WHB/2/8
Sponsored by Aubriana Stevens, Esme Todd, My Bui of John Overton High School
This legislation was filed in the Education category
Presented as part of the YIG Volunteer 2024 conference
| 1 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE TENNESSEE YMCA YOUTH IN GOVERNMENT: |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Section 1: Terms in this act will be defined as follows: |
| 4 | (a) Preschool education: refers to structured learning experiences designed for children aged 4 to |
| 5 | 5 years old, aimed at promoting their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. |
| 6 | (b) Universal student education: refers to educational initiatives and accommodations aimed at |
| 7 | meeting the diverse needs of all preschool students, including but not limited to those with |
| 8 | cognitive/developmental differences, as well as economically disadvantaged students. |
| 9 | (c) Parent: refers to a legal guardian or caregiver responsible for a child's welfare and upbringing. |
| 10 | (d) Literacy: refers to the ability to use printed and written information to function in society, to |
| 11 | achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential. |
| 12 | (e) At risk characteristics: refers to children who qualify as economically disadvantaged per the |
| 13 | Income Eligibility application and income guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Health and |
| 14 | Human Services, regardless of the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) status; Are |
| 15 | dependent children, as defined by T.C.A, : whose parent was killed, died as a direct result of |
| 16 | injuries received as a result of war, or is or has been officially reported as a prisoner of war or |
| 17 | missing in action, according to the current laws about preschool in TN. |
| 18 | (f) Social skills: refer to the abilities necessary for children to engage in interactions with |
| 19 | appropriateness for their age group. Encompassing traits such as non-aggression, composure, |
| 20 | kindness, active listening, and other behaviors. These competencies form appropriate peer |
| 21 | relationships. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Section 2: |
| 24 | (a) All children in the state of Tennessee who have reached the age of 4 years old by the same |
| 25 | cutoff date for kindergarten shall be required to attend an approved preschool program. |
| 26 | (b) Parents or legal guardians of eligible children shall ensure that their child attends an approved |
| 27 | preschool program with a minimum of 180 school days consistent with the school calendar |
| 28 | established by the TN Department of Education. |
| 29 | (c) Exemptions from the mandatory preschool education requirement may be granted on grounds |
| 30 | of medical necessity, special needs, or other extenuating circumstances as determined by the |
| 31 | Tennessee Department of Education. Homeschool is still an option as well. |
| 32 | (d) To be eligible for Tennessee’s Pre-K Program, children must be 4 years old on or before the |
| 33 | same cutoff date set for children turning 5 to enter kindergarten of the current school year, and |
| 34 | must live in the geographic region served by that program. Priority will be given to those children |
| 35 | who qualify as economically disadvantaged or have identified at-risk characteristics. |
| 36 | |
| 37 | Section 3: |
| 38 | (a) This program is designed with a universal approach to student education, ensuring inclusivity |
| 39 | |
| 40 | (b) The program will be developed with the primary aim of aiding children in mastering essential |
| 41 | social skills and seamlessly adjusting to kindergarten settings, this program is carefully crafted to |
| 42 | equip them with the necessary tools for effective communication and flexible behavior. |
| 43 | (c) Parents who do not send their child to preschool will face the same consequence if they do not |
| 44 | send their elementary, middle, or highschooler to school.. |
| 45 | (d) The standards for this course will be written and discussed by the Tennessee Department of |
| 46 | Education. |
| 47 | (e) This progam will be ensured the succession of this act by sending letters to parents in districts |
| 48 | of the preschools, sending out newsletters, phone calls, emails, and putting it on news |
| 49 | papers/channels, so that people are aware of it. |
| 50 | (f) The Tennessee Department of Education will divide geographical zones to determine the |
| 51 | appropriate number of preschools to allocate to each zone. There is a possibility of integrating |
| 52 | preschool classrooms into existing K-5th grade school buildings. |
| 53 | |
| 54 | Section 4: |
| 55 | The Tennessee Department of Education will collect funds from the state budget to support the |
| 56 | implementation of mandatory preschool education. The allocation of funds shall be transparent and |
| 57 | include provisions for teacher salaries, classroom resources, program administration, and quality. |
| 58 | Preschool becoming mandatory will cost $100,000,00 and will be funded through the Tennessee |
| 59 | Department of Education budget. This is only 0.002% of the TN Department of Education budget. |
| 60 | |
| 61 | Section 5: |
| 62 | All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this are hereby repealed. |
| 63 | |
| 64 | Section 6: |
| 65 | This act shall take effect January 1, 2028 the public welfare requiring it. |
| 66 |