Committee approves bill letting local districts offer pre‑K to 3‑year‑olds

Representative Chad Hill, sponsor of House Bill 23 95, told the House Education Committee on Oct. 12 that the bill would allow local school districts to offer prekindergarten to children who turn 3 before Sept. 1 if the district chooses to do so.

Hill said the bill “simply marked through 4 year old or through 3 year olds and wrote in 3 year olds,” mirroring the current statutory framework that allows districts to provide pre‑K for 4‑year‑olds. He described the change as a local option intended to help districts in “childcare deserts” evaluate whether expanding to 3‑year‑olds makes sense for space, staffing and local needs. “If they see an ability and a value that they could then consider this,” Hill said.

The measure would allow districts to refuse nonresident children when capacity is limited and to apply the same readiness and capacity rules that currently govern 4‑year‑old programs. Hill told the committee that some districts, such as Mustang Public Schools, already operate programs that include limited spots for 3‑year‑olds in special‑needs circumstances and that the bill would provide an additional, optional tool for districts already running 4‑year‑old programs.

Committee members asked about staff‑to‑child ratios, fiscal impact and whether the change would worsen workforce and financial pressures on private childcare providers. Vice Chair Hasenbeck noted Department of Human Services (DHS) ratios and Hill said, “I believe it’s 1 to 8 on 2 year olds, 1 to 12 on 3 year olds, and 1 to 16 … on 4 year olds” under DHS standards. Representatives warned that expanding public pre‑K for 3‑year‑olds could shift enrollment and funding pressures across the early childhood sector and that workforce pay and recruitment remain major challenges.

Hill said he had not yet received a fiscal analysis from staff and that federal dollars that currently flow through DHS “have the potential of moving over as well,” adding that “the dollars follow the child.” He said he was open to amendments on capacity and readiness language.

The committee approved the bill on a recorded vote. The clerk announced a vote of 7 ayes and 1 nay and the chair declared House Bill 23 95 passed out of committee.

The bill returns to the legislative process for further floor consideration; Hill said he was “open for input before the next hearing.”

Supporters framed the bill as a local‑control option to expand access where communities see benefit; opponents and questioners pressed for more analysis of workforce, fiscal impact and interactions with existing DHS‑funded childcare.