House File 761 - Reprinted
HOUSE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
(SUCCESSOR TO HF 675)
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to children's programs by colocating early
2 childhood programs available through the community empowerment
3 initiative and requiring the department of human services to
4 develop and implement a voluntary child care quality rating
5 system.
6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
7 HF 761
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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 28.4, Code 2005, is amended by adding
1 2 the following new subsections:
1 3 NEW SUBSECTION. 13. With the assistance of the state
1 4 departments represented on the Iowa empowerment board and the
1 5 community empowerment office, develop and implement
1 6 requirements for community empowerment areas and the
1 7 administrators of the programs listed in section 28.10 to
1 8 annually report to the public regarding the results produced
1 9 by the community empowerment initiative and by the programs.
1 10 Supporting information shall also be required to be made
1 11 available with the report, including but not limited to the
1 12 methodology applied to identify the results, a copy of any
1 13 form utilized, background data used in developing the report,
1 14 and other information to assist a reader in assessing the
1 15 quality and accuracy of the data provided by the report.
1 16 NEW SUBSECTION. 14. With the assistance of the state
1 17 departments represented on the Iowa empowerment board and the
1 18 community empowerment office, develop and implement an
1 19 internet=based system providing a single point of contact for
1 20 use by a parent in accessing the community empowerment area
1 21 programs and state programs listed in section 28.10 that are
1 22 available in the parent's area. The system shall provide
1 23 capacity for a community empowerment area to implement an
1 24 internet site or internet page for that area in lieu of a
1 25 statewide site or page.
1 26 NEW SUBSECTION. 15. With extensive community involvement,
1 27 annually submit to the governor and general assembly policy
1 28 recommendations for assisting a parent in providing full=time
1 29 care of the parent's child in the family home during the
1 30 period of the child's life from birth through age five.
1 31 Sec. 2. COLOCATION OF STATE EARLY CHILDHOOD STAFF ==
1 32 LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.
1 33 1. FINDINGS AND INTENT. The state of Iowa provides
1 34 funding, support, and technical assistance for programs
1 35 directed to children from birth to age five utilizing a number
2 1 of separate funding streams and state agencies. For early
2 2 childhood programs, the community empowerment initiative has
2 3 been instrumental in improving coordination and collaboration
2 4 between the funding streams and state agencies by empowering
2 5 Iowans to assume a leadership role at the community level.
2 6 The general assembly finds that colocating the administrative
2 7 staff associated with various state agency early childhood
2 8 programs will further enhance the degree of collaboration and
2 9 efficiency. It is the intent of the general assembly that at
2 10 an appropriate time, the programs and associated agency staff
2 11 listed in this section will be consolidated under the
2 12 authority of the Iowa empowerment board.
2 13 2. COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT OFFICE. The community
2 14 empowerment office of the department of management shall
2 15 develop a plan to physically or virtually colocate the state
2 16 administrative offices of the programs listed in this section
2 17 and the associated state administrative staff. The plan shall
2 18 be presented to the chairpersons and ranking members of the
2 19 committees on human resources of the senate and the house of
2 20 representatives on or before January 16, 2006.
2 21 3. PROGRAMS AND AGENCIES IDENTIFIED. The plan developed
2 22 by the community empowerment office pursuant to subsection 2
2 23 shall address the colocation of the state administrative
2 24 offices and associated state administrative staff for all of
2 25 the following programs:
2 26 a. The following programs and associated staff under the
2 27 authority of the department of education:
2 28 (1) Center=based special education programs.
2 29 (2) The child portion of the child and adult care food
2 30 program.
2 31 (3) The early childhood network operated by the department
2 32 of education and area education agencies.
2 33 (4) The early childhood special education program.
2 34 (5) The early head start and head start programs.
2 35 (6) The even start family literacy program.
3 1 (7) Iowa shared visions preschool programs for children
3 2 ages three to five years, implemented under the auspices of
3 3 the child development coordinating council.
3 4 (8) Iowa shared visions parent support programs
3 5 implemented under the auspices of the child development
3 6 coordinating council.
3 7 (9) The school ready children grant program implemented
3 8 under the community empowerment initiative.
3 9 b. The following programs and associated staff under the
3 10 authority of the department of human services:
3 11 (1) Child abuse prevention grants.
3 12 (2) Early childhood programs grants implemented under the
3 13 community empowerment initiative.
3 14 (3) Child care programs implemented under chapter 237A.
3 15 (4) Community=based family resource programs.
3 16 (5) The promoting safe and stable families grant program.
3 17 c. The following programs and associated staff under the
3 18 authority of the Iowa department of public health:
3 19 (1) Child health programs.
3 20 (2) The childhood immunization program.
3 21 (3) The childhood lead poisoning prevention program
3 22 implemented pursuant to section 135.101.
3 23 (4) The community=based family resource and support grant
3 24 program funded through the federal administration for children
3 25 and families, United States department of health and human
3 26 services.
3 27 (5) The healthy child care Iowa program.
3 28 (6) The healthy opportunities for parents to experience
3 29 success=healthy families Iowa (HOPES=HFI) program implemented
3 30 under section 135.106.
3 31 d. Other programs that provide support to children from
3 32 birth through age five and the families of such children.
3 33 Sec. 3. Section 237A.30, Code 2005, is amended by striking
3 34 the section and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
3 35 237A.30 VOLUNTARY CHILD CARE QUALITY RATING SYSTEM.
4 1 1. The department shall work with the community
4 2 empowerment office of the department of management established
4 3 in section 28.3 and the state child care advisory council in
4 4 designing and implementing a voluntary quality rating system
4 5 for each provider type of child care facility.
4 6 2. The criteria utilized for the rating system may include
4 7 but are not limited to any of the following: facility type;
4 8 provider staff experience, education, training, and
4 9 credentials; facility director education and training; an
4 10 environmental rating score or other direct assessment
4 11 environmental methodology; national accreditation; facility
4 12 history of compliance with law and rules; child=to=staff
4 13 ratio; curriculum, including the extent to which the
4 14 curriculum focuses on the stages of child development and on
4 15 child outcomes; business practices; staff retention rates;
4 16 evaluation of staff members and program practices; staff
4 17 compensation and benefit practices; provider and staff
4 18 membership in professional early childhood organizations; and
4 19 parental involvement with the facility.
4 20 3. A facility's quality rating may be included on the
4 21 internet page and in the consumer information provided by the
4 22 department pursuant to section 237A.25 and shall be identified
4 23 in the child care provider referrals made by child care
4 24 resource and referral service grantees under section 237A.26.
4 25 Sec. 4. PHASED IMPLEMENTATION.
4 26 1. Effective July 1, 2005, the department of human
4 27 services shall no longer accept applications for the gold seal
4 28 quality designation for child care providers under section
4 29 237A.30, Code 2005. However, if a child care provider has
4 30 been awarded the designation prior to July 1, 2005, the
4 31 designation may continue to be utilized for that provider
4 32 until the designated period of nationally recognized
4 33 accreditation for which the gold seal designation was awarded
4 34 has ended.
4 35 2. The department of human services shall commence
5 1 implementation of the voluntary child care quality rating
5 2 system under section 237A.30, as amended by this Act, by
5 3 awarding ratings beginning on or after January 1, 2006. The
5 4 department may modify implementation of the rating system and
5 5 the rating system itself as necessary to conform to the
5 6 funding made available for the rating system for the fiscal
5 7 year beginning July 1, 2005.
5 8 Sec. 5. FEDERAL COORDINATION INITIATIVE. If an
5 9 opportunity is offered by the federal government and
5 10 participation in the opportunity would not adversely affect
5 11 head start programs in Iowa, the Iowa empowerment board and
5 12 the state agencies represented on the board shall apply for
5 13 Iowa to participate in a head start pilot program designed to
5 14 promote coordination of state head start, preschool, and child
5 15 care programs into a comprehensive early childhood system.
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