Senate File 179 - Introduced





                                       SENATE FILE       
                                       BY  BOLKCOM


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act providing for a pilot project supporting high=quality
  2    child care for low=income children.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1976XS 83
  5 jp/nh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 237A.13, Code 2009, is amended by
  1  2 adding the following new subsection:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  7A.  a.  The department shall implement a
  1  4 pilot project to support high=quality child care for
  1  5 low=income children.  The implementation shall be limited to
  1  6 the extent of the funding designated for the pilot program.
  1  7    b.  To participate in the pilot project, a child care
  1  8 facility must comply with all of the following:
  1  9    (1)  The facility is accredited by the national association
  1 10 for the education of young children, meets or exceeds the Iowa
  1 11 quality preschool program standards adopted by the department
  1 12 of education, has demonstrated a high degree of quality under
  1 13 the voluntary child care quality rating system under section
  1 14 237A.30, or is a federally funded head start program that
  1 15 meets or exceeds head start performance standards.
  1 16    (2)  At least sixty percent of the children receiving child
  1 17 care from the facility are participating in the state child
  1 18 care assistance program.
  1 19    (3)  The facility offers a comprehensive set of services in
  1 20 addition to child care for the parents and other family
  1 21 members of the children receiving child care from the
  1 22 facility.
  1 23    c.  The components of the pilot project may include but are
  1 24 not limited to the following:
  1 25    (1)  Income eligibility for participating families is
  1 26 redetermined twelve months from the date of the initial
  1 27 eligibility determination and every twelve months thereafter.
  1 28    (2)  Participating families are exempt from any waiting
  1 29 list applied under this section during the period of
  1 30 participation.
  1 31    (3)  Participating families thought to be eligible for
  1 32 state child care assistance based upon prima facie review have
  1 33 a period of presumptive eligibility of not more than thirty
  1 34 days while eligibility is being determined.
  1 35    (4)  Participating families who are also participating in
  2  1 the family investment, food assistance, hawk=i, or medical
  2  2 assistance programs or whose children are receiving free or
  2  3 reduced price meals under the federal National School Lunch
  2  4 Act and the federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. }
  2  5 1751=1785, have twelve months of categorical eligibility for
  2  6 the state child care assistance program.
  2  7    (5)  The reimbursement methodology for facilities utilizes
  2  8 a tiered approach based upon the quality rating of a facility
  2  9 and allows reimbursement rates above the usual rate paid under
  2 10 the state child care assistance program.
  2 11                           EXPLANATION
  2 12    This bill provides for a pilot project supporting
  2 13 high=quality child care for low=income children under the
  2 14 state child care assistance program in Code section 237A.13.
  2 15 The state child care assistance program is funded through a
  2 16 federal block grant and state funds.
  2 17    To participate in the pilot project, a child care facility
  2 18 (defined by Code chapter 237A as a child care center,
  2 19 preschool, or a registered child development home) must meet
  2 20 certain quality standards, have at least 60 percent of the
  2 21 children receiving child care participating in the state child
  2 22 care assistance program, and provide comprehensive services to
  2 23 the families of the children receiving child care.
  2 24    The pilot project components may include an annual
  2 25 eligibility redetermination period, exemption from waiting
  2 26 list requirements under the state child care assistance
  2 27 program, a 30=day period of presumptive eligibility, state
  2 28 child care assistance program categorical eligibility based on
  2 29 family eligibility for other public programs, and tiered
  2 30 reimbursement based on a facility's quality rating.
  2 31 LSB 1976XS 83
  2 32 jp/nh/8