Senate approves changes to early‑childhood services; some senators raise concern about 3‑year‑olds in elementary schools

House Bill 1259, which makes a range of changes to early‑childhood services — including preserving family, friend and neighbor (FFN) care, updating provider payment processes, strengthening system coordination and adjusting universal preschool program provisions — was taken up and adopted by the Senate on March 30.

Senator Marchman described four main components and said the bill improves reimbursement timeliness, keeps FFN care, strengthens program coordination and makes technical clarifications. Senator Rich said he would vote no, citing concerns that preliminary eligibility determinations could create an unfunded county mandate to cover services for families later found ineligible. Senator Wright said Section 12’s expansion of services to three‑year‑olds in elementary schools raised safety and developmental‑appropriateness concerns and urged future fixes; he said he could not support the bill because he worried about placing three‑year‑olds in the same spaces as fifth graders.

Despite the objections, senators adopted the committee report and passed the bill after floor debate. The record shows sponsors added a committee amendment delaying some funding components until July 1, 2027 to avoid conflict with Joint Budget Committee work.