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HF422 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to statewide voluntary preschool program quality standards and renewals.

A bill for an act relating to statewide voluntary preschool program quality standards and renewals.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
BAGNIEWSKI
Last action
2025-02-17
Official status
Introduced, referred to Education. H.J. 335 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act relating to statewide voluntary preschool program quality standards and renewals.

A bill for an act relating to statewide voluntary preschool program quality standards and renewals.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to statewide voluntary preschool program quality standards and renewals.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-17 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Education. H.J. 335 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to statewide voluntary preschool program quality standards and renewals.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

422

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

422

BY

BAGNIEWSKI

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

statewide

voluntary

preschool

program

1

quality

standards

and

renewals.

2

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

3

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Section

1.

Section

256C.1,

Code

2025,

is

amended

by

adding

1

the

following

new

subsection:

2

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

1A.

“Collaboration”

means

ongoing

3

communication,

coordination,

and

cooperation

between

an

4

approved

local

program

and

families,

early

care

providers,

5

and

community

providers

that

leads

to

the

provision

of

6

comprehensive

services

and

the

progression

toward

the

purposes

7

of

this

chapter.

8

Sec.

2.

Section

256C.3,

subsection

3,

Code

2025,

is

amended

9

to

read

as

follows:

10

3.

Program

requirements.

11

a.

The

state

board

shall

adopt

rules

to

further

define

the

12

following

preschool

program

requirements

which

shall

be

used

13

to

determine

whether

or

not

a

local

program

implemented

by

a

14

school

district

approved

to

implement

the

preschool

program

15

qualifies

as

an

approved

local

program:

16

a.

(1)

Maximum

and

minimum

teacher-to-child

ratios

and

17

class

sizes.

18

b.

(2)

Applicable

state

and

federal

program

standards.

19

c.

(3)

Student

learning

standards.

20

d.

(4)

Provisions

for

the

integration

of

children

from

21

other

state

and

federally

funded

preschools

by

ensuring,

22

subject

to

the

approval

of

a

child’s

parent,

guardian,

or

23

custodian,

that

a

child

integrated

into

an

approved

local

24

program

has

uninterrupted

instruction

and

access

to

the

25

services

provided

by

the

approved

local

program

.

26

e.

(5)

Collaboration

with

participating

families,

early

27

care

providers,

and

community

partners

including

but

not

28

limited

to

early

childhood

Iowa

area

boards,

head

start

29

programs,

shared

visions

and

other

programs

provided

under

30

the

auspices

of

the

child

development

coordinating

council,

31

licensed

child

care

centers,

registered

child

development

32

homes,

area

education

agencies,

child

care

resource

and

33

referral

services

provided

under

section

237A.26

,

early

34

childhood

special

education

programs,

services

funded

by

Tit.

I

35

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of

the

federal

Elementary

and

Secondary

Education

Act

of

1965,

1

and

family

support

programs.

2

f.

(6)

A

minimum

of

ten

hours

per

week

of

instruction

3

delivered

on

the

skills

and

knowledge

included

in

the

student

4

learning

standards

developed

for

the

preschool

program.

5

g.

(7)

Parental

involvement

in

the

local

program.

6

h.

(8)

Provision

for

ensuring

that

children

receiving

7

care

from

other

child

care

arrangements

can

participate

in

the

8

preschool

program

with

minimal

disruption

due

to

transportation

9

and

movement

from

one

site

to

another.

The

children

10

participating

in

the

preschool

program

may

be

transported

by

11

the

school

district

to

activities

associated

with

the

program

12

along

with

other

children.

13

b.

Approval

of

a

preschool

program

under

this

section

shall

14

be

valid

for

five

years

from

the

date

of

approval.

15

Sec.

3.

Section

256C.3,

subsection

4,

paragraph

a,

Code

16

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

17

a.

Methods

of

demonstrating

community

readiness

to

18

implement

high-quality

instruction

in

a

local

program

19

shall

be

identified.

The

potential

provider

shall

submit

20

a

collaborative

program

proposal

that

demonstrates

the

21

involvement

of

multiple

community

stakeholders

including

22

but

not

limited

to,

and

only

as

applicable,

parents,

the

23

school

district,

accredited

nonpublic

schools

and

faith-based

24

representatives,

the

area

education

agency,

the

early

childhood

25

Iowa

area

board,

representatives

of

business,

head

start

26

programs,

shared

visions

and

other

programs

provided

under

27

the

auspices

of

the

child

development

coordinating

council,

28

center-based

and

home-based

providers

of

child

care

services,

29

human

services,

public

health,

and

economic

development

30

programs.

The

methods

may

include

but

are

not

limited

to

a

31

school

district

providing

evidence

of

a

public

hearing

on

the

32

proposed

programming

and

written

documentation

of

collaboration

33

agreements

between

the

school

district,

existing

community

34

providers,

and

other

community

stakeholders

addressing

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operational

procedures

and

other

critical

measures.

At

least

1

once

every

five

school

budget

years,

an

approved

local

program

2

shall

provide

evidence

to

the

state

board

that

the

approved

3

local

program

is

sufficiently

incorporating

community

readiness

4

and

involving

multiple

community

stakeholders

as

required

by

5

this

paragraph.

6

Sec.

4.

Section

256C.3,

subsection

5,

paragraph

c,

Code

7

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

8

c.

The

department

shall

implement

procedures

to

monitor

the

9

quality

of

the

programming

provided

under

the

preschool

program

10

and

revoke

a

preschool

program’s

status

as

an

approved

local

11

program

if

the

program

fails

to

meet

program

quality

standards

12

under

this

chapter

.

13

Sec.

5.

Section

256C.3,

subsection

5,

Code

2025,

is

amended

14

by

adding

the

following

new

paragraph:

15

NEW

PARAGRAPH

.

e.

The

state

board,

in

collaboration

with

16

the

department,

shall

encourage

school

districts

to

collaborate

17

with

community

partners

to

ensure

comprehensive,

integrated

18

early

childhood

services,

including

but

not

limited

to

the

19

delivery

of

preschool

services

outside

of

a

school

district

in

20

community-based

settings

where

other

early

childhood

services

21

are

being

provided,

are

available

to

all

eligible

children.

22

Sec.

6.

Section

256C.4,

subsection

1,

paragraph

e,

Code

23

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

24

e.

Preschool

foundation

aid

funding

shall

not

be

used

for

25

the

costs

of

constructing

a

facility

in

connection

with

an

26

approved

local

program.

Preschool

foundation

aid

funding

may

27

be

used

by

approved

local

programs

and

community

providers

28

for

any

purpose

determined

by

the

board

of

directors

of

the

29

school

district

to

meet

standards

for

high-quality

preschool

30

instruction

and

for

purposes

that

directly

or

indirectly

31

benefit

students

enrolled

in

the

approved

local

program,

32

including

but

not

limited

to

professional

development

for

33

preschool

teachers,

instructional

equipment

and

supplies,

34

material

and

equipment

designed

to

develop

pupils’

large

and

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small

motor

skills,

translation

services,

playground

equipment

1

and

repair

costs,

food

and

beverages

used

by

children

in

the

2

approved

local

program,

safety

equipment,

facility

rental

3

fees,

and

for

other

direct

costs

that

enhance

the

approved

4

local

program,

including

by

contracting

with

community

5

partners

for

any

such

services.

Preschool

foundation

aid

6

funding

may

be

used

by

approved

local

programs

for

the

costs

7

of

transportation

involving

children

participating

in

the

8

preschool

program.

The

costs

of

transporting

other

children

9

associated

with

the

preschool

program

or

transported

as

10

provided

in

section

256C.3,

subsection

3

,

paragraph

“h”

“a”

,

11

subparagraph

(8),

may

be

prorated

by

the

school

district.

12

Preschool

foundation

aid

funding

received

by

an

approved

local

13

program

that

remains

unexpended

and

unobligated

at

the

end

of

14

a

fiscal

year

beginning

on

or

after

July

1,

2017,

shall

be

15

used

to

build

the

approved

local

program’s

preschool

program

16

capacity

in

the

next

succeeding

fiscal

year

excluding

that

17

portion

of

such

unexpended

and

unobligated

funding

that

the

18

school

district

authorizes

for

transfer

for

deposit

in

the

19

school

district’s

flexibility

account

established

under

section

20

298A.2,

subsection

2

,

if

the

statutory

requirements

for

the

use

21

of

such

funding

are

met.

For

purposes

of

determining

whether

a

22

school

district

has

authority

to

transfer

preschool

foundation

23

aid

funding

for

deposit

in

the

school

district’s

flexibility

24

account

established

under

section

298A.2,

subsection

2

,

the

25

school

district

must

have

provided

preschool

programming

26

during

the

fiscal

year

for

which

funding

remains

unexpended

27

and

unobligated

to

all

eligible

students

for

whom

a

timely

28

application

for

enrollment

was

submitted.

29

EXPLANATION

30

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

31

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

32

This

bill

relates

to

statewide

voluntary

preschool

program

33

(SVPP)

quality

standards.

34

The

bill

defines

“collaboration”

for

purposes

of

the

SVPP

as

35

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ongoing

communication,

coordination,

and

cooperation

between

1

an

approved

local

program

and

families,

early

care

providers,

2

and

community

providers

that

leads

to

the

provision

of

3

comprehensive

services

and

the

progression

toward

the

purposes

4

of

the

SVPP.

5

The

bill

requires

the

state

board

of

education

(BOE)

to

adopt

6

rules

that

provide

for

the

integration

of

children

from

other

7

state

and

federally

funded

preschools

by

ensuring,

subject

8

to

the

approval

of

a

child’s

parent,

guardian,

or

custodian,

9

that

a

child

integrated

into

an

approved

local

program

has

10

uninterrupted

instruction

and

access

to

the

services

provided

11

by

the

approved

local

program.

12

The

bill

limits

a

preschool

program’s

status

as

an

approved

13

local

program

for

a

period

of

five

years.

14

The

bill

requires,

at

least

once

every

five

years,

for

an

15

approved

local

program

to

provide

evidence

to

the

BOE

that

the

16

approved

local

program

is

sufficiently

incorporating

community

17

readiness

and

involving

multiple

community

stakeholders.

18

The

bill

requires

the

department

of

education

(DE)

to

19

implement

procedures

for

revoking

a

preschool

program’s

status

20

as

an

approved

local

program

if

it

fails

to

meet

program

21

quality

standards

for

the

SVPP.

22

The

bill

requires

the

BOE,

in

collaboration

with

the

23

DE,

to

encourage

school

districts

to

collaborate

with

24

community

partners

to

ensure

comprehensive,

integrated

25

early

childhood

services,

including

but

not

limited

to

the

26

delivery

of

preschool

services

outside

of

a

school

district

in

27

community-based

settings

where

other

early

childhood

services

28

are

being

provided,

are

available

to

all

children

for

the

SVPP.

29

The

bill

makes

conforming

changes.

30

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