§ 6-87-101 — Early Childhood Care and Education System

(a) (1) There is created within the Department of Education the Office of Early Childhood. (2) The head of the Office of Early Childhood shall report directly to the Secretary of Education or his or her designee. (b) The office shall be responsible for all programs funded through state or federal resources that provide early childhood care or educational services, including without limitation: (1) The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act; (2) State preschool; (3) The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Pub. L. No. 101-476: (A) Part B for children before Kindergarten; and (B) Part C for infants and toddlers; and (4) The Arkansas Head Start State Collaboration Office. (c) Under § 25-43-105 , the administration of the programs under subsection (b) of this section currently overseen by the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education shall be transferred to the Office of Early Childhood. (d) The office: (1) Shall serve as the lead agency for the Child Care and Development Block Grant; and (2) May contract with other state agencies, including without limitation the Department of Human Services, to administer certain functions during the transition period established in this section, or in perpetuity. (e) The State Board of Education, through the Department of Education, shall establish a seamless early childhood educational system that is coordinated and integrated across all programs and related state agencies, regardless of public funding source, working cooperatively and collaboratively with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health. (f) To facilitate the administration of a unified system of early childhood care and education and all classroom seats supported with public funds, not later than October 1, 2024, the state board, through the Department of Education, shall competitively select and work with local early childhood lead organizations in communities throughout the state to: (1) Support access to early childhood programs; (2) Identify gaps in service; (3) Foster partnerships; (4) Create alignment among the public and private providers and agencies within the community that serve families and children; and (5) (A) Establish a comprehensive, locally supported plan for providing early childhood programs and services within the community. (B) The plans required under subdivision (f)(5)(A) of this section shall address specific responsibilities that include without limitation: (i) Measuring the need for affordable access to quality early childhood care and education for children from birth through four (4) years of age within the community; (ii) Conducting an unduplicated count of children served through public funds before kindergarten; (iii) Establishing a local, collaborative governing structure for shared decision making; (iv) Identifying shared resources that can support improved access to and quality of early childhood care and education programs for children from birth through four (4) years of age, and determining how resources can be leveraged to maximize the impact of early childhood care and education programs at every age; (v) Coordinating enrollment processes for families; and (vi) Determining how future financial support should be used to expand access to and improve the quality of infant, toddler, and pre-kindergarten classrooms in the region, according to the locally created plan. (g) To facilitate the creation of the Unified Early Childhood Care and Education System, the state board shall: (1) Establish and promulgate a definition of kindergarten readiness aligned with state content standards for elementary and secondary schools; (2) Create a simple, clear, and understandable uniform accountability system for publicly funded early childhood education programs that includes without limitation a rating indicative of child outcomes; (3) (A) Designate the 2024-2025 school year as a pilot learning year in which practice ratings, which shall not result in any consequences, shall be created for publicly-funded sites and the region in which they are included. (B) The practice ratings utilized under subdivision (g)(3)(A) of this section shall allow for a transition for the state and programs from the previous system to the Unified Early Childhood Care and Education System established by this chapter, holding harmless financial and other incentives and consequences and allowing for revisions to the existing timeline without harm to existing providers; (4) In coordination with other state agencies: (A) Reduce any burdensome, unnecessary rules for the licensing of childcare facilities; and (B) Report on the reduction of rules under subdivision (g)(4)(A) of this section to the General Assembly as part of the written report required under subsection (k) of this section; (5) Establish a timeline for the creation and implementation of the Unified Early Childhood Care and Education System administered through local early childhood educational lead organizations that shall be fully implemented by the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year; and (6) (A) Create and publish a parent-friendly website that includes information on locally available schools and centers near their homes. (B) The website required under subdivision (g)(6)(A) of this section shall include without limitation the: (i) Curriculum being taught; (ii) Tuition costs; (iii) Student-teacher ratios; and (iv) Accountability results. (h) (1) The state board, through the Department of Education, may use available, eligible public and private funds to implement new strategies to increase access to and improve the quality of early childhood care and education programs by establishing pilot programs administered by local early childhood lead organizations, as identified by the state board. (2) The findings from these pilot programs shall be used to inform statewide efforts to improve the effectiveness of local early childhood care and education programs, including without limitation: (A) Supporting businesses to open childcare for employees; and (B) Creating alternative funding models to support access to high-quality, small business childcare options. (i) The state board shall promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section related to the Unified Early Childhood Care and Education System. (j) Requirements to participate in the Unified Early Childhood Care and Education System shall not apply to early childhood programs that receive public funds solely for food and nutrition assistance. (k) (1) By no later than March 1, 2024, the state board shall submit a written report regarding the status of identification of local early childhood lead organizations and unification of the Unified Early Childhood Care and Education System to the: (A) President Pro Tempore of the Senate; (B) Speaker of the House of Representatives; (C) Senate Committee on Education; and (D) House Committee on Education. (2) The report required under subdivision (k)(1) of this section shall include without limitation any recommendations related to changes in law or administrative rules that are needed to maximize the positive implementation of the Unified Early Childhood Care and Education System by the local early childhood lead organizations.

Legislative History

Added by Act 2023, No. 237,§ 58, eff. 7/1/2023.