135.173 - EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA COUNCIL.
135.173 EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA COUNCIL.
1. Council created. An early childhood Iowa council is
created as an alliance of stakeholders in early care, health, and
education systems that affect children ages zero through five in
Iowa.
2. Purpose. The purpose of the early childhood Iowa council
is to oversee the development of an Iowa early childhood system by
integrating the early care, health, and education systems addressing
the needs of children ages zero through five and their families. The
council shall advise the governor, general assembly, and public and
private policy bodies and service providers in coordinating
activities throughout the state to fulfill its purpose.
3. Vision statement. All system development activities
addressed by the early childhood Iowa council shall be aligned around
the following vision statement for the children of Iowa: "Every
child, beginning at birth, will be healthy and successful."
4. Membership. The early childhood Iowa council membership
shall include a representative of any organization that touches the
lives of young children in the state ages zero through five, has
endorsed the purpose and vision statement for the council, has
endorsed the guiding principles adopted by the council for the early
childhood system, and has formally asked to be a member and remains
actively engaged in council activities. The council shall work to
ensure there is geographic, cultural, and ethnic diversity among the
membership.
5. Procedure. Except as otherwise provided by law, the early
childhood Iowa council shall determine its own rules of procedure and
operating provisions.
6. Steering committee. The early childhood Iowa council
shall operate with a steering committee to organize, manage, and
coordinate the activities of the council and its component groups.
The steering committee may act on behalf of the council as necessary.
The steering committee membership shall consist of the
co-chairpersons of the council's component groups, the chairperson of
the state agency liaison team, the community empowerment facilitator
or the facilitator's designee, and other leaders designated by the
council.
7. Component groups. The early childhood Iowa council shall
maintain component groups to address the key components of the Iowa
early childhood system. Each component group shall have one private
and one public agency co-chairperson. The council may change the
component groups as deemed necessary by the advisory council.
Initially, there shall be a component group for each of the
following:
a. Governance planning and administration.
b. Professional development.
c. Public engagement.
d. Quality services and programs.
e. Resources and funding.
f. Results accountability.
8. State agency liaison team. A state agency liaison team
shall provide input into the efforts of the early childhood Iowa
council. In addition to designees of the governor, the team shall
consist of the directors or chief administrators, or their designees,
from the following state agencies and programs:
a. Child health specialty clinics.
b. Office of community empowerment in the department of
management.
c. Department of education.
d. Division of libraries and information services of the
department of education.
e. Office of the governor.
f. Department of human rights.
g. Department of human services.
h. Postsecondary education institutions, including but not
limited to institutions of higher learning under the control of the
state board of regents and Iowa community colleges.
i. Department of public health.
9. Duties. In addition to the advisory function specified in
subsection 2, the early childhood Iowa council's duties shall include
but are not limited to all of the following regarding the Iowa early
childhood system:
a. Coordinate the development and implementation of a
strategic plan.
b. Assist in the development of responsibilities across
agencies and other entities to achieve strategic goals.
c. Work with the Iowa empowerment board in developing
public-private partnerships to support the early childhood system
through the first years first account in the Iowa empowerment fund
and other efforts for expanding investment of private funding in the
early childhood system. As this and similar efforts to expand and
coordinate investments from all public and private sources evolve and
mature, make recommendations for designation of or contracting with a
private nonprofit organization to serve as a fiscal agent for the
early childhood system or another approach for increasing public and
private investment in the system.
d. Report annually by December 31 to the governor and general
assembly. The report content shall include but is not limited to all
of the following:
(1) The status and results of the council's efforts to engage the
public regarding the early care, health, and education needs of
children ages zero through five and the efforts to develop and
promote private sector involvement with the early childhood system.
(2) The status of the community empowerment initiative and the
overall early childhood system in achieving the following initial set
of desired results identified in section 28.2:
(a) Healthy children.
(b) Children ready to succeed in school.
(c) Safe and supportive communities.
(d) Secure and nurturing families.
(e) Secure and nurturing early care and education environments.
Section History: Recent Form
2008 Acts, ch 1187, §109
Referred to in § 237A.21, 237A.22
Iowa empowerment fund, first years first account, see § 28.9(5)