Bill Text: PA HB1977 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Providing for a comprehensive interagency plan for child day-care services and early childhood development services and for the powers and duties of the Department of Public Welfare.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-11-10 - Re-committed to APPROPRIATIONS [HB1977 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HB1977-Amended.html

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PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 2658 PRINTER'S NO. 2861
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1977 Session of2009
INTRODUCED BY BISHOP, SOLOBAY, BRIGGS, BROWN, McILVAINE SMITH, READSHAW, BELFANTI, GIBBONS, DONATUCCI, MYERS, KULA, ROEBUCK, YOUNGBLOOD, HARKINS, MURT, SIPTROTH, MUNDY, MELIO AND THOMAS, SEPTEMBER 14, 2009
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, NOVEMBER 9, 2009
AN ACT
Providing for a comprehensive interagency plan for child day-
care services and early childhood development services and
for the powers and duties of the Department of Public
Welfare.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Child Day
Care and Early Childhood Development State Plan Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Child day care." Care in lieu of parental care given for
part of the 24-hour day to children under 16 years of age, away
from their own homes. The term does not include child day care
furnished in places of worship during religious services.
"Department." The Department of Public Welfare of the
Commonwealth.
"Early childhood development services." Services which are
intended to provide an environment which enhances the
educational, social, cultural, emotional and recreational
development of children from birth through eight years of age
but which are not intended to serve as a substitute for
compulsory academic programs.
Section 3. Annual comprehensive State plan for child day-care
and early childhood development services.
(a) Annual plan.--Through an annual State plan on child day-
care and early childhood development services, the department,
in coordination with the Department of Health and the Department
of Education, shall establish goals and objectives and review
and assess the State's child day-care and early childhood
development service delivery system, including State efforts to
assure the provision of accessible, available and affordable
quality child day-care and early childhood development services
and a continuum of early childhood programs to the general <--
public. The plan shall be developed in relation to Statewide and
local needs and shall take into consideration available
demographic studies. It shall reflect the needs of families in
different social, economic and cultural circumstances and the
needs of children of different ages and stages of development
and of children with special needs.
(b) Submission.--No later than May 1 of each year, the
department shall submit to the Governor, the Chief Clerk of the
Senate and the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives a
State plan on child day-care and early childhood development
services for the ensuing year.
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(c) Common policies and practices.--In the development and
implementation of an annual State plan, the department shall
promote common policies and practices in programs to the fullest
extent possible and develop mechanisms for interagency
collaboration to create a coordinated State child day-care and
early childhood development services delivery system. This
subsection includes simplification and coordination of the
application process for families needing services.
(d) Public hearings.--To prepare the State plan, the
department shall hold at least four public hearings in different
geographic locations in this Commonwealth to seek input and
recommendations from parents, early childhood development
professionals, child day-care providers, child advocates,
educators, representatives of local government, health and human
service organizations, health care professionals, labor
organizations, businesses, school officials and other
individuals or agencies interested in issues affecting children
and families.
(e) Contents of plans.--The State plan shall include the
following information:
(1) A summary of recommendations submitted to the
department pursuant to Statewide public hearings and the
department's response to the recommendations.
(2) The amount of Federal, State and local funds
requested for child day-care and early childhood development
services and the allocation of these funds, by the type of
care and by administrative costs. Funding includes the Social
Services Block Grant Act (Public Law 97-35, 42 U.S.C. § 1397
et seq.); Titles I and VI of the Personal Responsibility and
Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law
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104-193, 110 Stat. 2105); the Head Start Act (Public Law
97-35, 42 U.S.C. § 9831 et seq.); subarticle (b) of Article <--
XV-D of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as
the Public School Code of 1949; the act of December 19, 1990
(P.L.1372, No.212), known as the Early Intervention Services
System Act; and other pertinent State appropriations.
(3) A description of child day-care and, early childhood <--
development and early childhood education programs in this <--
Commonwealth. This paragraph includes child day-care centers, <--
group child day-care homes, family child day-care homes,
school-age child day-care programs, child day care for teen
parents, early intervention programs and Head Start programs.
(4) The following information, if available: the <--
unduplicated number of children served and assisted with
Federal, State and local funds, by type of care and age;
funding source for the services; the average duration of the
child-care service; and the child capacity of regulated
providers.
(5) Income eligibility guidelines for federally funded
and State-funded child day-care and early childhood
development services, including, as applicable, sliding fee <--
scales and the extent to which the income guidelines and fee
scales are adjusted to reflect the most recent available
State income data.
(6) The State's practices regarding the monitoring of
child day-care and early childhood development programs to
ensure the health, safety and, welfare and early learning <--
outcomes of children. In describing the monitoring system,
the department shall identify the extent of announced and
unannounced inspections of regulated providers, the level of
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compliance with State standards and the staff-to-provider
ratio to accomplish this task. This paragraph includes
recommendations on ways to improve both the enforcement and
monitoring of standards and compliance with standards.
(7) The department's coordination, identification or
arrangement of training and professional preparation and <--
development for providers in specific program areas that are
designed to improve the quality of child day-care and early
childhood development services. The department shall identify
any Federal, State, local or private funding allocated for
training and professional preparation and development; the <--
objectives of the training and professional preparation and <--
development; the way in which training and professional <--
preparation and development will be accomplished; and an
evaluation of the previous year's training and professional <--
preparation and development programs.
(8) An analysis of any recent demonstration projects
related to child day care or early childhood development
established by the department or the Department of Health or
the Department of Education, using Federal or State funds,
along with a summary of the cost of the projects and the
findings and recommendations of the department.
(9) A summary of any recent reports, data or surveys
concerning the compensation of child day-care and early
childhood development professionals, loan forgiveness
programs, the State's reimbursement rates and any changes in
rates recommended by the department.
(10) A summary of the most recent available demographic
information related to the need for child day-care and early
childhood development programs in this Commonwealth.
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(11) Efforts by the private sector and State and local
government to encourage employer-sponsored child day-care
services and policies aimed at addressing the child day-care
needs of working parents.
(12) A description of the responsibilities and programs
of various State departments with respect to child day-care
and early childhood development services and how coordination
among agencies is addressed. The department shall describe
its responsibilities and programs under various program
offices and related programs or services available through
the Department of Aging, the Department of Community and
Economic Development, the Department of Education, the
Department of Health or the Department of Labor and Industry.
(13) Standards and, training and professional <--
preparation and development for child day-care providers who
receive payment through Federal or State child day-care or
early childhood development programs. The standards and, <--
training and professional preparation and development shall <--
promote the health, safety and developmental needs of
children.
(14) Identification of gaps in child day-care and early
childhood development services, unmet needs, administrative
barriers that serve as obstacles to obtaining services and
recommendations on how the State can address these issues.
(15) Statutory and regulatory changes recommended by the
department to address the quality, affordability and
availability of child day-care and early childhood
development services.
Section 10. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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