SB 0118

AN ACT establishing a ladders to literacy program and making an appropriation therefor.

SPONSORS: Sen. Estabrook, Dist 21; Sen. Below, Dist 5; Sen. Larsen, Dist 15; Sen. Cohen, Dist 24; Sen. Foster, Dist 13; Rep. Leone, Sull 21

This bill establishes the ladders to literacy program in the department of health and human services, designed to develop the early literacy skills of children ages 3-5 years old, and makes an appropriation of $375,000 for the biennium ending June 30, 2005 for this purpose.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

AN ACT establishing a ladders to literacy program and making an appropriation therefor.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

(a) The ladders to literacy program recognizes the research that highlights early exposure to literacy events and metaphonological aspects of language as important for successful performance in later school-based literacy activities.

(b) Studies show that during the preschool years, ages 3-5, children should become familiar with the uses and purposes of a variety of oral and written communication forms through their daily lives.

(c) The ladders to literacy program is a preschool instructional program based on a comprehensive approach to early literacy, incorporating the key factors for promoting and assessing literacy: print awareness, oral language, and metalinguistic awareness. The program's literacy engaging activities are integrated in daily home and school experiences, providing a framework suitable for use in a variety of settings and with children of differing abilities.

(d) Training for the program has been completed by 10 New Hampshire mentor teachers under an Early Learning Opportunities Act grant covering Strafford and Rockingham counties from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth and Families-Child Development Bureau. These mentors provide formal instruction and yearlong visitation and support to teachers and parents in implementing the ladders to literacy program.

II. The purpose of this act is to continue and expand ladders to literacy training and mentoring in New Hampshire.

2 New Subdivision; Ladders to Literacy. Amend RSA 193 by inserting after section 37 the following new subdivision:

193:38 Ladders to Literacy Program Established. There is hereby established a ladders to literacy program in the department of health and human services. The program shall be administered in cooperation with the department of education. The program shall fund the training of parents, preschool teachers, and other child caregivers in the program curriculum which includes early skills, oral language skills, and print and book language awareness for children ages 3-5 years old. The program shall be implemented through a framework of formal training in combination with on-site mentoring. For the first year of the program, priority shall be given to implementing the program in Strafford and Rockingham counties which have an existing network of resources and a demonstrated interest of its public officials in the program. The second year of the program shall be expanded to include a major geographic area to be determined by agreement of the commissioners of the departments of health and human services and education.

193:39 Evaluation. The program shall be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria:

II. The number of parents and teachers served and the number of children taught by adults trained through the program.

IV. The results of the portfolio and checklist assessments of a random sample of children taught by adults trained through the program.

193:40 Rulemaking. The commissioner of the department of health and human services shall adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, to implement the provisions of this program.

193:41 Report. No later than January 1, 2005, the commissioner of the department of health and human services, in collaboration with the commissioner of the department of education, shall submit a report on the status of the ladders to literary pilot program established in this act, including recommendations for the expansion of the program statewide, to the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, the chairpersons of the house health, human services, and elderly affairs and education committees, and the chairpersons of the senate public institutions, health and human services and education committees.

3 Appropriation. The sum of $125,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, and the sum of $250,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, are hereby appropriated to the department of health and human services for the purposes of implementing the ladders to literacy program as set forth in this act. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sums out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.

AN ACT establishing a ladders to literacy program and making an appropriation therefor.

The Department of Health and Human Services indicated this bill will increase state expenditures by $125,000 in FY 2004 and $250,000 in FY 2005 and each year thereafter.. There will be no fiscal impact on state, county and local revenue or county and local expenditures.

This bill appropriates $125,000 in FY 2004 and $250,000 in FY 2005 in general funds to the Department of Health and Human Services for the purposes of this act.

The Department assumed the program would be similar to the "ladders to literacy" program currently administered by the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability, which is funded by a federal grant. The Department assumed it would contract with educational institutions to implement this bill in an amount equal to the appropriation. Since the appropriation is for the FY 2004-2005 biennium, the Department made no assumptions concerning future years. However, assuming the program continues beyond FY 2005, a similar level of appropriation would be required.