HF4570 Summary

• Establishes voluntary prekindergarten programs for eligible four-year-old children (minimum age 4 as of September 1) through school districts, charter schools, Head Start agencies, child care centers, and family child care providers.

• Requires prekindergarten programs to provide at least 850 hours of instruction per school year with play-based learning aligned to state early learning standards and kindergarten through grade 3 standards.

• Lead teachers must hold a bachelor's degree in early education or related field by July 1, 2028; existing teachers with 3+ years experience may continue if they meet content knowledge requirements.

• Eligible children must be four years old and meet at least one criterion: qualify for free/reduced meals, be English learners, American Indian, homeless, have an IEP, be in foster/kinship care, or have an incarcerated parent; eligible children receive free programming.

• Appropriates $96,920,000 for fiscal year 2023 to Head Start agencies and child care providers; limits total participants to 7,160 for fiscal years 2019-2023 and 3,160 for fiscal year 2024 and later; provides one-year transition period in 2023 for existing programs.