37-21-53 - Creation of Council; purpose; membership; duties; abolition.
§ 37-21-53. Creation of Council; purpose; membership; duties; abolition.
(1) The Early Childhood Services Interagency Coordinating Council is created to ensure coordination among the various agencies and programs serving preschool children in order to support school district's efforts to achieve the goal of readiness to start school, to facilitate communication, cooperation and maximum use of resources and to promote high standards for all programs serving preschool children and their families in Mississippi.
(2) The membership of the Early Childhood Services Interagency Coordinating Council shall be as follows:
(a) The State Superintendent of Public Education;
(b) The Executive Director of the State Department of Health;
(c) The Executive Director of the Department of Human Services;
(d) The Executive Director of the State Department of Mental Health;
(e) The Executive Director of the Division of Medicaid, Office of the Governor;
(f) The Executive Director of the State Department of Rehabilitation Services;
(g) The Commissioner of Higher Education;
(h) The Executive Director of the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges; and
(i) The Executive Director of Mississippi Educational Television.
(3) The council shall meet upon call of the Governor before August 1, 2000, and shall organize for business by selecting a chairman, who shall serve for a one-year term and may be selected for subsequent terms. The council shall adopt internal organizational procedures necessary for efficient operation of the council. Council procedures must include duties of officers, a process for selecting officers, quorum requirements for conducting business and policies for any council staff. Each member of the council shall designate necessary staff of their departments to assist the council in performing its duties and responsibilities. The council shall meet and conduct business at least twice annually. Meetings of the council must be open to the public, and opportunity for public comment must be made available at each meeting. The chairman of the council shall notify all persons who request such notice as to the date, time and place of each meeting.
(4) The Early Childhood Services Interagency Coordinating Council shall perform each of the following duties:
(a) Serve as interagency coordinating council for the various agencies and public and private programs serving preschool children and their families in the State of Mississippi;
(b) Advise the State Board of Health, State Board of Education, Department of Human Services, State Department of Mental Health, Division of Medicaid, State Department of Rehabilitation Services and any other appropriate agency of standards, rules, rule revisions, agency guidelines and administration affecting child care facilities, prekindergarten programs, family training programs and other programs and services for preschool children and families;
(c) Collect, compile and distribute data relating to all programs and services for preschool children and families, including, but not limited to, an inventory of the programs and services available in each county of the state, and identify and make recommendations with regard to program areas for which an unfulfilled need exists within the state for accurate and accessible information;
(d) Review and analyze spending priorities for each state agency that utilizes state or federal funds in the administration or provision of programs and services for preschool children and make recommendations thereon to the Legislative Budget Committee and the Governor;
(e) Publish annually, before November 1, a comprehensive report on the status of all programs and services for preschool children in Mississippi and distribute the report to the Governor, the Legislature and local school districts and make the report available to the general public, using the following criteria:
(i) Program name and location;
(ii) Dates of operation;
(iii) Services provided;
(iv) Target population and number served;
(v) Eligibility requirements;
(vi) Funding sources;
(vii) Amount of funding per unit;
(viii) Annual cost;
(ix) Evaluation type and results; and
(x) The state agency administering the program.
(f) Receive and consider recommendations of the Interagency Advisory Committee for Early Childhood Services established in Section 37-21-55; and
(g) Apply for, receive and administer funds for administration, research, pilot, planning and evaluation of all programs serving preschool children and their families.
(5) If any agency represented on the Early Childhood Services Interagency Coordinating Council includes a request for funding for the support of the council in the agency's annual budget request presented to the Legislative Budget Committee the Early Childhood Services Interagency Coordinating Council shall be abolished, effective on the date that the agency presents its budget request.
Sources: Laws, 2000, ch. 510, § 2, eff from and after July 1, 2000.