HB 4668 Summary

• Increases income eligibility threshold for Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) from 250% to 350% of federal poverty level for mandatory enrollment of at least 90% of participating children.

• Raises secondary income threshold from 300% to 400% of federal poverty level for enrollment of additional children when all eligible children at the lower threshold are already served and no waiting list exists.

• Changes terminology in teacher qualification provisions from "shall be" to "is" and corrects references from "individualized education plans" to "individualized education programs" for children in foster care, experiencing homelessness, or with special needs.

• Allocates $244.6 million for 2018-2019 school year for GSRP programs, including $242.6 million for direct services distributed by formula and $300,000 for longitudinal evaluation of program participants.

• Requires intermediate districts to contract with community-based providers for at least 30% of total allocation and establishes reporting requirements to track provider type distribution by the department.