Sec. 10-16n. Head Start grant program. Grant allocation. Advisory committee.
Sec. 10-16n. Head Start grant program. Grant allocation. Advisory committee. (a) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of
Social Services, shall establish a competitive grant program to assist nonprofit agencies
and local and regional boards of education, which are federal Head Start grantees, in (1)
establishing extended-day and full-day, year-round, Head Start programs or expanding
existing Head Start programs to extended-day or full-day, year-round programs, (2)
enhancing program quality and (3) increasing the number of children served. The commissioner, after consultation with the committee established pursuant to subsection (c)
of this section, shall establish criteria for the grants, provided at least twenty-five per
cent of the funding for such grants shall be for the purpose of enhancing program quality.
Nonprofit agencies or boards of education seeking grants pursuant to this section shall
make application to the Commissioner of Education on such forms and at such times
as the commissioner shall prescribe. All grants pursuant to this section shall be funded
within the limits of available appropriations or otherwise from federal funds and private
donations. All full-day, year-round Head Start programs funded pursuant to this section
shall be in compliance with federal Head Start performance standards.
(b) The Department of Education shall annually allocate to each town in which the
number of children under the aid to dependent children program, as defined in subdivision (14) of section 10-262f, equals or exceeds nine hundred children, determined for
the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, an amount equal to one hundred fifty thousand
dollars plus eight and one-half dollars for each child under the aid to dependent children
program, provided such amount may be reduced proportionately so that the total amount
awarded pursuant to this subsection does not exceed two million seven hundred thousand
dollars. The department shall award grants to the local and regional boards of education
for such towns and nonprofit agencies located in such towns which meet the criteria
established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to maintain the programs established or expanded with funds provided pursuant to this subsection in the fiscal years
ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997. Any funds remaining in the allocation to such
a town after grants are so awarded shall be used to increase allocations to other such
towns. Any funds remaining after grants are so awarded to boards of education and
nonprofit agencies in all such towns shall be available to local and regional boards of
education and nonprofit agencies in other towns in the state for grants for such purposes.
(c) There is established a committee to advise the Commissioner of Education concerning the coordination, priorities for allocation and distribution, and utilization of
funds for Head Start and concerning the competitive grant program established under
this section, and to evaluate programs funded pursuant to this section. The committee
shall consist of twelve members as follows: One member designated by the Commissioner of Social Services; six members who are directors of Head Start programs, two
from community action agency program sites or school readiness coordinators, one of
whom shall be appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate and one by the
speaker of the House of Representatives, two from school program sites, one of whom
shall be appointed by the majority leader of the Senate and one by the majority leader
of the House of Representatives, and two from other nonprofit agency program sites,
one of whom shall be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate and one by the
minority leader of the House of Representatives; one member designated by the Commission on Children; one member designated by the Early Childhood Education Council; one member designated by the Head Start Directors Association who shall be the
parent of a present or former Head Start student; one member designated by the Connecticut Association for Community Action who shall have expertise and experience concerning Head Start; and one member designated by the Office of Human Development
Services, Office of Community Programs, Region 1 of the federal Department of Health
and Human Services.
(d) The Commissioner of Education may adopt regulations, in accordance with the
provisions of chapter 54, for purposes of this section.
(P.A. 91-269, S. 1, 2; P.A. 92-222, S. 1, 3; P.A. 93-262, S. 33, 87; P.A. 95-266, S. 3, 5; P.A. 97-247, S. 7, 27; June Sp.
Sess. P.A. 00-1, S. 32, 46; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 48.)
History: P.A. 92-222 transferred the program from the department of human resources to the department of education,
added Subsec. (a)(2) and (3), required 25% of the funding for grants to be used to enhance program quality, changed the
applicable date in Subsec. (a) from June 25, 1991, to July 1, 1992, and increased the membership of the advisory committee
from 11 to 13 by adding a member designated by the commission on children and a member designated by the Connecticut
Association for Community Action; P.A. 93-262 replaced references to commissioner of income maintenance and commissioner of human resources with references to commissioner of social services, effectively reducing committee membership
from 13 to 12 members, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-266 inserted new Subsec. (b) re allocation for fiscal years ending
June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, relettering former Subsecs. (b) and (c) as (c) and (d), effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-247 made a technical change in Subsec. (a) and in Subsec. (b) provided for annual grants, provided for proportional
reductions so that the total amount of grants does not exceed $2,700,000, and changed the provision dealing with how
grant funds are to be used, effective July 1, 1997; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 00-1 amended Subsec. (c) to expand committee
membership to include school readiness coordinators, effective June 21, 2000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec.
(a) to delete restriction that 75% of funding be allocated to Head Start programs established prior to July 1, 1992, effective
July 1, 2007.