What's happening
This bill creates a Division of Early Childhood within New York's Office of Children and Family Services to coordinate and improve early childhood programs and funding.
Why it matters
Centralizes oversight and coordination. of early childhood programs, which could reduce duplication, increase efficiency, and improve service delivery for families by streamlining multiple programs under one division.
Emphasizes partnerships and collaboration. with both public and private entities, as well as other state agencies and the education department, potentially leading to more holistic and consistent support for children from birth through school entry.
Mandates a statewide assessment and reporting. on early childhood funding and services, requiring the new division to evaluate current systems, identify gaps or overlaps, and recommend legislative or programmatic changes, which could shape future investments and policy direction in early childhood care.
Requires an action plan for further consolidation and coordination. of funding and services, indicating ongoing efforts to simplify access to early childhood programs and ensure that resources are used as effectively as possible to support young children and their families.
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Who cares
Office of Children and Family Services
The bill would create an early childhood division within the agency to coordinate programs and funding and recommend further consolidation.
- Likely support
Early childhood program providers
The new division would support public-private partnerships and coordinate services and funding streams statewide.
State Education Department
The division would collaborate with the department to improve connections and transitions between early childhood programs and kindergarten through grade twelve.
Young children and their families
The division would coordinate delivery of their services and seek to use all available funding streams in a unified way.
Headline styles
Create Early Childhood Division
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
5 Co-sponsors
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Referred to children and families
- Referred to children and families
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2207
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. RICHARDSON, CARROLL, SIMON, HYNDMAN, DE LA ROSA, BICHOTTE -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a division of early childhood within the office of children and family services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 500 of the executive law is amended by adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
4. (a) There is hereby established within the office of children and family services a division of early childhood. The division shall be under the direction of the commissioner of the office of children and family services. The division of early childhood shall be headed by the director of early childhood who shall be appointed by a committee composed of the governor or his or her designee, the speaker of the assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of the assembly and the minority leader of the senate.
(b) The primary duties of the division of early childhood are to coordinate, consolidate and integrate early childhood programs, in order to administer programs and funding as efficiently as possible. The division's duties shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
(i) to develop, coordinate and support public and private partnerships to aid early childhood programs across the state;
(ii) to work cooperatively and in coordination with the early childhood advisory council;
(iii) to collaborate with the education department to ensure proper and appropriate connections and smooth transitions between early childhood programs and kindergarten through grade twelve programs;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04504-01-9
A. 2207 2
(iv) to coordinate the delivery of services for young children and their families to ensure the state is utilizing all available funding streams in a unified fashion; and
(v) to perform any other activities that will assist in the division of early childhood programs and services.
(c) The director of early childhood shall be responsible for implementing the policies and directives of the division of early childhood. The director may seek and shall be entitled to receive from other state agencies such assistance as may be required to perform such director's duties pursuant to this subdivision. The director may appoint such officers, employees, agents and consultants as he or she may deem necessary. To the extent practicable, the director shall appoint the officers, employees, agents and consultants for the division of early childhood, from among the existing officers and employees of the office of children and family services.
(d) On or before January first, two thousand twenty, the division of early childhood shall begin a statewide assessment and evaluation of the current funding streams for the state. The division shall, on or before October first, two thousand twenty, provide to the governor and the legislature programmatic and legislative recommendations, based on its statewide assessment and evaluation.
(e) The division of early childhood shall submit to the governor and legislature, within one year of the effective date of this subdivision, a report as the various early childhood programs that are available in the state. The report shall include recommendations and an action plan to further consolidate and coordinate early childhood programs and funding sources that support these programs.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.