Section 27 Early Education and Care Data Collection

Said section 2 of said chapter 15D, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by adding the following 2 clauses:-

(v) in consultation with the data advisory commission established in section 12B, annually collect data, to the extent feasible, on: (1) the number of for-profit organizations that own or franchise centers in multiple states and operate center-based programs in the commonwealth; (2) the number of center-based programs that are not programs pursuant to subclause (1); (3) the number of early education and care providers serving children and families; (4) the number of employees at early education and care providers, delineated by job position and full-time or part-time designation; (5) pay rates and employer-paid benefits for employees at early education and care providers, delineated by job position and full-time or part-time designation; (6) tuition charged by early education and care providers for full and part-time early education and care, delineated by age group and region; (7) the number of children enrolled by early education and care providers, delineated by region, age, type of care, family income range, race, ethnicity, country of origin, disability status, receipt of early intervention services, primary language of the household and the number of adults in the household; (8) the number of children receiving child care financial assistance, delineated by region, age, family income, race, ethnicity, country of origin, disability status, receipt of early intervention services, primary language of the household and number of adults in the household; (9) the total cost of child care financial assistance provided by the department; (10) the average monthly number of utilized and unutilized contracted slots and vouchers, delineated by region and type of care; and (11) the average monthly number of children on the department's waitlist for child care financial assistance, delineated by region, age, type of care, family income range, race, ethnicity, country of origin, disability status, receipt of early intervention services, primary language of the household and number of adults in the household; provided, however, that the department shall include a summary of the data collected pursuant to this clause in the department's annual report required pursuant to subsection (g) of section 3; and

(w) develop, maintain and disseminate a written early education and care informational guide, accessible through the department's website and available in multiple languages, containing resources for parents of newborns, including, but not limited to: (1) information on the short and long-term developmental benefits of a quality early education and care curriculum; (2) the department's role in licensing providers and conducting background record checks and the differences between licensed and unlicensed providers; (3) child care financial assistance eligibility requirements and application process; and (4) the website for families to access an online directory, searchable by geographic location, of licensed child care programs across the commonwealth; provided, however, that the department shall disseminate the guide at accessible locations, including, but not limited to: (A) public libraries; (B) family resource centers; (C) hospitals with maternity services; and (D) birthing centers.