Section 301 – Becoming High Quality School Readiness Grant Program.

Effective 5/14/2019
35A-15-301. Becoming High Quality School Readiness Grant Program.

• (1) The High Quality School Readiness Grant Program is created to provide grants to the following, in order to assist an existing preschool or home-based educational technology program in becoming a high quality school readiness program:
  • (a) an eligible private provider;
  • (b) an eligible LEA; or
  • (c) an eligible home-based educational technology provider.

• (2) The board, in cooperation with the department and the State Board of Education, shall solicit proposals from eligible LEAs, eligible private providers, and eligible home-based educational technology providers.

• (3) Subject to legislative appropriations, and the prioritization described in Section 35A-15-201, the board shall award grants to respondents based on:
  • (a) a respondent’s capacity to effectively implement the components described in Section 35A-15-202;
  • (b) the percentage of a respondent’s students who are eligible students; and
  • (c) the level of administrative support and leadership at a respondent’s program to effectively implement, monitor, and evaluate the program.

• (4) To receive a grant under this section, a respondent shall submit a proposal to the board detailing:
  • (a) the respondent’s strategy to implement the high quality components described in Section 35A-15-202;
  • (b) the number of students the respondent plans to serve, categorized by age and whether the students are eligible students;
  • (c) for an eligible LEA or eligible private provider, the number of high quality school readiness program classrooms the respondent plans to operate; and
  • (d) the estimated cost per student.

• (5)
  • (a) A recipient of a grant under this section shall use the grant to move the recipient’s preschool program toward achieving the components described in Section 35A-15-202.
  • (b) A recipient of a grant under this section may not:
    • (i) enter into a results-based contract while the recipient receives the grant; or
    • (ii) receive grant funds under Section 35A-15-302.

• (6) A recipient of a grant under this section shall ensure that each student who is enrolled in a classroom or who uses a home-based educational technology program supported by the grant has a unique student identifier by:
  • (a) if the recipient is an eligible LEA, assigning a unique student identifier to each student enrolled in the classroom; or
  • (b) if the recipient is an eligible private provider or eligible home-based educational technology provider, working with the State Board of Education to assign a unique student identifier to each student enrolled in the classroom or who uses the home-based educational technology program.

• (7) A grant recipient that is an eligible LEA shall report annually to the board and the State Board of Education the following:
  • (a) number of students served by the preschool, including the number of students who are eligible students;
  • (b) attendance;
  • (c) cost per student; and
  • (d) assessment results, including the school readiness assessment, kindergarten assessment, and other assessments as determined by the board.

• (8) A grant recipient that is an eligible private provider or an eligible home-based educational technology provider shall report annually to the board and the department the following:
  • (a) number of students served by the preschool or program, including the number of students who are eligible students;
  • (b) attendance;
  • (c) cost per student; and
  • (d) assessment results, including the school readiness assessment and other assessments as determined by the board.

• (9) The board shall make rules to effectively administer and monitor the grant program described in this section, including:
  • (a) requiring grant recipients to use assessments, including the school readiness assessment, as determined by the board; and
  • (b) establishing reporting requirements for grant recipients.

Amended by Chapter 342, 2019 General Session, (Coordination Clause)
Renumbered and Amended by Chapter 342, 2019 General Session

Coordination clause direction that Section 35A-15-301 supersede Section 53F-6-305.