| Account | Description | FY07 GAA |
FY08 GAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3000-1000 | Department of Early Education and Care Administration For the administration of the department of early education and care and the costs of field operations and licensing provided through the department; provided, that funds from this item shall be expended on the development and piloting of a kindergarten readiness assessment system that is educationally sound; provided further, that funds from this item shall be expended on the development of a comprehensive evaluation system for all early education and care programs in the commonwealth; provided further, that the department shall report on the first business day of each month to the joint committee on education, the joint committee on children and families, the house and senate committees on ways and means, and the secretary of administration and finance on the unduplicated number of children on waiting lists for state-subsidized early education and care programs and services, including supportive child care services; provided further, that, notwithstanding chapter 66A of the general laws, the department of early education and care, the lead agencies of community partnership councils, the child care resource and referral agencies, the department of education, the department of transitional assistance, the department of social services, and the department of public health may share with each other personal data regarding the parents and children who receive services provided under early education and care programs administered by the commonwealth for waitlist management, program implementation and evaluation, reporting, and policy development purposes; provided further, that funds from this item shall be expended to develop an implementation plan for a workforce development system in collaboration with the board and chancellor of higher education, pursuant to section 5 of chapter 15D of the general laws; provided further, that as part of the development of said workforce implementation plan, the department shall expend funds for the development of core competencies for those working with children in early education programs; provided further, that the department shall consult with early childhood education practitioners, researchers and experts in early childhood education, child development, and children's mental health, and faculty in degree granting programs in the early childhood education field; provided further, that in developing said core competencies the department shall differentiate by levels of responsibility, delivery settings, and developmental age group of the children; provided further, the department shall consider core competencies defined by other states as well as the program standards for children ages 3 and 4 promulgated by the department of education; provided further, that the board of early education and care shall approve core competency requirements for those working with children from birth through entrance into kindergarten; provided further, that not less than $250,000 shall be expended for the development of a quality rating system for early education and care programs participating in the universal pre-kindergarten program under chapter 15D of the General Laws; provided further, that the department shall consult with experts in early childhood education and quality measurement and with Massachusetts providers, including those representing family child care, non-profit centers, for-profit centers, head start programs, and public school programs; provided further, that the development of a quality rating system shall include, but not be limited to, a definition of quality standards under said chapter 15D, the development of a quality rating scale, and recommendations relative to quality rating system implementation, governance, monitoring, accountability, and for ensuring reciprocity between a quality rating system and existing accountability standards including but not limited to licensing regulations, National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation, PRISM, and public school standards; provided further, that the department shall issue a report, not later than February 15, 2008, on the status of the department's programming to the secretary of administration and finance, the senate president, the speaker of the house, the chairpersons of the house and senate committees on ways and means, and the house and senate chairperson of the joint committee on education; provided further, that the report shall contain the proposed core competencies to be issued by the department, and the status and findings of the department's quality rating system; provided further, that the report shall contain a multi-year plan for the alignment of rates and quality standards and for program to move toward meeting the quality standards enumerate in item 3000-5075; provided further, that the report shall include on the number of children served in the pilot program created in item 3000-4050 of this act, the number of additional children who would be eligible for services in that category, and the estimate cost of fully funding early education and care for those children; provided further, that the report shall contain details on the implementation of universal pre-kindergarten grants, along with any legislative recommendations for the improvement of the program; provided further, that the report shall contain a multi-year plan for the alignment of all classroom based quality enhancement grants funded by the department in order to ensure fairness and consistency across all pre-school grant programs; provided further, that the report shall included the department's recommendations on the consistent implementation of accreditation assistance across the commonwealth; provided further, that the report shall include the number of early childhood educators and providers who have received such training, the estimate number who have requested such additional training, and a review and analysis of the most effective types of professional development; and provided further, that the report shall included the estimated number of pre-school suspensions and expulsions that occur each year in the commonwealth, the relative frequency of each type of mental illness or behavioral issues among children receiving programs and services from the department, and an analysis of the most effective intervention strategies |
10,952,486 | 13,496,287 |
| SPENDING CATEGORY |
FY04 Spending |
FY05 Spending |
FY06 Spending |
FY07 Spending |
FY08 GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wages & Salaries | 0 | 0 | 7,810 | 9,272 | 9,687 |
| Pensions & Benefits | 0 | 0 | 243 | 258 | 261 |
| Operating Expenses | 0 | 0 | 1,377 | 1,670 | 3,548 |
| Aid to Cities & Towns | 0 | 0 | 3,369 | 24 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 0 | 0 | 12,799 | 11,224 | 13,496 |
| EARMARK DESCRIPTION |
FY08 |
|---|---|
| Development of a quality rating system for early education and care programs participating in the universal pre-kindergarten program | 250,000 |