Bill Text: IA SF2299 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Enrolled
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to the early childhood Iowa initiative. (Formerly SSB 3128.)
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Enrolled - Dead) 2016-04-29 - Sent to Governor. S.J. 0. [SF2299 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2015-SF2299-Enrolled.html
Senate File 2299 - Enrolled
SENATE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON
APPROPRIATIONS
(SUCCESSOR TO SSB
3128)
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A BILL FOR
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Senate File 2299
AN ACT
RELATING TO THE EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA INITIATIVE.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
Section 1. Section 135.106, subsection 4, Code 2016, is
amended to read as follows:
4. It is the intent of the general assembly that priority
for home visitation family support funding be given to
approaches using evidence=based or promising models for home
visitation family support.
Sec. 2. Section 256I.4, subsection 7, paragraph a, Code
2016, is amended to read as follows:
a. Waiver of existing rules, federal regulation, or
amendment of state law, or removal of other barriers. The
state board shall consider a community's current coverage of
family support programs and services when responding to an area
board's request for a waiver from the requirement in section
256I.9, subsection 3, paragraph "b".
Sec. 3. Section 256I.4, subsection 8, Code 2016, is amended
to read as follows:
8. Develop and implement a levels of excellence rating
system for use with the state board's designation process for
area boards. Allow for flexibility and creativity of area
boards in implementing area board responsibilities and provide
authority for the area boards to support the communities in the
areas served. The levels of excellence rating system shall
utilize a tiered approach for recognizing the performance of
an area board. The system shall provide for action to address
poor performing areas as well as higher performing areas.
Subject to the funding requirements and other requirements
established in law, if an area board achieves the highest
rating level, the state board may allow special flexibility
provisions in regard to the funding appropriated or allocated
for that area board. The state board shall determine how often
area boards are reviewed under the system.
Sec. 4. Section 256I.7, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code
2016, is amended to read as follows:
a. The early childhood Iowa functions for an area shall be
performed under the authority of an early childhood Iowa area
board. The members of an area board shall be elected officials
or members of the public who are not employed by a provider of
services to or for the area board. In addition, the membership
of an area board shall include representation from early
care, education, health, human services, business, and faith
interests, and at least one parent, grandparent, or guardian of
a child from zero through age five. However, not more than one
member shall represent the same entity or interest.
Sec. 5. Section 256I.8, subsection 1, paragraph c, Code
2016, is amended to read as follows:
c. Develop a comprehensive community plan for providing
services for children from zero through age five. At a
minimum, the plan shall do all of the following:
(1) Describe community and area needs for children from zero
through age five as identified through ongoing assessments.
(2) Describe the current and desired levels of community
and area coordination of services for children from zero
through age five, including the involvement and specific
responsibilities of all related organizations and entities
relationships and services between community providers.
(3) Identify all federal, state, local, and private funding
sources including funding estimates available in the early
childhood Iowa area that will be used to provide services to
children from zero through age five.
(4) Describe how funding sources will be used
collaboratively and the degree to which the sources can
be combined to provide necessary services to support young
children and their families.
(5) Identify the desired results and the community=wide
indicators the area board expects to address through
implementation of the comprehensive community plan. The plan
shall identify community=specific, quantifiable performance
measures to be reported in the area board's annual report and
integration with the strategic plan adopted by the state board.
(6) Describe the current status of support services to
prevent the spread of infectious diseases, prevent child
injuries, develop health emergency protocols, help with
medication, and care for children with special health needs
that are being provided to child care facilities registered or
licensed under chapter 237A within the early childhood Iowa
area.
Sec. 6. Section 256I.9, subsection 3, paragraphs b and d,
Code 2016, are amended to read as follows:
b. (1) Family support services and parent education
programs promoted to parents of children from zero through
age five. Family support services shall include but are not
limited to home visitation and parent education. Of the state
funding that an area board designates for family support
programs, at least sixty percent shall be committed to programs
with a home visitation component.
(2) It is the intent of the general assembly that priority
for home visitation family support program funding be given
to programs using evidence=based or promising models for home
visitation family support.
d. Services to improve the quality and availability of
all types of child care. The services may include but are
not limited to making nurse consultants available to support
quality improvement.
Sec. 7. Section 256I.9, subsection 4, paragraphs a, b, and
c, Code 2016, are amended to read as follows:
a. A school ready children grant shall be awarded to an
area board annually, as funding is available. Receipt of
continued funding is subject to submission of the required
annual report data and the state board's determination that
the area board is measuring making progress, through the use
of specific, quantifiable performance measures and locally
identified community=wide indicators, developed by the state
board with input from area boards, progress toward and is
achieving the desired results and other results identified
in the community plan. Each area board shall participate in
the levels of excellence rating system designation process to
measure the area's success. If the use of performance measures
and community=wide indicators does not show that an area board
has made progress toward achieving the results identified in
the community plan, the state board shall require a plan of
corrective action, provide technical assistance, withhold any
increase in funding, or withdraw grant funding.
b. The state board shall distribute school ready children
grant moneys to area boards with approved comprehensive
community plans based upon a determination of an early
childhood Iowa area's readiness to effectively utilize the
grant moneys designation. The grant moneys shall be adjusted
for other federal and state grant moneys to be received by the
area for services to children from zero through age five.
c. An area board's readiness designation shall be determined
by evidence of successful collaboration among public and
private early care, education, health, and human services
interests in the area or a documented program design that
supports a strong likelihood of a successful collaboration
between these interests. Other criteria which may be used by
the state board to determine readiness and funding amounts for
an area include one or more of the following:
(1) The levels of excellence rating received by the area.
(2) Evidence of the area's capacity to successfully
implement the services in the area's community plan.
(3) Local public and private funding and other resources
committed to implementation of the community plan.
(4) The adequacy of plans for commitment of local funding
and other resources for implementation of the community plan.
Sec. 8. Section 256I.10, subsection 3, Code 2016, is amended
by striking the subsection.
Sec. 9. Section 256I.11, subsection 4, paragraph b, Code
2016, is amended by striking the paragraph.
Sec. 10. Section 256I.13, Code 2016, is amended to read as
follows:
256I.13 Home visitation Family support program ==== funding
intent.
1. In order to implement the legislative intent stated in
sections 135.106 and 256I.9, that priority for home visitation
family support program funding be given to programs using
evidence=based or promising models for home visitation family
support, it is the intent of the general assembly to phase in
the funding priority as follows:
a. By July 1, 2013, twenty=five percent of state funds
expended for home visiting programs are for evidence=based or
promising program models.
b. By July 1, 2014, fifty percent of state funds expended
for home visiting programs are for evidence=based or promising
program models.
c. By July 1, 2015, seventy=five percent of state funds
expended for home visiting programs are for evidence=based or
promising program models.
d. By that by July 1, 2016, ninety percent of state
funds expended for home visiting family support programs
are shall be used for evidence=based or promising program
models. The remaining ten percent of funds may be used for
innovative program models that do not yet meet the definition
of evidence=based or promising programs.
2. For the purposes of this section, unless the context
otherwise requires or unless otherwise provided under federal
law:
a. "Evidence=based program" means a program that is based
on scientific evidence demonstrating that the program model
is effective. An evidence=based program shall be reviewed
on site and compared to program model standards by the model
developer or the developer's designee at least every five years
to ensure that the program continues to maintain fidelity
with the program model. The program model shall have had
demonstrated significant and sustained positive outcomes in an
evaluation utilizing a well=designed and rigorous randomized
controlled research design or a quasi=experimental research
design, and the evaluation results shall have been published in
a peer=reviewed journal.
b. "Family support programs" includes group=based parent
education or home visiting programs that are designed to
strengthen protective factors, including parenting skills,
increasing parental knowledge of child development, and
increasing family functioning and problem solving skills. A
family support program may be used as an early intervention
strategy to improve birth outcomes, parental knowledge, family
economic success, the home learning environment, family and
child involvement with others, and coordination with other
community resources. A family support program may have a
specific focus on preventing child maltreatment or ensuring
children are safe, healthy, and ready to succeed in school.
c. "Promising program" means a program that meets all of the
following requirements:
(1) The program conforms to a clear, consistent family
support model that has been in existence for at least three
years.
(2) The program is grounded in relevant empirically based
knowledge.
(3) The program is linked to program=determined outcomes.
(4) The program is associated with a national or state
organization that either has comprehensive program standards
that ensure high=quality service delivery and continuous
program quality improvement or the program model has
demonstrated through the program's benchmark outcomes that the
program has achieved significant positive outcomes equivalent
to those achieved by program models with published significant
and sustained results in a peer=reviewed journal.
(5) The program has been awarded the Iowa family support
credential and has been reviewed on site at least every five
years to ensure the program's adherence to the Iowa family
support standards approved by the state board or a comparable
set of standards. The on=site review is completed by an
independent review team that is not associated with the program
or the organization administering the program.
3. a. The data reporting requirements adopted by the
state board pursuant to section 256I.4 for the family support
programs targeted to families expecting a child or with newborn
and infant children through age five and funded through the
state board shall require the programs to participate in a
state=administered internet=based data collection system. The
data reporting requirements shall be developed in a manner to
provide for compatibility with local data collection systems.
The state board's annual report submitted each January to
the governor and general assembly under section 256I.4 shall
include family support program outcomes beginning with the
January 2015 report.
b. The data on families served that is collected by the
family support programs funded through the early childhood
Iowa initiative shall include but is not limited to basic
demographic information, services received, funding utilized,
and program outcomes for the children and families served. The
state board shall adopt performance benchmarks for the family
support programs and shall revise the Iowa family support
credential to incorporate the performance benchmarks on or
before January 1, 2014.
c. The state board shall identify minimum competency
standards for the employees and supervisors of family support
programs funded through the early childhood Iowa initiative.
The state board shall submit recommendations concerning the
standards to the governor and general assembly on or before
January 1, 2014.
d. The state board shall adopt criminal and child abuse
record check requirements for the employees and supervisors of
family support programs funded through the early childhood Iowa
initiative.
e. The state board shall develop a plan to implement a
coordinated intake and referral process for publicly funded
family support programs in order to engage the families
expecting a child or with newborn and infant children through
age five in all communities in the state by July 1, 2015.
PAM JOCHUM
President of the Senate
LINDA UPMEYER
Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that this bill originated in the Senate and
is known as Senate File 2299, Eighty=sixth General Assembly.
MICHAEL E. MARSHALL
Secretary of the Senate
Approved , 2016
TERRY E. BRANSTAD
Governor
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