SB 522 (2024)

Generally expands eligibility and assistance through child care scholarships. This bill then modifies the Education Freedom Account program to allow children between 2.5 and 5 years old to receive the per-pupil share of public K-12 school funding and spend it on child care and early childhood education.

The Senate rewrote the bill. The new bill establishes an early childhood education account grant program for children ages 4 and 5 whose family income is below 500% of the federal poverty level. The minimum age would drop from 4 to 3 starting July 1, 2028. Each grant would be equal to the per-pupil share of state education funding, and would come from a mix of state funds. Parents could spend the grant on pre-K education and child care.