An Act To Require Coordinated Early Childhood Care and Preschool Education in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1513
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: PINGREE, MILLS, CAIN, CUMMINGS, DAVIS, MAKAS, NORTON, TRAHAN, MITCHELL, TURNER
Amends: 20-A MRSA §4255

Legislative Document 
No. 1513 
H.P.1058 
House of Representatives, March 30, 2005 
An Act To Require Coordinated Early Childhood Care and 
Preschool Education in Maine 
(EMERGENCY) 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative PINGREE of North Haven. 
/J'l~ /h.17!dC~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Senator MILLS of Somerset and Representatives: CAIN of Orono, 
CUMMINGS of Portland, DAVIS of Falmouth, MAKAS of Lewiston, NORTON of Bangor, 
TRAHAN of Waldoboro, Senators: MITCHELL of Kennebec, TURNER of Cumberland. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted 
as emergencies; and 
Whereas, this legislation requires that the Department of 
Education develop standards to ensure that providers of early 
childhood care and preschool education are appropriately skilled 
and educated and that the settings for that education are safe 
and developmentally appropriate; and 
Whereas, these standards must be adopted and in place well 
before the beginning of the next school year; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts 
create an emergency wi thin the meaning of the Constitution of 
Maine 
and 
require 
the 
following 
legislation 
as 
immediately 
necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and 
safety; now, therefore, 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 20-A MRSA §4255 is enacted to read: 
§4255. Coordinated early childhood care and preschool education 
1. 
Approval 
process 
for early childhood education. 
Any 
school 
administrative 
unit 
that wishes 
to 
develop 
an 
early 
childhoog cAre 
And preschool education progrAm must submit 
a 
proposal for approval to the department. The proposal must: 
A. 
Demonstrate 
coordination 
with 
other 
community-based 
early childhood care and preschool education programs to 
ensure that new preschool services do not duplicate the 
efforts of other programs; 
B. 
Demonstrate the coordination outlined in paragraph A by 
including a sign off at the local level between the school 
administrative unit and the regional child care resource 
development center in that area and at the state level by 
~roval of both the commissioner and the Commissioner of 
Health and Human Services; 
C. 
Ensure that services are available to preschool children 
with 
disabilities 
through 
appropriate 
coordination 
with 
regional Child Development Services System sites; and 
D. 
Meet the extended child care needs of working parents. 
2. Rulemaking. The department and the Department of Health 
and Human Services may 
jointly adopt rules to implement this 
Page l-LR1438(1) 
section. 
Rules 
adopted pursuant to this section are 
routine 
technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 
Sec. 
2. 
StandardL 
The 
Department 
of 
Education, 
in 
collaboration with representatives of the early childhood care 
and preschool education community including Head Start and child 
care programs, 
shall develop by August 1, 
2005 standards for 
early childhood care and preschool education programs that ensure 
services are provided by skilled, educated preschool teachers in 
safe and developmentally appropriate settings. 
Emergency clause. 
In view of the emergency cited in the 
preamble, this Act takes effect when approved. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires local public schools to coordinate with 
community-based early 
childhood 
care 
and 
preschool 
education 
providers 
to 
determine 
the 
best 
way 
to 
deliver 
preschool 
education. 
Prior to receiving approval from the Department of 
Education for offering a so-called 
"early kindergarten" program, 
public schools must demonstrate that they have coordinated with 
community-based early 
childhood 
care 
and 
preschool 
education 
providers to prevent duplication of preschool services. 
The bill 
also requires coordinated planning with the Department of Health 
and Human Services and Department of Education to ensure that new 
"early 
kindergarten" 
services 
are 
provided 
in 
safe, 
developmentally 
appropriate 
settings 
by 
skilled 
and 
educated 
preschool teachers.