ASSEMBLY, No. 901
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION
By Assemblyman ROCCO
An Act concerning educational programs in special needs school districts and supplementing chapter 44 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Disadvantaged Child Development Act."
2. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. A child's development starts before the age of five years when the child traditionally enters school;
b. Early childhood education will enrich the life experience of young children, identify developmental problems and reduce the need for remediation;
c. Many children who live in poverty are malnourished, lack adequate health care and experience a stressful home environment which may cause them to enter school at serious risk of educational and social failure; and
d. Many parents residing in socioeconomically disadvantaged school districts cannot afford preschool programs and are unable to enroll their child in federal programs due to lack of availability.
3. a. Each special needs district shall establish full day kindergarten and early childhood programs and make them available to all children in the district beginning in the 1994-95 school year and shall insure that approved early childhood programs are available to all children in the district beginning in the 1995-96 school year or upon the availability of suitable facilities, whichever is earlier. The early childhood programs shall be available to all four year old children and to three year old children when developmentally appropriate. The programs shall be based on a developmentally appropriate and integrated curriculum which promotes the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive areas of a child's development.
b. By February 1, 1994 and every February 1 thereafter, each special needs district shall prepare a plan to provide full day kindergarten and early childhood programs, as appropriate, pursuant to this section for the coming school year and submit the plan to the Commissioner of Education for approval. The plan shall be prepared in consultation with parents, teachers and community leaders and shall:
(1) address the full day child care needs of the child's working parents through before and after school programs;
(2) be tailored to each child's needs and developmental readiness;
(3) provide for the identification and remediation of developmental delays which could adversely effect future school performance;
(4) encourage parents and members of the community to volunteer their time and services in operating the programs;
(5) provide full day nutritional programs;
(6) provide an information and referral service for health and social services for the child or the child's family
(7) provide a parent education component in order to encourage parents to read to their children, to take a more active role in the education of their children at home and at school, and to enhance the intellectual, physical, social and emotional development of their children;
(8) utilize existing governmental and community resources and facilities and seek private foundation and business involvement;
(9) provide for a continuity of services to at-risk and developmentally delayed children as they move into the primary grades.
c. The Department of Education shall provide guidance and technical assistance to local school districts in developing the plans required under this section.
d. If the district is unable to provide full day kindergarten or early childhood programs because of the unavailability of suitable facilities, the plan shall indicate what steps are being taken by the district to address this issue and an approximate date when suitable facilities will be available and the Commissioner of Education may authorize the district to delay implementation of the programs as specified in the plan .
4. The school district shall provide transportation when necessary to children participating in a preschool program pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. )(now pending before the Legislature as this bill) who do not otherwise qualify for transportation and shall receive transportation aid pursuant to section 16 of P.L.1990, c.52 (C.18A:7D-18).
5. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the special needs school districts to provide full day kindergarten programs beginning in the 1994-95 school year. The bill also requires these districts to provide preschool programs beginning in the 1995-96 school year or upon the availability of facilities, whichever is earlier. The preschool program must be offered to all four year old children and to three year old children when developmentally appropriate.
Each special needs district must prepare a plan in consultation with teachers, parents and community leaders detailing the programs to be provided and submit the plan to the Commissioner of Education for approval. The Department of Education is directed to provide guidance and assistance to the special needs districts in developing the plan.
The plan to provide full day kindergarten and preschool programs must address the day care needs of working parents, provide for the identification and remediation of developmental problems, provide for parental education classes, provide a health and social services referral service, encourage volunteers to participate in the program and utilize existing governmental and community resources.
The plan must also detail the steps being taken by the district to find suitable facilities for prekindergarten programs.
The bill also requires the school district to provide transportation when necessary to preschoolers who do not otherwise qualify for State mandated transportation for which the district will be eligible to receive State transportation aid.
Requires special needs districts to provide full day kindergarten and preschool programs.