May 11, 2006, Introduced by Reps. Moore, Nofs, Meyer, Caul and Casperson and referred to the Committee on Education.
A bill to amend 1979 PA 94, entitled
"The state school aid act of 1979,"
by amending sections 32l and 37 (MCL 388.1632l and 388.1637),
section 32l as added and section 37 as amended by 2005 PA 155.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 32l. (1) From the general fund money appropriated in
section 11, there is allocated for 2005-2006 an amount not to
exceed $12,250,000.00 for competitive school readiness program
grants. These grants shall be made available through a competitive
application process as follows:
(a) Any public or private nonprofit legal entity or agency may
apply for a grant under this section. However, a district or
intermediate district may not apply for a grant under this section
unless the district or intermediate district is acting as a fiscal
agent for a child caring organization regulated under 1973 PA 116,
MCL 722.111 to 722.128.
(b) An applicant shall submit an application in the form and
manner prescribed by the department.
(c) The department shall establish a diverse interagency
committee to review the applications. The committee shall be
composed of representatives of the department, appropriate
community, volunteer, and social service agencies and
organizations, and parents.
(d) The superintendent shall award the grants and shall give
priority for awarding the grants based upon the following criteria:
(i) Compliance with the state board-approved early childhood
standards of quality for prekindergarten.
(ii) Active and continuous involvement of the parents or
guardians of the children participating in the program.
(iii) Employment of teachers possessing proper training,
including a valid Michigan teaching certificate with an early
childhood (ZA) endorsement, a valid Michigan teaching certificate
with a child development associate credential (CDA), or a
bachelor's degree in child development with a specialization in
preschool
teaching. , and employment If an applicant demonstrates
that it is unable to fully comply with this subparagraph after
making reasonable efforts to comply, the superintendent may still
give priority to the applicant if the applicant will employ
teachers who have proper training in early childhood development
equivalent to 4 years of formal training in early
childhood/preschool education or child development. This may
include 1 or more of the following:
(A) A valid Michigan teaching certificate with an early
childhood (ZA) endorsement or a child development associate
credential (CDA).
(B) A bachelor's degree in child care or child development.
(C) A child development associate credential (CDA) combined
with an associate of arts (AA) degree in early childhood/preschool
education or child development.
(iv) Employment of paraprofessionals possessing proper training
in
early childhood development , including an associate's degree
in
early childhood education or child development or the
equivalent,
or a child development associate (CDA) credential, or
the
equivalent, as approved by the state board. A paraprofessional
who
does not meet these requirements may be employed for not more
than
2 years while obtaining proper credentials if he or she has
completed
at least 1 course in an appropriate training program or
who have completed at least 1 course in an appropriate training
program, including, but not limited to, a child development
associate credential (CDA) program, an associate degree in child
development program, or a similar program, as approved by the
department.
(v) (iv) Evidence of collaboration with the community of
providers in early childhood development programs including
documentation of the total number of children in the community who
would meet the criteria established in subparagraph (vi), and who
are being served by other providers, and the number of children who
will remain unserved by other community early childhood programs if
this program is funded.
(vi) (v) The extent to which these funds will supplement
other federal, state, local, or private funds.
(vii) (vi) The extent to which these funds will be targeted to
children who will be at least 4, but less than 5, years of age as
of December 1 of the year in which the programs are offered and who
show evidence of 2 or more "at-risk" factors as defined in the
state board report entitled "children at risk" that was adopted by
the state board on April 5, 1988.
(viii) (vii) The program offers supplementary day care and
thereby offers full-day programs as part of its early childhood
development program.
(ix) (viii) The application contains a plan approved by the
department to conduct and report annual school readiness program
evaluations and continuous improvement plans using criteria
approved by the department. At a minimum, the evaluations shall
include a self-assessment of program quality and assessment of the
gains in educational readiness and progress of the children
participating in the program.
(e) An application shall demonstrate that the program has
established or has joined a multidistrict, multiagency school
readiness advisory committee that is involved in the planning and
evaluation of the program and that provides for the involvement of
parents and appropriate community, volunteer, and social service
agencies and organizations. The advisory committee shall include at
least 1 parent or guardian of a program participant for every 18
children enrolled in the program, with a minimum of 2 parent or
guardian representatives. The advisory committee shall do all of
the following:
(i) Review the mechanisms and criteria used to determine
referrals for participation in the school readiness program.
(ii) Review the health screening program for all participants.
(iii) Review the nutritional services provided to all
participants.
(iv) Review the mechanisms in place for the referral of
families to community social service agencies, as appropriate.
(v) Review the collaboration with and the involvement of
appropriate community, volunteer, and social service agencies and
organizations in addressing all aspects of education disadvantage.
(vi) Review, evaluate, and make recommendations for changes in
the school readiness program.
(2) To be eligible for a grant under this section, a program
shall demonstrate that more than 50% of the children participating
in the program live with families with a household income that is
less than or equal to 250% of the federal poverty level.
(3) The superintendent may award grants under this section at
whatever level the superintendent determines appropriate. However,
the amount of a grant under this section, when combined with other
sources of state revenue for this program, shall not exceed
$3,300.00 per participating child or the cost of the program,
whichever is less.
(4) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, an
applicant that receives a grant under this section for 2005-2006
shall also receive priority for funding under this section for
2006-2007 and 2007-2008. However, after 3 fiscal years of
continuous funding, an applicant is required to compete openly with
new programs and other programs completing their third year. All
grant awards under this section are contingent on the availability
of funds and documented evidence of grantee compliance with early
childhood standards of quality for prekindergarten, as approved by
the state board, and with all operational, fiscal, administrative,
and other program requirements.
Sec. 37. (1) A district is eligible for an allocation under
section 32d if the district meets all of the requirements in
subsections (2), (3), and (4).
(2) The district shall submit a preapplication, in a manner
and on forms prescribed by the department, by a date specified by
the department in the immediately preceding state fiscal year. The
preapplication shall include a comprehensive needs assessment and
community collaboration plan, and shall identify all of the
following:
(a) The estimated total number of children in the community
who meet the criteria of section 32d and how that calculation was
made.
(b) The estimated number of children in the community who meet
the criteria of section 32d and are being served by other early
childhood development programs operating in the community, and how
that calculation was made.
(c) The number of children the district will be able to serve
who meet the criteria of section 32d including a verification of
physical facility and staff resources capacity.
(d) The estimated number of children who meet the criteria of
section 32d who will remain unserved after the district and
community early childhood programs have met their funded
enrollments. The school district shall maintain a waiting list of
identified unserved eligible children who would be served when
openings are available.
(3) The district shall submit a final application for
approval, in a manner and on forms prescribed by the department, by
a date specified by the department. The final application shall
indicate all of the following that apply:
(a) The district complies with the state board approved early
childhood standards of quality for prekindergarten.
(b) The district provides for the active and continuous
participation of parents or guardians of the children in the
program, and describes the district's participation plan as part of
the application.
(c) The district only employs for this program the following:
(i) Teachers possessing proper training. For programs the
district manages itself, a valid teaching certificate and an early
childhood (ZA) endorsement are required. This provision does not
apply to a district that subcontracts with an eligible child
development program. In that situation a teacher must have a valid
Michigan teaching certificate with an early childhood (ZA)
endorsement, a valid Michigan teaching certificate with a child
development associate credential (CDA), or a bachelor’s degree in
child development with specialization in preschool teaching.
(ii) If a district determines that it is unable to fully comply
with subparagraph (i) after making reasonable efforts to comply,
teachers who have proper training in early childhood development
equivalent to 4 years of formal training in early
childhood/preschool education or child development. This may
include 1 or more of the following:
(A) A valid Michigan teaching certificate with an early
childhood (ZA) endorsement or a child development associate
credential (CDA).
(B) A bachelor's degree in child care or child development.
(C) A child development associate credential (CDA) combined
with an associate of arts (AA) degree in early childhood/preschool
education or child development.
(iii) (ii) Paraprofessionals possessing proper training in
early
childhood development , including an associate’s degree in
early
childhood education or child development or the equivalent,
or
a child development associate (CDA) credential, or the
equivalent
as approved by the state board. A paraprofessional who
does
not meet these requirements may be employed for not more than
2
years while obtaining proper credentials if he or she has
completed
at least 1 course in an appropriate training program or
who have completed at least 1 course in an appropriate training
program, including, but not limited to, a child development
associate credential (CDA) program, an associate degree in child
development program, or a similar program, as approved by the
department.
(d) The district has submitted for approval a program budget
that includes only those costs not reimbursed or reimbursable by
federal funding, that are clearly and directly attributable to the
early childhood readiness program, and that would not be incurred
if the program were not being offered. If children other than those
determined to be educationally disadvantaged participate in the
program, state reimbursement under section 32d shall be limited to
the portion of approved costs attributable to educationally
disadvantaged children.
(e) The district has established a, or has joined a
multidistrict, multiagency, school readiness advisory committee
consisting of, at a minimum, classroom teachers for
prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade; parents or
guardians of program participants; representatives from appropriate
community agencies and organizations; the district curriculum
director or equivalent administrator; and, if feasible, a school
psychologist, school social worker, or school counselor. In
addition, there shall be on the committee at least 1 parent or
guardian of a program participant for every 18 children enrolled in
the program, with a minimum of 2 parent or guardian
representatives. The committee shall do all of the following:
(i) Ensure the ongoing articulation of the early childhood,
kindergarten, and first grade programs offered by the district or
districts.
(ii) Review the mechanisms and criteria used to determine
participation in the early childhood program.
(iii) Review the health screening program for all participants.
(iv) Review the nutritional services provided to program
participants.
(v) Review the mechanisms in place for the referral of
families to community social service agencies, as appropriate.
(vi) Review the collaboration with and the involvement of
appropriate community, volunteer, and social service agencies and
organizations in addressing all aspects of educational
disadvantage.
(vii) Review, evaluate, and make recommendations to a local
school readiness program or programs for changes to the school
readiness program.
(f) The district has submitted for departmental approval a
plan to conduct and report annual school readiness program
evaluations and continuous improvement plans using criteria
approved by the department. At a minimum, the evaluations shall
include a self-assessment of program quality and assessment of the
gains in educational readiness and progress of the children
participating in the program.
(g) More than 50% of the children participating in the program
live with families with a household income that is equal to or less
than 250% of the federal poverty level.
(4) A consortium of 2 or more districts shall be eligible for
an allocation under section 32d if the districts designate a single
fiscal agent for the allocation. A district or intermediate
district may administer a consortium described in this subsection.
A consortium shall submit a single preapplication and application
for the children to be served, regardless of the number of
districts participating in the consortium.
(5) With the final application, an applicant district shall
submit to the department a resolution adopted by its board
certifying the number of 4-year-old children who show evidence of
risk factors as described in section 32d who live with families
with a household income that is less than or equal to 250% of the
federal poverty level.