SENATE BILL 187

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012

INTRODUCED BY

Gay G. Kernan

AN ACT

RELATING TO EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION; ELIMINATING THE OFFICE OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT BOARD; ASSIGNING CERTAIN DUTIES TO THE CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES DEPARTMENT; AMENDING AND REPEALING SECTIONS OF THE NMSA 1978.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. Section 22-8-19.1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1992, Chapter 83, Section 1, as amended) is amended to read:

     "22-8-19.1. PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS--SELECTED DISTRICTS.--

          A. The children, youth and families department shall fund preschool programs for zero- to five-year-old children in selected school districts. The children, youth and families department [through the office of child development] shall distribute any appropriation for this purpose to local entities upon approval by [the children, youth and families] that department of an application from an individual school district or community-based early childhood education program. The preschool programs shall collaborate, where possible, with existing headstart programs or with other appropriate early childhood education programs in the community, and the preschool programs shall use one of the following three models:

                (1) a community-based early childhood education program;

                (2) a school-based early childhood education program; or

                (3) a home-based early childhood education program.

          B. School districts may choose to contract with licensed community-based early childhood education programs already in existence. School-based early childhood education programs may be housed in a school accredited by the [department of] public education department. A home-based early childhood education program may include a parents-as-teachers program, which supports parents in meeting the developmental learning and social growth needs of their young children.

          C. Each preschool program shall have a strong parental involvement component, a staff development component

and a procedural process to enable the [office of child development] children, youth and families department to monitor and evaluate the program. The curriculum for each program shall comprehensively address the total developmental needs of the child, including physical, cognitive, social and emotional needs, and shall include aspects of health care, nutrition, safety, the needs of the family and multicultural sensitivity, in coordination with other resources for families."

     SECTION 2. REPEAL.--Sections 32A-16-1 through 32A-16-4 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1989, Chapter 290, Sections 1 through 4, as amended) are repealed.

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