256I.5 Early childhood Iowa coordination staff.

1. The department shall provide administrative support for implementation of the early childhood Iowa initiative and for the state board. The department shall adopt rules in consultation with the state board to provide fiscal oversight of the initiative. The fiscal oversight measures adopted shall include but are not limited to all of the following:

a. Reporting and other requirements to address the financial activities employed by area boards.

b. Regular audits and other requirements of fiscal agents for area boards.

c. Requirements for area boards to undertake and report on fiscal and performance reviews of the programs, contracts, services, and other functions funded by the area boards.

2. An early childhood Iowa office is established in the department to provide leadership for facilitation, communication, and coordination for the early childhood Iowa initiative activities and funding and for improvement of the early care, education, health, and human services systems. An administrator for the early childhood Iowa office shall be appointed by the director of the department. Other staff may also be designated, subject to appropriation made for this purpose.

3. The state agencies represented on the state board may designate additional staff, as part of the early childhood Iowa initiative, to work as a technical assistance team with the office in providing coordination and other support to the state’s comprehensive early care, education, health, and human services system.

4. The office shall work with the state and area boards to provide leadership for comprehensive system development. The office shall also do all of the following:

a. Enter into memoranda of agreement with the departments of education, human rights, human services, public health, and workforce development and the economic development authority to formalize the commitments of the respective departments and the authority to collaborating with and integrating a comprehensive early care, education, health, and human services system. Items addressed in the memoranda shall include but are not limited to data sharing and providing staffing to the technical assistance team.

b. Work with private businesses, foundations, and nonprofit organizations to develop sustained funding.

c. Maintain the internet site in accordance with section 256I.10.

d. Propose any needed revisions to administrative rules based on stakeholder input.

e. Provide technical support to the state and area boards and to the early childhood Iowa areas through staffing services made available through the state agencies that serve on the state board.

f. Develop, collect, disseminate, and provide guidance for common performance measures for the programs receiving funding under the auspices of the area boards.

g. If a disagreement arises within an early childhood Iowa area regarding the interests represented on the area’s board, board decisions, or other disputes that cannot be locally resolved, upon request, provide state or regional technical assistance as deemed appropriate by the office to assist the area in resolving the disagreement.

2010 Acts, ch 1031, §282; 2011 Acts, ch 118, §87, 89; 2012 Acts, ch 1021, §57

Referred to in §237A.30, 256I.9, 279.60