From the ECS State Policy Database P-3 Ensuring Quality

This database is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Most entries are legislative, although rules/regulations and executive orders that make substantive changes are included. Every effort is made to collect the latest available version of policies; in some instances, recent changes might not be reflected. For expediency purposes minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) and format. Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date]. State Status/Date Level Summary IN Signed into law 05/2013 P-12 Early Education Evaluation Program H.B. 1004 Establishes the Early Education Evaluation Program to gather data concerning the school readiness of low-income children who have received early education services through providers with programs of demonstrated quality that require parental involvement in the... More... NE Signed into law 05/2013 P-12 Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) L.B. 507 Creates the Step Up to Quality Child Care Act. Directs the State Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services to collaborate (1) to develop, implement, and provide oversight for a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for part... More... WA Signed into law 05/2013 P-12 Legislative Task Force on Child Care Improvements SB 5595 Outlines the department of social and health services responsibilities. Establishes a legislative task force on child care improvements, lists task force members, and outlines the task force responsibilities. Requires the task force to address the creation of... More... WA Signed into law 04/2013 P-12 Early Learning Opportunities. H.B. 1723 Amends existing law to express intent to establish the Early Start Program to provide a continuum of high quality and accountable early learning opportunities for Washington's parents and children. Allows schools administering the Washington kindergarten inven... More... NY Signed into law 08/2012 P-12 Birth-5 Standards, Guidelines, and Criteria A.B. 7591 Directs the department of education, the office of children and family services and the department of health, each to identify and review existing standards, guidelines and criteria for education, development or learning in programs under its jurisdiction for ... More... OH Signed into law 06/2012 P-12 Licensure of Preschool and Child Care Programs S.B. 316 - Licensure of Preschool and Child Care Programs Defines "school child," "child care," and other terms. Removes various references to preschool or school child program license renewal and to issuance of a two-year license to such a program upon successful completion of term of provisional license. Adds new l... More... LA Signed into law 05/2012 P-12 Standards for Licensed Day Care Centers H.B. 1016 Makes revisions to current law regarding standards for licensed day care centers, describes the duties of the Department of Children and Family Services relative to regulation of day care centers; and requires the guidance and input of the Louisiana Advisory C... More... IL Adopted 05/2012 P-12 Early Childhood Block Grant 23 IL ADC 235.20, 30, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70; 23 IL ADC 235.APP. A, B, C From Illinois Register: This rulemaking resulted from the state board's application for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to design and implement early learning and development systems that are comprehensive in scope and c... More... FL Signed into law 04/2012 P-12 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program H.B. 5101 - Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program Requires each private prekindergarten provider and public school in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program to implement an evidence-based pre- and post-assessment approved by the state board of education. Requires the approved assessment to be valid, ... More... DC Signed into law 04/2012 P-12 Early Childhood Education, Title V Bill 19-648 Requires the chancellor to establish academic acheivement goals for three and four-year olds, and readiness goals and evaluations for three and four-year olds and for students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. The chancellor also must establish guidelines for... More... FL Vetoed 04/2012 P-12 School Readiness Programs H.B. 5103 From final bill analysis: Conforms applicable statutes to the appropriations provided in the General Appropriations Act for the school readiness program for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. Defines terms for purposes of the School Readiness Act. Requires definitions... More... LA Signed into law 04/2012 P-12 Louisiana Early Childhood Education Act. S.B. 581 Requires the state board of education to create a comprehensive and integrated network through which to manage and oversee all programs funded through state or federal resources that provide early childhood care or educational services.The board will establish... More... GA Signed into law 05/2011 P-12 Emergency Closure of an Early Care and Education Program S.B. 185 Provides for emergency closure of an early care and education program upon the death of a minor or where a child's safety or welfare is in imminent danger. Provides for certain procedures upon the emergency closure of an early care and education program. Provi... More... VT Signed into law 05/2011 P-12 Regulation of Prekindergaten Education Programs S.B. 100 - Early Education Regulation This section requires the departments of education and children and families to consult with the various stakeholders in early learning (specific entities and any other interested entities) to determine ways in which regulation of prekindergarten programs offe... More... AR Signed into law 04/2011 P-12 Evaluation of Early Learning Programs S.B. 337 Directs the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education to assess each early childhood program in this state that receives state funding based on nationally recognized standards and assessments that may include without limitation the following compone... More... MN Issued 03/2011 P-12 The Early Learning Council E.O. 11-05 Creates the Early Learning Council to serve as the state advisory council on early childhood education and care. The council will consists of up to 30 members, 26 of whom are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The following individuals are... More... IL Issued 06/2010 P-12 Office of Early Childhood Development Executive Order 8 Creates the Office of Early Childhood Development in the governor's office. Provides that the purpose of the office is to coordinate the work of the Council and its committees, and support collaborative efforts to coordinate, improve, and expand existing early... More... OK Signed into law 05/2010 P-12 Head Start Included on Readiness Board H.B. 3126 Expanding duties and board representation of the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness board. Directs the Board to additionally serve as the state's Early Childhood Advisory Council and fulfill the responsibilities described in the Head Start Act of 2007 (... More... CO Signed into law 04/2010 P-12 Quality in Child Care Program H.B. 1026 Creates the Quality in Child Care Incentive Grant Program with the objective of providing incentives to county or district departments of social services to increase the quality of early care and education providers and facilities in the county while allowing ... More... OH Signed into law 08/2009 P-12 Inspections of Preschool and Licensed School Child Programs H.B. 1 - Section 3301.57 Partially from DOE summary of H.B. 1: Reduces the number of annual inspections of preschool programs and licensed school child programs by the department of education from twice during each 12-month period of operation to once each 12-month period of operation... More... OH Signed into law 07/2009 P-12 Early Childhood Education Programs H.B. 1 - Section 265.10.20 Partially from DOE summary of H.B. 1: Continues the GRF-funded early childhood education program at school districts, joint vocational school districts or educational service centers for children at least three years old as of the district entry date for kind... More... IA Adopted 07/2009 P-12 Early Childhood Council IAC 641-Chapter 83 Establishes new rules regarding the Early Childhood Iowa Council. Sets forth membership and operating procedures for the Council and describes how the Department of Public Health will coordinate efforts among stakeholders. IOWA 7794... More... OH Adopted 06/2009 P-12 Early Learning Programs OAC 3301-37-01 through -12 -01: Adds or amends definitions related to early learning programs, including of "alignment," "curriculum," "early learning program guidelines," "group size". http://www.registerofohio.state.oh.us/pdfs/3301/0/37/3301-37-01_PH_FF_A_RU_20090615_1020.pdf -02: Ide... More... MN Signed into law 05/2009 P-12 Quality Rating and Improvement System H.F. 2 Establishes a voluntary, standards-based quality rating and improvement system for early learning and care programs. Requires the state to consider the cost of administering and staffing the system and collecting evaluation and assessment data when establishin... More... TN Signed into law 05/2009 P-12 Contracting Only with Providers Meeting Highest Standards S.B. 2328 From the fiscal note: Authorizes local education agencies (LEAs) to contract out for the provision of child care services and requires LEAs to contract with only child care providers who have met the highest standards of the Department of Human Service's ratin... More... WI Issued 10/2008 P-12 Governor's State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care Executive Order 269 (Executive Order No. 269) Creates the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care to conduct a periodic statewide needs assessment concerning the quality and availability of early childhood education and development programs and services for c... More... CA Signed into law 09/2008 P-12 Early learning S.B. 1629 Establishes the Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee which would be required to develop the policy and implementation plan for an Early Learning Quality Improvement System. Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to apply to t... More... FL Signed into law 06/2008 P-12 Success in Early Learning Act H.B. 879 Relates to the Success in Early Learning Act; authorizes the use of telecommunication methods in conducting early learning coalition board meetings; transfers requirements for the establishment of a statewide child care resource and referral network by the Dep... More... IA Adopted 11/2007 P-12 Accreditation Standards Related to Discrimination and Prekindergarten IAC 281, 12.1(1), 281-12.2(256), 12.3(6), 12.3(13), 12.8(1) Reflects that education programs are not to discriminate on the basis of the added characteristics of sexual orientation and gender identity. Clarifies that a preschool program must meet accreditation standards on the same basis as any prekindergarten program ... More... MD Adopted 11/2007 P-12 Family Day Care Quality COMAR 13A.14.04.02, .14 Increases the required preservice and continued training requirements for registered family child care providers to help improve the quality and professionalism of home-based child care services. MARYLAND 11169 http://www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/subtitle_chapter... More... MD Adopted 11/2007 P-12 Child Care Center Licensing and Staff Requirements COMAR 13A.14.02.02, .18, .21-.23, .25-.27 Increases the required preservice and continued training requirements for child care center staff and change the nomenclature of child care center staff to make it consistent with the terminology used by most other states. MARYLAND 11170 http://www.dsd.state.m... More... WA Signed into law 04/2007 P-12 Child Care Provider Information S.B. 5317 Declares that the purpose of this act is to provide tools to promote the hiring of suitable providers of child care by: (1) Providing parents with access to information regarding child care providers; (2) Providing child care providers with known information r... More... AK Adopted 02/2007 P-12 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS 4 AAC 04.150 Amends rules to the Department of Education and Early Development.Adopts Grade Level Expectations (GPE) for Kindergarten through Grade 2. ALASKA 3405... More... MS Adopted 07/2006 P-12 Child Care Quality Rating System Uncodified Establishes rules for a pilot project to improve the quality of child care services. Sets up a quality rating system for licensed child careproviders. MISSISSIPPI 10417... More... IA Signed into law 06/2006 P-12 Community Empowerment Initiative H.B. 2769 Increases membership on the community empowerment state board. Requires family support services in the community empowerment initiative to include home visitation. Creates a community empowerment gifts and grants account in the Iowa empowerment fund. Makes an... More... MO Signed into law 05/2006 P-12 Standards for Early Childhood Education H.B. 1511 Requires the department of Education to develop, by June 30, 2007, standards for early childhood education which will be applicable to public preschool programs that receive federal Title I funds or Missouri preschool project funds. The standards must include ... More... CO Vetoed 05/2006 P-12 Statewide Early Childhood Councils H.B. 1397 Concerns the creation and duties of a statewide system of integrated early childhood councils. Repeals the pilot program for community consolidated child care services; incorporates the pilot program into a new integrated statewide system of early childhood co... More... MD Signed into law 04/2006 P-12 Child Care Quality Incentive Grant Program H.B. 601 Requires the Child Care Quality Incentive Grant Program to be administered by the State Department of Education; authorizes the Department to contract with specified agencies to administer the grant program; authorizes the State Superintendent to delegate auth... More... WA Signed into law 03/2006 P-12 Department of Early Learning H.B. 2964 Finds that the early years of a child's life are critical to the child's healthy brain development and that the quality of caregiving during the early years can significantly impact the child's intellectual, social, and emotional development. Declares that the... More... MS Signed into law 03/2006 P-12 Education Reform Act of 2006 S.B. 2602 Enacts the Education Reform Act of 2006. Section 16 directs the department of human services to establish a child care quality step program by requiring the office for children and youth to develop and implement a voluntary pilot rating system (QRS) for improv... More... HI Signed into law 06/2005 P-12 Early Learning Educational Task Force S.B. 3101 Establishes and appropriates funds for an early learning educational task force to be attached to the department of education. Directs the task force to develop a 5-year plan for birth-5 education in the state. Requires the plan to include: (1) An implement... More... IA Signed into law 06/2005 P-12 Impact of Early Intervention Block Grants H.F. 742 Relates to the Iowa Early Intervention Block Grant Program. Requires a report that includes district-by-district information showing the allocation received for early intervention block grant program purposes, the total number of students enrolled in grade fou... More... IA Issued 08/2004 P-12 Postsec. Community College IOWA LEARNS COUNCIL Executive Order No. 30 - 2003 Creates the IOWA LEARNS COUNCIL. The Iowa Learns Council shall work towards the ambitious goal of 90% of Iowa children having a quality pre-school experience, and 90% of Iowa high school graduates will go on to complete at least two years of college; shall pro... More... AR Rule Adoption 06/2004 P-12 Better Chance Program ADE 174 Establishes general guidelines for the operation of early childhood programs funded under the Arkansas Better Chance Program and the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success Program. http://arkedu.state.ar.us/pdf/ade%20174%20abc.pdf... More... SD Signed into law 02/2004 P-12 Child Care Availability Quality S.B. 117 Establishes a task force to improve the quality and availability of child care and early learning opportunities.... More... OR Rule Adoption 06/2003 P-12 Renewal of Authorization for Specialists OAR 581-015-1105, -1106 Amends rules to streamline the process of renewal of authorization for early childhood specialists and early childhood supervisors within the Early Intervention/ Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSA) Programs. OREGON REG 24245 (SN)... More... ND Signed into law 04/2003 P-12 Teacher Qualifications (Early Childhood and Kindergarten) H.B. 1489 Requires the state board to issue major equivalency endorsements and minor equivalency endorsements (new requirement). Also adds new requirement for early childhood by requiring the education standards and practices board to issue an optional early childhood ... More... MS Signed into law 04/2003 P-12 Statewide Prekindergarten/School Readiness Program Assessment S.B. 2636 Establishes oversight committee to assess all prekindergarten or school readiness programs run by any public or private school or Head Start program in the state, as well as any school readiness program operated by any licensed childcare center in the state. S... More... AR Signed into law 04/2003 P-12 Better Chance Program H.B. 2402 Expands the Arkansas Better Chance Program; allows any licensed early childhood program with early childhood accreditation by the Department of Human Services and meeting the Arkansas Better Chance Core Quality Approval Standards of the Department of Education... More... KY Adopted 03/2003 P-12 Probationary Certificate/Teachers of Children 16 KAR 2:140 Allows that if no certified early childhood education teacher is available, the superintendent may ask that a one-year probationary interdisciplinary early childhood education certificate be granted. Establishes prerequisites for this probationary certificate... More... KY Adopted 03/2003 P-12 Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education Teacher Certificate 16 KAR 2:040 Establishes rules regarding the professional certificate for interdisciplinary early childhood education, birth to primary, the teacher standards, and the standards for approval of a program leading to this certificate. http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/kar/016/002/0... More... WV Adopted 01/2003 P-12 Universal Access to Pre-Kindergarten System STATE ID: 126-28 Title 126, Series 28 Provides rules relating to West Virginia's universal access to the state's Pre-Kindergarten System. WEST VIRGINIA REG 4202 (SN)... More... NM Adopted 11/2002 P-12 Competencies for Early Childhood Education 6.61.8.10 Sets forth the competencies required for early childhood educators. ... More... IL Signed into law 07/2002 P-12 Child Care H.B. 3662 Amends the Child Care Act of 1969; excludes certain programs operated by private entities on the grounds of public or private elementary or secondary schools from the definition of "day care center". Provides that the exception concerning programs operated by ... More... TN Signed into law 05/2002 P-12 State Standards Apply to Private Providers S.B. 2380 Applies the state board's of education child care standards to programs operated by private schools. Any funds or personnel involved in the regulation of schools covered under this bill are to be transferred from DHS to the department of education. ... More... OK Signed into law 04/2002 P-12 Child Care Facilities Licensing Act-Single licensure process S.B. 1584 An Act relating to children; amending 10 O.S. 2001, Section 401, which relates to the Oklahoma Child Care Facilities Licensing Act; requiring specified entities to develop a single child care licensure process for certain use; clarifying formatting; and provi... More... MD Signed into law 04/2002 P-12 Child Care Quality Incentive Grant Program H.B. 986 Establishes a Child Care Quality Incentive Grant Program in the Department of Human Resources; authorizes the Department to award grants as an incentive for child care providers to improve the quality of care being provided to children; makes it a misdemeanor ... More... VA Signed into law 04/2002 P-12 Licenced child care center regulations H.B. 1208 Provides that regulations for licensed child care centers adopted by the state board of social services or the child day-care council shall not require the membership, affiliation or accreditation services of any single accreditation or certification agency.... More... TN Signed into law 07/2001 P-12 Child care report cards and tiered reimbursement system. S.B. 1667; same as H.B. 1390 Establishes and implements a mandatory child care agency report card system and a separate and voluntary child care agency rated licensing system. Child care providers that participate in the voluntary 3-star ratings system will receive an increase in the rat... More... ME Signed into law 05/2001 P-12 Safety Standards for Nursery Schools S.B. 291 (LD 1002) Authorizes the Department of Human Services to adopt rules for the safe operation of nursery schools.... More... AZ Signed into law 05/2001 P-12 Early Childhood Education Grant Evaluation S.B. 1516 Relates to Early Childhood Education Grant Evaluation; provides that the legislative council shall develop outcome measures to indicate the effectiveness of the Early Childhood Education Program; provides that the auditor general shall conduct programming eval... More... IN Signed into law 05/2001 P-12 Child care development vouchers S.B. 110 Provides that a child care ministry that receives child care development voucher may only be required by a local Step Ahead Council to meet child care standards; specifies that a local Step Ahead Council may not require child care ministries to meet additional... More... FL Signed into law 05/2001 P-12 Cuts Early Childhood Programs S.B. 1162 - Omnibus The following programs have been repealed by S.B. 1162: 1) Gold Seal Quality care program, a three tiered quality rating system 2) Early screening and intervention program for children in subsidized child care programs 3) Child Development Associate Trai... More... CO Signed into law 03/2001 P-12 Alternative Preschool Programs S.B. 49 Requires school district preschool program councils to periodically assess whether alternative community providers are available and to ensure the highest quality service at the lowest cost.... More... WY Signed into law 02/2001 P-12 Regional Preschool Teacher Development H.B. 113 Relates to regional development preschool system teachers; includes employment as a teacher in the regional development preschool system as school district service credit; modifying the teacher seniority adjustment computation under the foundation program form... More... NJ Signed into law 09/2000 P-12 Facility Safety S.B. 982 Exempts child care centers operated by a non-profit organization in a public school building from radon testing and certain other requirements.... More... CA Vetoed 08/2000 P-12 Higher Standards for Public Child Care A.B. 1986 Revises and recasts the indicators of quality child care and development programs. Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop an evaluation system for all state funded child care and development programs that would be required to include prog... More... AL Signed into law 03/2000 P-12 Accreditation of Preschool Programs H.J.R. 96 Relates to preschool programs; requires preschools receiving funding under the early childhood block grant program to become accredited.... More... AZ Signed into law 03/2000 P-12 Preschool Accreditation H.B. 2398 Relates to preschool programs; requires preschools receiving funding under the early childhood block grant program to become accredited.... More... VA Signed into law 03/2000 P-12 Preschool Compliance S.B. 170 Provides that the guidelines for the at-risk four-year-old preschool program may be differentiated according to the agency delivering the services in order to comply with various federal or state requirements; requires (i) one teacher for any class of ten stud... More... WY Signed into law 03/2000 P-12 Preschool Programs H.B. 185 Relates to preschool programs; provides a school district may establish a preschool program under certain conditions; provides for funding a preschool program; provides certain limitations on enrollment; provides for technical assistance under certain circumst... More...