GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

S	1 

SENATE BILL 676*

Short Title:  Early Childhood Initiatives.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senators Walker, Albertson, Allran, Cochrane, Codington, Cooper, Forrester, Gulley, Harris, Hyde, Martin of Guilford, Perdue, Plexico, Richardson, Speed, Tally, Ward, Winner of Mecklenburg; Ballance, Basnight, Blackmon, Carpenter, Conder, Edwards, Folger, Gunter, Hartsell, Hoyle, Hunt, Johnson, Jordan, Kaplan, Kerr, Kincaid, Lee, Marshall, Martin of Pitt, Odom, Sands, Seymour, Shaw, Sherron, Simpson, Smith, Soles, Warren, Winner of Buncombe, Daniel, and Plyler.
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Referred to:  Children and Human Resources.
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April 1, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO DEVELOP AND ESTABLISH EARLY CHILDHOOD INITIATIVES.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  (a)	Article 3 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Part to read:
"Part 10B.  Early Childhood Initiatives.
"§ 143B-168.10.  Early childhood initiatives; findings.
The General Assembly finds, upon consultation with the Governor, that every child can benefit from, and should have access to, high quality childhood education and development services.  The economic future and well-being of the State depend upon it.  Throughout the State, however, a shortage of high quality, comprehensive programs is approaching crisis proportions.  The effects of this crisis cut across all boundaries of race, sex, and income.
"§ 143B-168.11.  Early childhood initiatives; intent; North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc.
It is the intent of the General Assembly, upon consultation with the Governor, to support through financial and other means, the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, which has as its mission the development of a comprehensive, long-range strategic vision for early childhood development and the provision, through public and private means, of high quality early childhood education and development services for children and families.
"§ 143B-168.12.  Early childhood initiatives; North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc.; conditions; powers and duties; local demonstration projects; statewide needs and resource assessment; rule making; reporting requirements.
(a)	As a condition for receiving funds appropriated to the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., members of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., shall consist of four ex officio members and 25 appointed members.  The four ex officio members shall be the Secretary of the Department of Human Resources, the Secretary of the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the President of the Department of Community Colleges.  The appointed members shall be appointed as follows:  eight by the General Assembly, four upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and four upon recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and 17 by the Governor.
(b)	As a condition for receiving funding appropriated to it, the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., shall oversee the development and implementation of initial local demonstration projects as follows:  12 during the 1993-94 fiscal year and an additional eight during the 1994-95 fiscal year.  Each demonstration project shall be coordinated by a new local, private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization responsible for developing a comprehensive, collaborative, long-range plan of services to children and families in the service-delivery area. The board of directors of each local nonprofit organization shall consist of no more than 20 members, including representatives of public and private nonprofit health and human service agencies, day care providers, the business community, foundations, county and municipal governments, local education units, and families.  The Department of Human Resources, in cooperation with the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., may specify in its requests for applications the local agencies that shall be represented on the Board.
The Department of Human Resources shall develop a statewide process, in cooperation with the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., to select the local demonstration projects.  The 12 local demonstration projects developed and implemented during the 1993-94 fiscal year shall be located in the 12 congressional districts, one to a district.
An existing local, private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in the community may apply to serve as the coordinator of a demonstration project if the governance of the project meets the objective of decision making by a broad range of public and private health and human services providers.
(c)	Funds appropriated to be allocated to the local demonstration projects for services to children and families shall be used to expand coverage and improve the quality of services.  These funds shall not be allocated to any local demonstration project until the Secretary of the Department of Human Resources, upon recommendation of the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., has approved its final local plan.
(d)	Funds appropriated to support the local strategic planning process and activities of the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., the local nonprofit organizations, and start-up and related activities shall be available for these purposes upon the effective date of enactment of this Part.
(e)	Communities shall be given the maximum flexibility and discretion practicable in developing their plans.  Depending on local, regional, or statewide needs, funds may be used to support such activities and services as day care services, start-up funding, conforming to licensing and building code requirements, in-home visitation, parent training programs, quality enhancement, technical assistance, needs and resource assessments, infant tracking, evaluation, child care resource and referral services, educational enrichment, staff and organizational development, leadership and administrative development, technology assisted education, strategic 'visioning' and planning processes, and other appropriate services, including local administrative support.
(f)	The Department of Human Resources, in cooperation with the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., shall develop a needs and resource assessment for each of the counties unserved by the demonstration projects.  Of the funds appropriated to it to implement this Part, the Department may make available up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per county for one year to an appropriate private nonprofit entity or to the county to perform this assessment.
(g)	The Department of Human Resources, in cooperation with the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., shall adopt any rules necessary to implement this section.
(h)	The Department of Human Resources shall report to the General Assembly and the Governor by April 1, 1994, and by March, 1, 1995, on the results of all the local demonstration projects' work, including all details of the use to which the allocations were put, and on the continuing plans of the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., and of the Department of Human Resources, together with legislative proposals, including proposals to implement the program statewide, and including appropriations requests."
(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Human Resources the sum of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of forty million dollars ($40,000,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year to implement Part 10B of Article 3 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes, established by subsection (a) of this section, if enacted.  Funds appropriated to implement G.S. 143B-168.12(b), if enacted, for the 1993-94 fiscal year are for six months of services.  Funds appropriated to implement G.S. 143B-168.12(b), if enacted, for the 1994-95 fiscal year are for 12 months of services. From the funds appropriated by this subsection, the Department shall provide funds for services prescribed in Part 10B of Article 3 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes, if enacted, for necessary State, regional, and local administration of this Part, and for the activities of the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., consistent with the provisions of this Part.  All of the funds appropriated by this subsection shall be allocated according to a schedule prescribed in the Current Operations Appropriations Act of 1993.
Sec. 2.  (a) Effective January 1, 1994, G.S. 110-91(7) reads as rewritten:
"(7)	Staff-Child Ratio. – In determining the staff-child ratio, all children younger than 13 years shall be counted.  The Commission shall adopt rules regarding staff-child ratios, group sizes and multi-age groupings for each category of facility other than for infants and toddlers, provided that these rules shall be no less stringent than those currently required for staff-child ratios as enacted in Section 156(e) of Chapter 757 of the 1985 Session Laws.  The staff-child ratios and group sizes for infants and toddlers shall be no less stringent than as follows:
	Age	Ratio	Group Size
0 to 12 months	5	10
12 to 24 months	6	12
2 to 3 years	10	20."
(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Human Resources the sum of two million seven hundred ninety-three thousand dollars ($2,793,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of two million eight hundred twenty-three thousand dollars ($2,823,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year, to increase the reimbursement rate for day care providers to implement this section.
Sec. 3. (a) Effective July 1, 1993, eligibility limits for families receiving State and federal child day care subsidies shall be increased one increment on the current day care fee scale.
(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Human Resources the sum of one million eight hundred thousand dollars ($1,800,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of one million eight hundred thousand dollars ($1,800,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year to implement this section.
Sec. 4.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Human Resources the sum of three hundred twenty-eight thousand three hundred dollars ($328,300) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of seven hundred four thousand dollars ($704,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year to provide additional staff positions to monitor conditions in homes and facilities offering child day care.  These staff shall be responsible for such activities as monitoring compliance with licensing and registration requirements for child day care providers, investigating reports of noncompliance, and providing technical assistance to operators.
Sec. 5. (a) Rules for the monthly schedule of payments for the purchase of child day care for low-income children shall be established by the Social Services Commission pursuant to G.S. 143B-153(8)a.  Except as provided in Section 1(a) of this act, requirements for the adoption of these rules shall include provision of incentives to provide quality child day care by providing payment differentials among child day care providers as follows:
(1)	Child day care facilities that are rated "AA" shall be reimbursed at a rate ten percent (10%) above the approved county child day care rate payment; and
(2)	Unregistered homes and facilities shall be reimbursed at a rate ten percent (10%) below the approved county child day care rate payment.
(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Human Resources the sum of one million three hundred fifty-three thousand dollars ($1,353,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of one million three hundred fifty-three thousand dollars ($1,353,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year to implement this section.
Sec. 6.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Human Resources the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year to expand the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps program (T.E.A.C.H.).  These funds shall be used to enable child day care teachers to seek continued education through course work leading to a Child Care Credential, Child Care Certificate, or an associate degree in Early Childhood Education.
Sec. 7.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Human Resources the sum of one hundred twenty-six thousand dollars ($126,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of one hundred eighty-six thousand two hundred dollars ($186,200) for the 1994-95 fiscal year to provide additional matching funds for the federal At-Risk Child Care Grant.
Sec. 8.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1993.