Senate Bill 502 Summary

• Establishes a two-year preschool education pilot grant program administered by the Department of Education for school corporations and charter schools, effective July 1, 2013.

• Eligible participants are children ages 3-4 as of August 1 who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch under federal guidelines; no tuition or fees may be charged.

• Grants are set at $4,500 per child per school year with a statewide cap of 1,000 children total per year; the program expires July 1, 2015.

• State Board of Education must adopt rules establishing facility standards, program requirements, grant application procedures, kindergarten readiness assessments, and priority criteria if demand exceeds capacity.

• Appropriates $4,500,000 from the state general fund for fiscal year 2013-2014 and $4,500,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 to fund the grants.