§ 22-28-105. District Preschool Program Advisory Council – Duties

1. 1. Any school district wishing to participate in the Colorado preschool program shall establish a district preschool program advisory council consisting of the superintendent of the school district or his or her designee and such other members as the superintendent of the school district may appoint pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subsection (1).
   2. The appointed members of the district advisory council must include, but are not limited to, the following:
      1. Two parents of children in the district preschool program;
      2. Two members of the business community; and
      3. Representatives from the following:
         1. The county or district department of health;
         2. The county department of human or social services;
         3. The county agency involved in job services and training;
         4. Publicly funded early childhood education agencies located in the school district;
         5. Privately funded child care centers located in the school district; and
         6. A representative from a charter school located in the district that has a preschool program.
   3. The members appointed by the superintendent of the school district shall serve for two-year terms, and any vacancy among the appointed members shall be filled by appointment by the superintendent for the unexpired term. Members of the council shall elect a chairperson for a one-year term, but the chairperson may be elected to a second term.
   4. The board of education shall have final responsibility for submittal of the application to participate in the Colorado preschool program and for operation and maintenance of the district preschool program. No action taken by the district advisory council shall be final until approved by the board of education.
2. The district advisory council shall:
   1. Develop and recommend to the board of education the school district plan for identifying those children in the school district that would be eligible for participation in the district preschool program based upon the criteria established in section 22-28-106 (1)(a);
   2. Study and assess the need for establishing a district preschool program in the school district and, upon completion of such assessment, if there is an identified need, submit a request for proposals to any privately funded child care center and publicly funded early childhood education agency. The request for proposals shall state the criteria and guidelines established by the department for determining the eligibility of children to participate in a district preschool program, for district preschool programs, and for parental involvement in a district preschool program. At least once every two years, the district advisory council shall assess whether alternative community providers are available and shall ensure the highest quality service delivery at the lowest cost.
   3. Review and evaluate proposals received pursuant to paragraph (a.3) of this subsection (2) and annually submit a list to the board of education of the head start agencies or public and private child care agencies that are licensed by the department of human services and are in good standing whose proposals meet or exceed the criteria and guidelines specified in said paragraph (a.3) and are designated as eligible for participation in the district preschool program, including the number of district preschool children each agency will be eligible to serve under the program;
   4. Recommend to the board of education a plan for operating the district preschool program, including whether the program should be provided by the school district itself or provided, in whole or in part, by a head start agency or by child care agencies under contract with the school district;
   5. Recommend to the board of education a proposal for the district preschool program to be submitted to the department pursuant to the provisions of section 22-28-107 (1);
   6. Assist the school district in the implementation of the district preschool program;
   7. Develop and recommend to the board of education, if appropriate, a plan for coordinating the district preschool program with extended day services for children participating in the program and their families in order to achieve an increased efficiency in the services provided;
   8. Following consultation and planning with social services and health agencies, develop and recommend to the board of education a plan for coordinating the district preschool program with family support services for children participating in the program and their families. For purposes of this paragraph (f), “family support services” includes, but is not limited to, information and referral and educational materials relating to:
      1. Nutrition;
      2. Immunization;
      3. Health care and dental care generally;
      4. Parenting education and support; and
      5. Social services programs generally.
   9. Develop and recommend to the board of education a plan for coordinating the district preschool program with a program to train parents to provide teaching activities in the home prior to the entrance of their children into the district preschool program;
   10. Meet a minimum of six times per year. In addition, the district advisory council shall make at least two on-site visits per year to all head start agencies and public and private child care facilities with which the school district has contracted to monitor overall program compliance and make recommendations for any needed improvements.
   11. Define any student eligibility criteria specific to the population of the individual community that are in addition to the criteria listed in section 22-28-106 (1)(a);
   12. Develop a district preschool program evaluation component specific to the district preschool program involved;
   13. Develop a training program for district preschool program staff using all available community resources;
   14. Recommend to the board of education a plan for the annual evaluation of the district preschool program; and
   15. Provide any other appropriate assistance to the school district in the implementation of the district preschool program.

Source: L. 88: Entire article added, p. 826, § 40, effective May 24. L. 92: (1) and IP(2) amended and (2)(a.3), (2)(a.5), (2)(e.3), (2)(e.7), (2)(e.8), (2)(e.9), (2)(e.10), and (2)(e.11) added, pp. 492, 488, §§ 12, 5, effective May 26. L. 96: (2)(a.5) amended, p. 1798, § 18, effective July 1. L. 2001: (2)(a.3) amended, p. 161, § 1, effective March 28; (2)(e.9) amended, p. 210, § 2, effective August 8. L. 2006: Entire section amended, p. 686, § 29, effective April 28. L. 2007: (2)(a.3) amended, p. 739, § 12, effective May 9. L. 2008: (1)(d) amended, p. 1225, § 38, effective May 22; (2) amended, p. 1897, § 73, effective August 5. L. 2009: (1)(a), (1)(b)(I), (1)(d), (2)(a), (2)(a.3), (2)(a.5), (2)(b), (2)(c), (2)(d), (2)(e), IP(2)(f), (2)(g), (2)(j), (2)(k), (2)(l), and (2)(m) amended, (SB 09-292), ch. 369, p. 1954, § 48, effective August 5. L. 2012: (1)(b)(III)(D) and (1)(b)(III)(E) amended and (1)(b)(III)(F) added, (HB 12-1240), ch. 258, p. 1333, § 52, effective June 4. L. 2018: IP(1)(b) and (1)(b)(III)(B) amended, (SB 18-092), ch. 38, p. 438, § 90, effective August 8.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration contained in the 2008 act amending subsection (1)(d), see section 1 of chapter 286, Session Laws of Colorado 2008. For the legislative declaration in SB 18-092, see section 1 of chapter 38, Session Laws of Colorado 2018.