide

reports to the public and to the department on the outcomes of the provision of services.

     (ii) Has hub partners selected through a transparent process and includes both public and

private entities, locally based parents and service recipients, social service providers, childcare

providers, and representatives of local governments from the service area.

     (7) The entity will collaborate with established public or private agencies and/or

community-based organizations in the state whose missions align with the objectives of the early

learning hub and who have experience delivering essential services, such as professional

development, community outreach, workforce training or recruitment, or small business support.

     (8) The entity will serve a community that is based on the population and service needs of

the community and will demonstrate the ability to improve results for children served by the

providers in the early learning hub’s network.

     (9) The entity will be able to raise and leverage significant funds from public and private

sources and to secure in-kind support to support early learning services coordinated by the entity

and operate in a fiscally sound manner.

     (10) The entity may provide administrative support, such as, but not limited to, payroll,

inventory, or staffing support, to providers within the entity’s early learning hub.

     (11) The entity shall certify that it compensates its workers with at least the state's minimum

hourly wage, as well as health benefits, or that its workforce is subject to a collective bargaining

agreement.

     (12) The entity meets any other qualifications established by the department.

     (b) The department may adopt requirements that are in addition to the requirements

described in this section that an entity shall meet to qualify as an early learning hub. When

developing the additional requirements, the department shall use a statewide public process of

community engagement that is consistent with the requirements of the federal Head Start Act.

     (c) When determining whether to designate an entity as an early learning hub, the

department shall balance the following factors:

     (1) The entity’s ability to engage the community and be involved in the community.

     (2) The entity’s ability to produce outcomes that benefit children.

     (3) The entity’s resourcefulness.

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     (4) The entity’s use, or proposed use, of evidence-based practices.

     (5) The entity’s ability to support a mixed delivery early childcare system that includes

infant childcare and pre-kindergarten education.

     (d) The department shall use appropriate and relevant metrics for the purpose of providing

funding to early learning hubs designated under this section. The metrics shall:

     (1) Focus on community readiness, high capacity development and progress toward

tracking provider-related outcomes, and to the extent possible, community-level family and child

outcomes, such as number of children served in high-quality programs within a community. All

family or child data used pursuant to this section shall be de-identified and aggregated; and

     (2) Establish a baseline of information for the area to be served by the early learning hub,

including information about the inclusion of community partners in the governance structure of the

early learning hub, the availability of data on local programs and outcomes and the success in

leveraging private, nonprofit and other governmental resources for early learning.

     (e) An entity designated as part of an early learning hub shall not use more than fifteen

percent (15%) of the monies received by the entity from the department to pay administrative costs

of the entity.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- EARLY LEARNING HUBS

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     This act would establish "early learning hubs" to serve as an intermediary among hub

partners in order to coordinate support for early learning providers in the delivery of early childhood

care and education.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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