Resolve, To Promote High-quality Before-school and After-school Programs

Sec. 1. Convene working group. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services shall convene a working group to review and make recommendations for administrative or legislative action, or both, concerning ways to provide high-quality before-school and after-school programs through child care licensing and quality ratings. The department shall invite the participation of the Maine After School Network, the Maine School Age Care Alliance, recreation organizations, the Maine Mentoring Partnership, the United States Department of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Centers program and other interested parties. The department shall appoint the representative of the Maine After School Network as the chair of the working group, and the department's Office of Child Care and Head Start and Division of Licensing, Child Care Licensing Unit shall participate in the working group; and be it further

Sec. 2. Charge of working group. Resolved: That the working group shall review the rules, standards and policies for the range of before-school and after-school programs for school-age children, with particular attention to the differences in custodial and noncustodial programs, and make recommendations on how these might be standardized in the best interest of all children served, how these might be adjusted to best meet the broad range of the needs of children and families and how to encourage community collaboration to maximize all community resources for integration of the programs within existing support systems for children and families; and be it further

Sec. 3. Report. Resolved: That the working group shall provide a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services with findings and recommendations for changes in rules, standards and policies no later than March 1, 2008. The joint standing committee is authorized to introduce legislation to the Second Regular Session of the 123rd Legislature.