H.F. 2460 Section 1. Section 135.173A, subsection 4, paragraph p, 1 Code 2020, is amended to read as follows: 2 p. One person who is part of a local program implementing 3 the statewide preschool program for four-year-old young 4 children under chapter 256C . 5 Sec. 2. Section 135.173A, subsection 6, paragraph f, Code 6 2020, is amended to read as follows: 7 f. Make recommendations for improving collaborations 8 between the child care programs involving the department of 9 human services and programs supporting the education and 10 development of young children including but not limited to the 11 federal head start program; the statewide preschool program 12 for four-year-old young children; and the early childhood, 13 at-risk, and other early education programs administered by the 14 department of education. 15 Sec. 3. Section 256C.1, subsections 1 and 4, Code 2020, are 16 amended to read as follows: 17 1. “Approved local program” means a school district’s 18 program for four-year-old young children approved by the 19 department of education to provide high quality preschool 20 instruction. 21 4. “Preschool program” means the statewide preschool program 22 for four-year-old young children created in accordance with 23 this chapter . 24 Sec. 4. Section 256C.2, Code 2020, is amended to read as 25 follows: 26 256C.2 Statewide preschool program for four-year-old young 27 children —— purpose. 28 1. A statewide preschool program for four-year-old young 29 children is established. The purpose of the preschool program 30 is to provide an opportunity for all young children in the 31 state to enter school ready to learn by expanding voluntary 32 access to quality preschool curricula for all children who are 33 four years old . 34 2. The state board shall adopt rules in accordance with 35 -1- LSB 5788HV (2) 88 md/jh 1/ 5

H.F. 2460 chapter 17A as necessary to implement the preschool program as 1 provided in this chapter . 2 Sec. 5. Section 256C.3, subsection 1, paragraphs a and b, 3 Code 2020, are amended to read as follows: 4 a. A child who is a resident of Iowa and who is four 5 years of age on or before September 15 of a school year shall 6 be eligible to enroll in the preschool program under this 7 chapter. For school budget years beginning July 1, 2021, July 8 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, a child who is a resident of Iowa 9 and who reaches five years of age on or after March 15 but on 10 or before September 15 of the calendar year during which the 11 school year begins shall be eligible to enroll in the preschool 12 program under this chapter if the school district elects to 13 enroll children who are five years of age for the three-year 14 period. For school districts that elect to enroll children 15 who are five years of age during such three-year period, a 16 child who enrolled as a four-year-old may enroll again as a 17 five-year-old. However, if insufficient space is available in 18 a preschool program for all eligible children, priority for 19 enrollment shall be given to children who are four years of age 20 on or before September 15 of a school year. If such a child is 21 enrolled under this chapter , the child shall be considered to 22 be of compulsory attendance age as provided in section 299.1A, 23 subsection 3 . 24 b. If space and funding are available, including funding 25 from another school district account or fund from which 26 preschool program expenditures are authorized by law, a school 27 district approved to participate in the preschool program 28 may enroll and pay the cost of attendance for a younger or 29 older child in the preschool program who does not satisfy the 30 requirements under paragraph “a” ; however, the child shall not 31 be counted for state funding purposes. 32 Sec. 6. Section 256C.3, subsection 4, paragraph b, Code 33 2020, is amended to read as follows: 34 b. Subject to implementation of chapter 28E agreements 35 -2- LSB 5788HV (2) 88 md/jh 2/ 5

H.F. 2460 between a school district and community-based providers of 1 services to four-year-old children and eligible five-year-old 2 children , a four-year-old child or eligible five-year-old child 3 who is enrolled in a child care center or child development 4 home licensed or registered under chapter 237A , or in an 5 existing public or private preschool program, shall be eligible 6 for services provided by the school district’s local preschool 7 program. 8 Sec. 7. Section 256C.3, subsection 4, Code 2020, is amended 9 by adding the following new paragraph: 10 NEW PARAGRAPH . e. For budget years beginning on or after 11 July 1, 2021, each approved local program shall provide 12 consultation services for parents or guardians of children 13 enrolled in the approved local program and parents or guardians 14 of children eligible to enroll in the approved local program to 15 assist parents or guardians in assessing the child’s readiness 16 for enrollment in kindergarten or in a preschool program, as 17 applicable. 18 Sec. 8. Section 256C.4, subsection 2, Code 2020, is amended 19 to read as follows: 20 2. Eligible student enrollment. 21 a. To be included as an eligible student in the enrollment 22 count of the preschool programming provided by a school 23 district approved to participate in the preschool program, a 24 child must be four years of satisfy the age by September 15 25 requirements of section 256C.3, subsection 1, paragraph “a” in 26 the base year and be attending the school district’s approved 27 local program. 28 b. The enrollment count of eligible students shall not 29 include a child who is included in the enrollment count 30 determined under section 257.6 or a child who is served by 31 a program already receiving state or federal funds for the 32 purpose of the provision of four-year-old or five-year-old 33 preschool programming while the child is being served by the 34 program. Such preschool programming includes but is not 35 -3- LSB 5788HV (2) 88 md/jh 3/ 5

H.F. 2460 limited to child development assistance programs provided under 1 chapter 256A , special education programs provided under section 2 256B.9 , school ready children grant programs and other programs 3 provided under chapter 256I , and federal head start programs 4 and the services funded by Tit. I of the federal Elementary and 5 Secondary Education Act of 1965. 6 Sec. 9. Section 298A.2, subsection 2, paragraph a, 7 subparagraph (1), Code 2020, is amended to read as follows: 8 (1) An approved local program under the statewide preschool 9 program for four-year-old young children under chapter 256C . 10 Sec. 10. Section 298A.2, subsection 2, paragraph c, 11 subparagraph (1), Code 2020, is amended to read as follows: 12 (1) Start-up costs for an approved local program under the 13 statewide preschool program for four-year-old young children 14 under chapter 256C . 15 Sec. 11. Section 299.1A, subsection 3, Code 2020, is amended 16 to read as follows: 17 3. A child who has reached the age of four by September 15 18 or five and who is enrolled in the statewide preschool program 19 under chapter 256C shall be considered to be of compulsory 20 attendance age unless the parent or guardian of the child 21 submits written notice to the school district implementing the 22 program of the parent’s or guardian’s intent to remove the 23 child from enrollment in the preschool program. 24 Sec. 12. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to school budget 25 years beginning on or after July 1, 2021. 26 EXPLANATION 27 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 28 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 29 The statewide preschool program for four-year-old children 30 under Code chapter 256C provides that a child who is a resident 31 of Iowa and is four years of age on or before September 15 of 32 a school year shall be eligible to enroll in the preschool 33 program. Additionally, to be included as an eligible student 34 in the enrollment count of the preschool programming for 35 -4- LSB 5788HV (2) 88 md/jh 4/ 5

H.F. 2460 state funding purposes, a child must be four years of age 1 by September 15 in the base year and attending the school 2 district’s approved local program. 3 For school budget years beginning July 1, 2021, July 1, 4 2022, and July 1, 2023, this bill expands the eligibility and 5 state funding provisions of the statewide preschool program for 6 four-year-old children under Code chapter 256C to also include 7 five-year-old children who reach the age of five on or after 8 March 15 but on or before September 15 of the calendar year 9 during which the school year begins if the school district 10 elects to enroll such children. For school districts that 11 elect to enroll children who are five years of age during such 12 three-year period, a child who enrolled as a four-year-old may 13 enroll again as a five-year-old. However, if insufficient 14 space is available in a preschool program for all eligible 15 children, priority for enrollment shall be given to children 16 who are four years of age on or before September 15 of a school 17 year. 18 References to four-year-old children in the program named in 19 Code chapter 256C and in related Code provisions are changed 20 to “young children” or expanded to also refer to eligible 21 five-year-old children and Code section 299.1A relating to 22 compulsory education is also modified to reflect changes made 23 in the bill. 24 The bill also requires each approved local program to 25 provide consultation services for parents or guardians of 26 children enrolled in the approved local program and parents or 27 guardians of children eligible to enroll in the approved local 28 program to assist parents or guardians in assessing the child’s 29 readiness for enrollment in kindergarten or in a preschool 30 program, as applicable. 31 The bill applies to school budget years beginning on or after 32 July 1, 2021. 33 -5- LSB 5788HV (2) 88 md/jh 5/ 5