Promotes the inclusion of children living in temporary housing in prekindergarten programs; requires school districts to prioritize homeless children on any pre-K waitlists and provides for the reimbursement to school districts of hiring additional staff to accommodate the enrollment of a homeless child.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
8073
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
April 24, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. TAYLOR -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to promoting the inclu-
sion of children living in temporary housing in prekindergarten
programs
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 3602-e of the education law is amended by adding a
new subdivision 21 to read as follows:
21. EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT IMPLEMENTING A PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM SHALL
PROMOTE THE INCLUSION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN, AS DEFINED IN SECTION THIR-
TY-TWO HUNDRED NINE OF THIS CHAPTER.
A. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW TO THE CONTRARY, WHERE
THE CLASS SIZE FOR A PREKINDERGARTEN CLASS HAS REACHED ITS MAXIMUM
CAPACITY, AS DETERMINED BY REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER, THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT IN WHICH A HOMELESS CHILD IS CURRENTLY TEMPORARILY HOUSED IN A
MOTEL, HOTEL, SHELTER OR OTHER TEMPORARY HOUSING ARRANGEMENT SHALL
PRIORITIZE SUCH CHILD'S PLACEMENT ON ANY WAITLIST FOR ENROLLMENT IN A
PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM.
B. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW TO THE CONTRARY, WHERE
THE CLASS SIZE FOR A PREKINDERGARTEN CLASS NECESSITATES THE HIRING OF
ADDITIONAL STAFF, AS DETERMINED BY REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER, TO
ACCOMMODATE THE ENROLLMENT OF A HOMELESS CHILD, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT
SHALL BE REIMBURSED BY THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE DIRECT COST OF HIRING SUCH
ADDITIONAL STAFF, NOT OTHERWISE REIMBURSED UNDER OTHER FEDERAL PROGRAMS,
CALCULATED PURSUANT TO REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment
and/or repeal of any rules or regulations necessary for the implementa-
tion of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or
before such date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03324-01-5
Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.
Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.
Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.