Authorizes a school board to engage in a cooperative endeavor with a licensed early learning center to operate a microcenter at a school

House Bill 628 enacts a new provision in the Louisiana Revised Statutes by adding R.S. 17:407.22.2, which creates a statutory framework authorizing school boards to establish microcenter programs in cooperation with licensed early learning providers. The bill defines a microcenter program as an early learning center operating within a school building and specifies that the term "early learning center" refers to a licensed Type III provider under existing early learning center regulations. Microcenter programs must comply with all accountability standards applicable to Type III providers and operate exclusively for the care and education of three-year-old children. The legislation grants discretionary authority to city, parish, and other local public school boards to enter into cooperative endeavors with licensed Type III providers to create these programs.

School boards and licensed Type III early learning providers are the primary entities affected by this legislation. School boards gain the authority to operate early learning programs for three-year-olds within school facilities through partnerships with licensed providers, thereby potentially expanding early education access in school settings. Licensed Type III providers are positioned as operational partners in this arrangement and must maintain their existing regulatory compliance. Children and families, particularly economically disadvantaged three-year-olds, represent the ultimate beneficiaries of this expansion, as the statute requires school boards to prioritize enrollment of economically disadvantaged children in microcenter programs. The requirement to prioritize disadvantaged children establishes an equity-focused directive for program admissions.

This legislation operates within the existing Louisiana early learning center regulatory framework established in R.S. 17:407.36, which defines different types of early learning centers and establishes standards for their operation and oversight. By referencing Type III providers specifically, the bill ties microcenter programs to the established accountability, licensing, and regulatory requirements that already apply to that category of provider. The cooperative endeavor mechanism employed in the statute relies on established principles of intergovernmental collaboration recognized under Louisiana law, allowing school boards and private licensed providers to partner in delivering educational services. The provision does not create new regulatory bodies or oversight mechanisms but instead places responsibility on existing Type III licensing and accountability structures to govern microcenter programs.