Establishes a division of early childhood within the office of children and family services to coordinate, consolidate and integrate early childhood programs.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3636
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 29, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a divi-
sion of early childhood within the office of children and family
services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 500 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
2 subdivision 4 to read as follows:
3 4. (a) There is hereby established within the office of children and
4 family services a division of early childhood. The division shall be
5 under the direction of the commissioner of the office of children and
6 family services. The division of early childhood shall be headed by the
7 director of early childhood who shall be appointed by a committee
8 composed of the governor or the governor's designee, the speaker of the
9 assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of
10 the assembly and the minority leader of the senate.
11 (b) The primary duties of the division of early childhood are to coor-
12 dinate, consolidate and integrate early childhood programs, in order to
13 administer programs and funding as efficiently as possible. The divi-
14 sion's duties shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
15 (i) to develop, coordinate and support public and private partnerships
16 to aid early childhood programs across the state;
17 (ii) to work cooperatively and in coordination with the early child-
18 hood advisory council;
19 (iii) to collaborate with the education department to ensure proper
20 and appropriate connections and smooth transitions between early child-
21 hood programs and kindergarten through grade twelve programs;
22 (iv) to coordinate the delivery of services for young children and
23 their families to ensure the state is utilizing all available funding
24 streams in a unified fashion; and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06330-01-5
A. 3636 2
1 (v) to perform any other activities that will assist in the division
2 of early childhood programs and services.
3 (c) The director of early childhood shall be responsible for imple-
4 menting the policies and directives of the division of early childhood.
5 The director may seek and shall be entitled to receive from other state
6 agencies such assistance as may be required to perform such director's
7 duties pursuant to this subdivision. The director may appoint such offi-
8 cers, employees, agents and consultants as such director may deem neces-
9 sary. To the extent practicable, the director shall appoint the offi-
10 cers, employees, agents and consultants for the division of early
11 childhood, from among the existing officers and employees of the office
12 of children and family services.
13 (d) On or before January first, two thousand twenty-six, the division
14 of early childhood shall begin a statewide assessment and evaluation of
15 the current funding streams for the state. The division shall, on or
16 before October first, two thousand twenty-six, provide to the governor
17 and the legislature programmatic and legislative recommendations, based
18 on its statewide assessment and evaluation.
19 (e) The division of early childhood shall submit to the governor and
20 legislature, within one year of the effective date of this subdivision,
21 a report as the various early childhood programs that are available in
22 the state. The report shall include recommendations and an action plan
23 to further consolidate and coordinate early childhood programs and fund-
24 ing sources that support these programs.
25 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
