An Act to Expand Maine's High-quality Early Learning and Care for Children by Increasing Public Preschool Opportunities in Communities
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1799
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: VITELLI, LaROCHELLE, BAILEY, HARRINGTON, JACKSON, PIERCE, RAFFERTY, CLUCHEY, JAUCH, MILLETT
Amends: 20-A MRSA §4272

Legislative Document
No. 1799
S.P. 724
In Senate, April 25, 2023
An Act to Expand Maine's High-quality Early Learning and Care 
for Children by Increasing Public Preschool Opportunities in 
Communities
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator VITELLI of Sagadahoc.
Cosponsored by Representative LaROCHELLE of Augusta and
Senators: BAILEY of York, HARRINGTON of York, President JACKSON of Aroostook, 
PIERCE of Cumberland, RAFFERTY of York, Representatives: CLUCHEY of Bowdoinham, 
JAUCH of Topsham, MILLETT of Cape Elizabeth.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §4272 is enacted to read:
§4272.  Expansion of public preschool programs report
The commissioner shall report annually by February 15th to the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters on the department's 
initiatives, incentives and progress to expand public preschool programs.
Sec. 2. Department of Education responsibilities. The Department of Education, 
referred to in this section as "the department," shall establish a timeline, an implementation 
plan and incentives to expand publicly funded preschool programming to 30 hours per 
week or the length of the local school day at a school administrative unit with the goal of 
establishing an equitable, mixed delivery public preschool system that provides universal 
access for preschool-aged children and their families. To accomplish this goal, the 
department shall do the following.
1. The department shall establish a working group of stakeholders to explore expansion 
to full-day preschool and pathways for child care programs to become publicly funded. The 
working group shall establish a plan that must include the following components and 
address the following:
A. How publicly funded preschool may be offered in all types of programs and 
classrooms where 4-year-olds are enrolled, including, but not limited to, school 
administrative units and licensed child care programs such as family child care, child 
care centers and Head Start programs;
B. Partnerships between school administrative units and child care programs that meet 
or could be supported to meet the public preschool basic approval standards under 
Department of Education rule Chapter 124: Basic Approval Standards: Public 
Preschool Programs;
C. Aligning the credentials and training earned through the Maine Roads to Quality 
Professional Development Network with those earned through the Department of 
Education Early Childhood Education certification;
D. A timeline and incentive program to implement a common early childhood 
assessment upon kindergarten entry for all elementary schools. The early childhood 
assessment may not be designed to be used to inappropriately label children, restrict 
kindergarten entry or predict future academic and life success; and
E. Collaborating with local adult education providers, apprenticeship sponsors, career 
and technical education programs, the Maine Community College System and the 
University of Maine System to create articulation agreements between these entities 
for the transfer of credits for coursework related to early childhood education and to 
facilitate enrollment in courses that lead to the awarding of a postsecondary degree by 
an accredited institution of higher education.
2. The department shall contract with consultants with experience in early childhood 
education to facilitate mixed delivery publicly funded preschool expansion with school 
administrative units and licensed child care programs.
3. The department shall establish a professional development and certification 
stakeholder working group. The working group shall develop a plan that must include the 
following components:
A. A competency-based credential that recognizes experience, cumulative elective 
training hours and a demonstration of knowledge and skills in early childhood teaching 
practices;
B. Reciprocity for credit for or training hours toward certification from other states and 
countries;
C. A Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network career lattice to align 
with department educator credentials and that considers credentials obtained in the 
absence of college course work of the same content;
D. Eligibility of family child care providers who hold and maintain national 
accreditation standards accepted by the Department of Health and Human Services and 
the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services 
as publicly funded preschool locations; and
E. Scholarship and apprenticeship opportunities to support educators seeking 
certification.
Sec. 3. Commission established. The Commission to Study Governance and 
Funding in Early Care and Early Childhood Education, referred to in this section as "the 
commission," is established.
1. Notwithstanding Joint Rule 353, the commission consists of 15 members appointed 
as follows:
A. Two members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, including a 
member from each of the 2 parties holding the largest number of seats in the 
Legislature;
B. Two members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the 
House, including a member from each of the 2 parties holding the largest number of 
seats in the Legislature;
C. One representative from the Department of Health and Human Services involved in 
the provision of services for children and families of children under 5 years of age 
selected by the Commissioner of Health and Human Services;
D. One representative from the Department of Education involved in the provision of 
services for children and families of children under 5 years of age selected by the 
Commissioner of Education;
E. One representative of the public school system nominated by the Maine School 
Management Association and appointed by the President of the Senate;
F. Three parents of children who are under 5 years of age who have used state services 
for their children, one appointed by the President of the Senate and 2 appointed by the 
Speaker of the House; and
G. Five representatives of early childhood educators and providers of services for 
children who are under 5 years of age, 2 appointed by the President of the Senate and 
appointed by the Speaker of the House.
2. The first-named Senate member is the Senate chair and the first-named House of 
Representatives member is the House chair of the commission.
3. All appointments must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date of 
this Act. The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative 
Council once all appointments have been completed. After appointment of all members, 
the chairs shall call and convene the first meeting of the commission. If 30 days or more 
after the effective date of this Act a majority of but not all appointments have been made, 
the chairs may request authority and the Legislative Council may grant authority for the 
commission to meet and conduct its business.
4. The commission shall study and make recommendations on aligning governance and 
blending and braiding funding in early care and early childhood education systems, 
including but not limited to any child care subsidy programs, the Temporary Assistance for 
Needy Families child care program, child care licensing, the First 4 ME Early Care and 
Education Program under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 3931, any early 
childhood consultation programs, the Help Me Grow Maine initiative within the 
Department of Health and Human Services, any child care wage supplements and grants, 
the Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network, the Department of Health 
and Human Services-funded T.E.A.C.H. scholarship program of the Maine Association for 
the Education of Young Children, any early childhood education apprenticeship programs, 
the Child Development Services System, any publicly funded preschool programs and 
Head Start programs. The commission shall examine ways to integrate the various early 
care and early childhood education systems with a central state access point and a regional 
hub structure. In addition, the commission shall make recommendations on the following:
A. Improving the opportunities for children under 5 years of age by ensuring the 
availability and coordination of early childhood programs and services through the 
State with a focus on child development and education;
B. Prioritizing the interests and input of children, parents, providers and the community 
in designing and delivering early childhood programs and services and the equitable 
delivery of resources and supports for early childhood education;
C. Establishing state and community partnerships for a mixed delivery of child care 
and early childhood education programs and services through community and school-
based providers;
D. Coordinating at the community and regional levels, including by considering the 
development of regional hubs or early learning councils to improve access to services 
for children and families;
E. Examining how various funding streams can be blended and braided to provide more 
efficient service delivery for families and providers;
F. Ensuring that data about programs and early care and early childhood education 
systems are available to the public and are shared, coordinated and used by the State to 
improve policies and outcomes for children and families;
G. Creating an early childhood department or division. In making a recommendation 
under this paragraph, the commission shall review how other states have prioritized or 
improved coordination of early childhood programs and services for young children 
and their families through a unified early childhood department or division; and
H. Unifying the administration of early childhood programs and services that are in the 
best interests of the State's children and families.
5. Notwithstanding Joint Rule 353, no later than March 1, 2024, the commission shall 
submit a report that includes its findings and recommendations, including suggested 
legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs and the Joint 
Standing Committee on Health and Human Services. The Joint Standing Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs may report out a bill based on the recommendations to the 
SUMMARY
This bill establishes an annual reporting requirement for the Department of Education 
to report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over 
education matters on the expansion of public preschool programs. The bill also requires the 
department to:
1. Establish a timeline, an implementation plan and incentives to expand publicly 
funded preschool programming to 30 hours per week or the length of the local school day 
at a school administrative unit with the goal of establishing an equitable, mixed delivery 
public preschool system that provides universal access for preschool-aged children and 
their families; 
2. Establish a working group of stakeholders to explore expansion to full-day preschool 
and pathways for child care programs to become publicly funded;
3. Contract with consultants with experience in early childhood education to facilitate 
mixed delivery publicly funded preschool expansion with school administrative units and 
licensed child care programs; and
4. Establish a professional development and certification stakeholder working group.
The bill also establishes a commission to study and make recommendations on aligning 
governance and blending and braiding funding in early care and early childhood education 
systems. The commission is required to report back to the Joint Standing Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs and the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human 
Services no later than March 1, 2024.