CA AB 51
Title: Early childcare and education.
Author: Mia Bonta
Summary
AB 51, as amended, Bonta. Early childcare and education. (1) Existing law establishes the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program. Existing law authorizes a local educational agency that elects to operate an expanded learning opportunity program to operate a before school component of a program, an after school component of a program, or both, and requires the local educational agency to comply with specified requirements, including the development of a program plan based on specified things, including that programs serving transitional kindergarten or kindergarten pupils maintain a pupil-to-staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1.This bill would also include, as part of the program plan, a requirement that an extended learning opportunity program serving transitional kindergarten pupils be developmentally appropriate for pupils in transitional kindergarten.(2) The Early Education Act requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide an inclusive and cost-effective preschool program. The act requires the Superintendent, in consultation with the Director of Social Services and the executive director of the State Board of Education, to convene a statewide interestholder workgroup, as provided, to provide recommendations on best practices for increasing access to high-quality universal preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-old children offered through a mixed-delivery model that provides equitable learning experiences across a variety of settings and recommendations to update preschool standards, as provided.This bill would request the University of California to study the impact of transitional kindergarten on the early childcare and education ecosystem, as provided, and to submit the preliminary results of that study to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature on or before December 31, 2025, and the final results on or before December 31, 2027.(3) The Early Education Act authorizes school districts and charter schools that administer a California state preschool program to place 4-year-old children in a transitional kindergarten, as provided. The act also establishes the California Universal Preschool Planning Grant Program with the goal of expanding access universally to preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-old children across the state through a mixed-delivery system, as defined. The act requires the Superintendent to establish rules and regulations for the staffing of all preschool programs under contract with the State Department of Education.This bill would, notwithstanding any provision of the act to the contrary, require the Superintendent to establish rules and regulations for the commingling of children participating in California state preschool programs with children supported through other state- or federally subsidized programs and private funding. The bill would, until such time as the Superintendent establishes those rules and regulations, authorize children in California state preschool programs to be commingled with children from other state- or federally subsidized programs and private funding, as provided.This bill would, notwithstanding any provision of the act to contrary, require the State Department of Education to, among other things, provide prospective California state preschool program providers an equitable opportunity to establish a trained workforce and administrative systems, and technical assistance on how to meet the requirements of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, including applicants that have either not received a California state preschool program contract within the last 5 years or can demonstrate a negative financial impact due to the implementation of transitional kindergarten expansion. The bill would, among other things, require the department to develop early learning resources, as specified, and to develop and implement a proactive one-time 3-year outreach, capacity building, training, and technical assistance plan that targets prospective and new contr
Status
Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Ashby.
Bill Documents
CA AB 51 - 09/08/23 - Amended Senate
09/08/23 - CA AB 51 (09/08/23 - Amended Senate)
CA AB 51 - 09/01/23 - Amended Senate
09/01/23 - CA AB 51 (09/01/23 - Amended Senate)
CA AB 51 - 07/13/23 - Amended Senate
07/13/23 - CA AB 51 (07/13/23 - Amended Senate)
CA AB 51 - 06/26/23 - Amended Senate
06/26/23 - CA AB 51 (06/26/23 - Amended Senate)
CA AB 51 - 05/01/23 - Amended Assembly
05/01/23 - CA AB 51 (05/01/23 - Amended Assembly)
CA AB 51 - 04/12/23 - Amended Assembly
04/12/23 - CA AB 51 (04/12/23 - Amended Assembly)
CA AB 51 - 04/04/23 - Amended Assembly
04/04/23 - CA AB 51 (04/04/23 - Amended Assembly)
CA AB 51 - 03/23/23 - Amended Assembly
03/23/23 - CA AB 51 (03/23/23 - Amended Assembly)
CA AB 51 - 12/05/22 - Introduced
12/05/22 - CA AB 51 (12/05/22 - Introduced)