2006 Delaware Code - CHAPTER 30 — EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAM

§ 3001. State Early Childhood Education Program.

(a) The Department of Education shall be authorized to provide early childhood educational services to eligible children, which shall include preschool age children who live in poverty, using such funds as are appropriated by the General Assembly for that purpose.

(b) The Department of Education shall provide the early childhood educational services by contracting with public and private providers, including, but not limited to, providers administering federal Head Start programs within the State; provided however, that state funds paid to such contracting providers shall not be used to supplant state and/or federally funded programs or to make a federal Head Start provider ineligible for a Head Start expansion grant. All contracts may be in place for a period not to exceed 3 years; provided that there is sufficient funding contained within the annual appropriations act and the contractor adheres to the required Head Start performance standards, which include parental involvement and receipt of acceptable monitoring results which will be completed at least once during the contract period.

(c) Each contracting provider will be required to establish written agreements within the provider's respective service area with their local Head Start and/or other Early Childhood Initiative contracting provider as well as the local school district, to address issues including, but not limited to, service areas, recruitment, transition of children and families and sharing resources and information.

(d) The Interagency Resource Management Committee (IRMC) shall have administrative responsibility for all appropriations made to the Department of Education pursuant to this section. Such administrative responsibility shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) Determining unserved and underserved areas within the State, to be addressed in any given year. Such identified areas will be specified within the Request for Proposal (RFP) issued to prospective providers;

(2) Reviewing, recommending and disbursing grant awards for contracts to qualifying providers to deliver early childhood educational services to preschool-age children who live in poverty;

(3) Reallocating unobligated or unspent appropriations made to the Department of Education pursuant to this section; and

(4) Verifying that the contracting providers use state funds paid to them for the purposes specified in their contracts.

(e) All public and private providers contracting with the Department of Education pursuant to this section shall ensure that each and every employee receives a minimum of 1 hour of training every year in the detection and reporting of child abuse. Such training, and all materials used in such training, shall be prepared by the Division of Family Services. (69 Del. Laws, c. 351, § 1; 71 Del. Laws, c. 132, § 336; 71 Del. Laws, c. 180, § 144; 72 Del. Laws, c. 94, § 355; 72 Del. Laws, c. 173, § 3; 73 Del. Laws, c. 321, §§ 9, 10.)

§ 3002. Early Childhood Advisory Committee.

The Family Services Cabinet Council ("FSCC") shall establish an Early Childhood Advisory Committee composed of equal representation from the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, the Governor's Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens, the Interagency Resource Management Committee and private providers, including Head Start providers to assist in:

(1) Recommending guidelines and evaluation procedures to be utilized by the Department of Education and the IRMC in awarding contracts for the provision of early childhood educational services to preschool age children who live in poverty, which guidelines and evaluation procedures shall be consistent with existing Head Start criteria; and

(2) Advising the FSCC and IRMC of possible opportunities for improved interagency collaboration and/or gaps in the delivery of early childhood educational services to preschool age children who live in poverty. (69 Del. Laws, c. 351, § 1; 71 Del. Laws, c. 180, § 144.)

§ 3003. Early Childhood Education Program annual report.

The IRMC shall make annual reports to the General Assembly and the FSCC on or before January 1 of each fiscal year regarding the State Early Childhood Education Program, which shall include:

(1) The number and percent of preschool age children who are eligible for early childhood educational services by county and by contracting provider;

(2) The amount of state funds requested for continuation and expansion per contracting provider;

(3) The amount of state funds received for continuation and expansion per contracting provider;

(4) The amount of state funds expended per contracting provider; and

(5) Any other data reflecting the progress of expansion of early childhood educational services to preschool age children who live in poverty and its effectiveness that the IRMC regards as pertinent. (69 Del. Laws, c. 351, § 1; 73 Del. Laws, c. 321, § 11.)