S.B. 222

1

KINDERGARTEN READINESS INITIATIVE
2 2007 GENERAL SESSION
3 STATE OF UTAH
4 Chief Sponsor: Howard A. Stephenson
5 House Sponsor: ____________
6
7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This bill modifies the State System of Public Education Code by creating a
10 Pre-kindergarten Readiness Program.
11 Highlighted Provisions:
12 This bill:
13 . establishes a Pre-kindergarten Readiness Program as a voluntary, family-directed
14 kindergarten readiness initiative within the State System of Public Education;
15 . provides for allocation of program monies by the State Board of Education to
16 school districts; and
17 . provides evaluation and accountability requirements for the program.
18 Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
19 This bill appropriates as an ongoing appropriation subject to future budget constraints,
20 $7,900,000 from the Uniform School Fund for fiscal year 2007-08 to the State Board of
21 Education.
22 Other Special Clauses:
23 This bill takes effect on July 1, 2007.
24 Utah Code Sections Affected:
25 ENACTS:
26 53A-3-402.8, Utah Code Annotated 1953
27

28 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
29 Section 1. Section 53A-3-402.8 is enacted to read:
30 53A-3-402.8. Pre-kindergarten Readiness Program.
31 (1) The Pre-kindergarten Readiness Program is established as a voluntary,
32 family-directed kindergarten readiness initiative within the State System of Public Education
33 to:
34 (a) provide all students the opportunity to acquire the requisite skills to be successful in
35 kindergarten;
36 (b) provide comprehensive services and family support to children prior to school entry
37 to enhance children's learning and school readiness;
38 (c) build upon existing private and public sector pre-kindergarten opportunities by
39 increasing communication with families and coordination between existing programs;
40 (d) assist parents, child care providers, and preschool programs as they provide
41 pre-kindergarten education to children;
42 (e) increase the capacity of schools to prepare all children for learning in the early
43 years; and
44 (f) provide flexibility to meet individual community needs.
45 (2) (a) The State Board of Education shall distribute money appropriated by the
46 Legislature for the program in accordance with a formula adopted by the board, after
47 consultation with school districts, that allocates the funding in a fair and equitable manner.
48 (b) Subject to funding for the program, a school district shall use the funding under
49 Subsection(2)(a) to:
50 (i) hire one qualified pre-kindergarten educator for every estimated 400 four-year old
51 children in the district;
52 (ii) pay for travel, materials, and meeting costs of the program; and
53 (iii) provide for evaluation and accountability in accordance with Subsection (3).
54 (c) School districts that do not qualify under Subsection (2)(b)(i) to hire their own
55 full-time pre-kindergarten educator may enter into agreements with one another to provide
56 pre-kindergarten program services on a regional basis or to pool program monies to hire a
57 full-time, qualified pre-kindergarten educator for the school districts.
58 (3) The program shall include the following evaluation and accountability provisions:

59 (a) participant evaluations of program components;
60 (b) annual reports of program activities and participation rates; and
61 (c) a longitudinal study to assess the school readiness and subsequent student
62 achievement in kindergarten through the third grade of children who participated in the
63 program.
64 (4) Parent and child participation in the program or any portion of the program is
65 voluntary.
66 Section 2. Appropriation.
67 As an ongoing appropriation subject to future budget constraints, there is appropriated
68 from the Uniform School Fund for fiscal year 2007-08, $7,900,000 to the State Board of
69 Education.
70 Section 3. Effective date.
71 This bill takes effect on July 1, 2007.




Legislative Review Note
as of 1-29-07 1:55 PM

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel