Bill
HF 422
HF 422 strengthens SVPP by a five-year renewal cycle, higher quality standards, integration of children from other funded preschools, and expanded community-based delivery.
HF 422 — Summary
Bill Information
- Bill Number: HF 422
- Title: A bill for an act relating to statewide voluntary preschool program quality standards and renewals
- Status: Introduced, referred to Education
- Introduced: February 17, 2025
- Primary Sponsor: Bagniewski
- Classification: bill
- Subject: preschools, statewide preschool program (SVPP)
Purpose and Intent
- The bill aims to strengthen quality standards, coordination, and renewals for the statewide voluntary preschool program (SVPP). It focuses on ensuring integrated, high-quality early childhood services delivered through approved local programs and enhanced collaboration with families, early care providers, and community partners.
Key Provisions
1) Ongoing coordination and comprehensive services
- Requires ongoing communication, coordination, and cooperation between an approved local program, families, early care providers, and community providers.
- Designed to advance the SVPP’s purposes by facilitating comprehensive services and aligning local programs with community resources.
2) Integration requirements and uninterrupted services
- The State Board of Education (BOE) must adopt rules to enable integration of children from other state and federally funded preschools into approved local programs.
- With parental/guardian/custodian approval, a child integrated into an approved local program must receive uninterrupted instruction and access to services provided by that program.
3) Five-year program status limit
- An approved local program’s status is limited to five years.
4) Renewal and community readiness reporting
- At least once every five years, an approved local program must provide evidence to the BOE that it adequately incorporates community readiness and engages multiple community stakeholders.
5) Revocation for failure to meet quality standards
- The Department of Education (DE) is empowered to implement procedures to revoke an approved local program’s status if it fails to meet SVPP quality standards.
6) Encouragement of district-community collaboration
- The BOE, in collaboration with the DE, should encourage school districts to partner with community partners to ensure comprehensive, integrated early childhood services.
- Includes delivery of preschool services outside of traditional school-district settings in community-based contexts where other early childhood services are provided, ensuring SVPP access for all children.
7) Conforming changes
- The bill includes conforming changes to align statutes with the SVPP quality standards and renewal framework.
Affected Parties
- Children enrolled in SVPP (including those transferring from other funded preschool programs with parental consent)
- Families/guardians
- Approved local preschool programs
- School districts
- Department of Education (DE)
- State Board of Education (BOE)
- Community partners and community-based early childhood providers
Procedural and Timeline Aspects
- Five-year renewal cycle for approved local programs, with mandatory renewal evidence every five years.
- Establishment of rules by the BOE (in consultation with DE) to govern integration, uninterrupted services, and revocation procedures.
- Implementation of procedures for revocation of program status upon failing to meet quality standards—subject to DE rulemaking.
Overall Impact
- Aims to improve quality and consistency of SVPP through formal renewal cycles, stronger integration of children across funding streams, and expanded delivery of preschool services through community-based settings.
- Increases accountability of approved local programs via periodic evidence of community involvement and readiness.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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