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)