HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 419 FILED ON: 1/21/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 702
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Alan Silvia
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act providing pre-k education for 4 year-old children in gateway communities.
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PETITION OF:
Name: | District/Address: | Date Added: |
Alan Silvia | 7th Bristol | 1/21/2021 |
Carole A. Fiola | 6th Bristol | 2/19/2021 |
Christopher Hendricks | 11th Bristol | 2/19/2021 |
Paul A. Schmid, III | 8th Bristol | 2/26/2021 |
Tricia Farley-Bouvier | 3rd Berkshire | 2/27/2021 |
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 419 FILED ON: 1/21/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 702
By Mr. Silvia of Fall River, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 702) of Alan Silvia and others relative to universal pre-kindergarten education in gateway municipalities. Education. |
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3761 OF 2019-2020.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)
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An Act providing pre-k education for 4 year-old children in gateway communities.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Chapter 13 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 13 the following section:-
Section 13A. (a) The board and department shall develop a program for universal pre-kindergarten education in gateway municipalities, as defined in section 3A of chapter 23A, which shall be available to all children ages 4 and older (and may be made available to children ages 3 and older) who reside in a gateway municipality and would be eligible for free or reduced price lunch if the child attended a public school.
(b) In developing the program, the board and department shall: (i) establish a standardized pre-kindergarten curriculum for all program participants; (ii) partner with current providers of pre-kindergarten services in gateway communities; and (iii) focus on the specific cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, cultural and physical needs of the children in each gateway municipality.
(c) Each child who qualifies for the universal pre-kindergarten program established by this section shall be counted as a student of the school district in which the child attends the pre-kindergarten program, and shall be included as such a student for the purposes of calculating that district’s funding pursuant to chapter 70.
(d) The board shall adopt rules and regulations to implement the requirements of this section.