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_ 223 Item Details($) Appropriations($) ITEM 125.10. First Year Second Year First Year Second Year FY2025 FY2026 FY2025 FY2026 Initiative programs and from providers participating in the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation's Mixed-Delivery Preschool Initiative as needed to compile a comprehensive report on the usage of state funds detailing, but not limited to the number of calculated slots and funding allocated to each local program or provider, and the number of such slots that have been filled. b. Such comprehensive report shall be aggregated in a manner to identify: (i) funding and the number of slots used to serve a student in a public school and non-public school setting, (ii) the number of three-year olds served, (iii) waitlist slots requested, offered, and provided, (iv) the number of students served whose families are at or below 130 percent poverty, above 130 percent but at or below 200 percent of poverty, above 200 percent but at or below 350 percent of poverty, and above 350 percent of poverty. c. Such comprehensive report shall describe the Virginia Preschool Initiative programs' progress towards the target inclusion rate, such that 10 percent of all children enrolled in each program are children with disabilities, defined as those with an Individualized Education Plan. Virginia Preschool Initiative programs shall report the share of children with Individualized Education Plans in inclusive classrooms annually starting with the 2020-2021 school year. If the program's current inclusion rate falls below 10 percent, the program shall provide reasons a 10 percent inclusion rate was not achieved in the given school year and what actions the program could implement to increase its rate of inclusion in the next year. d. The Department shall submit such comprehensive report to the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees no later than December 31 each year. e. The Department shall develop a plan for comprehensive public reporting on early childhood expenditures, outcomes, and program quality to replace this reporting requirement. Such plan and subsequent reports shall consider the components included in this reporting requirement, and include all publicly-funded providers as defined in Chapter 860 and Chapter 861, 2020 Acts of Assembly. The plan shall identify any fiscal, legislative, or regulatory barriers to implementing such public reporting, and shall consider integration with the Department's School Quality Profiles. The Department of Education shall submit an update on implementation of the plan to the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees by December 1 each year. Once fully implemented, the Department of Education shall update and submit the report by December 1 of each year. G. Notwithstanding 8VAC-20-780, or any other requirement in state law or regulation, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall have the authority to alter staff-to-child ratios and group sizes for licensed child day centers and child day centers that participate in the Child Care Subsidy Program or Mixed Delivery Grant Program by increasing the number of children per staff by (1) one child for groups of children from birth to the age of eligibility to attend public school, and (2) two children for groups of children from the age of eligibility to attend public school through 12 years. Child day centers that take advantage of this flexibility must notify families in writing of the temporary increase in ratios and group size. This authority and any resultant waiver of state law or regulation shall expire June 30, 2026. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall ensure that any action taken under this provision is permissible under federal requirements. H. The Early Childhood Care and Education Commission shall review and recommend updates to the current copayment schedule, parental work requirements, and attendance expectations applicable to the Child Care Subsidy Program and Mixed Delivery Grant Program. In its review, the Commission shall consider: (i) leveraging state general funds to minimize the fiscal cliff as family income increases beyond program eligibility, (ii) use of reasonable family copayments to minimize the need for additional general funds. No later than December 1, 2024, the Commission shall submit its recommendations to the to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the House Committee on Commerce and Energy, the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, the House Committee on Education, and the Senate Committee on Education and Health. I. The Early Childhood Care and Education Commission shall review and recommend: