NY Soc Serv L § 483-G (2021)
2021 New York Laws SOS - Social Services Article 10-C - State Council on Children and Families 483-G - Early Childhood Advisory Council.

§  483-g.  Early  childhood  advisory  council.  1.  There  is  hereby established within the council an early childhood  advisory  council  to promote a comprehensive and high quality early childhood system. Members of  the  early  childhood  advisory  council  shall  be appointed by the governor and shall include, but not be limited to, to the maximum extent possible:  (a) a representative of the office of children and family services;  (b) a representative of the state education department;  (c) a representative of local educational agencies;  (d) a representative of institutions of higher education in the state;  (e) a representative of local providers of early  childhood  education and development services;  (f)  a  representative  of  head start agencies, including migrant and seasonal head start programs and Indian head start programs;  (g) the director of the head start collaboration office;  (h) a representative from the department of health;  (i) a  representative  of  the  office  of  temporary  and  disability assistance;  (j) a representative of the office of mental health;  (k)  a  representative  of  the  office  for people with developmental disabilities;  (l) a representative of the empire state development corporation;  (m) a representative of the division of the budget;  (n) at least five representatives of the business community; and  (o) representatives of other entities determined to be relevant by the governor.   2. The governor shall also designate the two chairpersons to the early childhood advisory council.   3. The early childhood advisory council  shall,  in  addition  to  any responsibilities assigned by the governor:  (a)  conduct  a  periodic  statewide  needs  assessment concerning the quality and availability of early childhood  education  and  development programs and services for children from birth to school entry, including an  assessment  of  the  availability  of  high-quality pre-kindergarten services for low-income children in the state;  (b) identify opportunities for, and  barriers  to,  collaboration  and coordination  among federally funded and state funded child development, child  care,  and  early  childhood  education  programs  and  services, including   collaboration   and   coordination   among   state  agencies responsible for administering such programs;  (c) develop recommendations for increasing the  overall  participation of  children  in existing federal, state, and local child care and early childhood education programs, including outreach to underrepresented and special populations;  (d) develop recommendations regarding the establishment of  a  unified data   collection  system  for  public  early  childhood  education  and development programs and services throughout the state;  (e)   develop   recommendations   regarding   statewide   professional development  and  career advancement plans for early childhood educators in the state;  (f) assess the capacity and effectiveness of  two-year  and  four-year public  and private institutions of higher education in the state toward supporting the development of early childhood educators,  including  the extent to which such institutions have in place articulation agreements, professional  development  and career advancement plans, and practice or internships  for  students  to  spend  time   in   a   head   start   or pre-kindergarten program;  (g)  develop  and  implement  strategies  to engage business and civic leaders and organizations in early learning planning and advocacy at the state and local level;  (h) increase business, civic and public awareness of the importance of early   childhood   education,   including,  but  not  limited  to,  the distribution  of  literature  through  mail  or  online,  organizing  of meetings  and  events  to  promote  the  cost  benefit of investments in learning and the hosting of an annual economic summit on early childhood investment;  (i) develop recommendations for increasing public-private  investments in early childhood and strategies for maximizing resources; and  (j)  make  recommendations  for  improvements  in state early learning standards and undertake efforts to  develop  high-quality  comprehensive early learning standards, as appropriate.   4.  Members  of  the  early  childhood advisory council shall serve on workgroups tasked with implementing  the  duties  required  pursuant  to subdivision three of this section. Such workgroups may be established as needed,  provided however that there shall be a permanent early learning investment workgroup focused on implementation of,  at  a  minimum,  the duties  described in paragraphs (g), (h) and (i) of subdivision three of this section. Membership of  the  early  learning  investment  workgroup shall  include,  but  not be limited to, representatives of the business community appointed to the council in accordance with paragraph  (n)  of subdivision one of this section.   5. The early childhood advisory council shall hold public hearings and provide an opportunity for public comment on the activities described in subdivision three of this section.   6.  The  early  childhood  advisory  council  shall submit a statewide strategic report addressing  the  activities  described  in  subdivision three  of  this  section to the director of the head start collaboration office, the governor, the speaker of  the  assembly  and  the  temporary president  of  the  senate.  After  submission  of a statewide strategic report, the early childhood advisory council shall meet periodically  to review  any implementation of the recommendations in such report and any changes in state and local needs.