BILL NUMBER: SB 1629 CHAPTERED 09/26/08 CHAPTER 307 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 26, 2008 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 26, 2008 PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 21, 2008 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 18, 2008 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 15, 2008 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 8, 2008 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 26, 2008 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 12, 2008 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 6, 2008 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 23, 2008 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 1, 2008 INTRODUCED BY Senator Steinberg (Principal coauthor: Senator Romero) (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Jones) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Arambula, Brownley, Coto, Huffman, Karnette, Laird, Mullin, and Nunez) FEBRUARY 22, 2008 An act to add and repeal Article 14.5 (commencing with Section 8300) of Chapter 2 of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, relating to state preschool programs. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1629, Steinberg. State preschool programs: Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer state preschool programs, including part-day and preschool appropriate programs for prekindergarten children 3 to 5 years of age, inclusive, in educational development, health services, social services, nutritional services, parent education and participation, evaluation, and staff development. This bill would establish the Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee, which would consist of 13 members. The advisory committee would be required to develop the policy and implementation plan for an Early Learning Quality Improvement System, and would be required to submit an interim report on its recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor by December 31, 2009, and a final report by December 31, 2010. The bill would require the Superintendent to apply to the California Children and Families Commission for funding to cover costs. The bill's provisions would become inoperative on July 1, 2011, and would be repealed on January 1, 2012. The bill would become operative only if AB 2759 of the 2007-08 Regular Session of the Legislature is enacted and becomes effective on or before January 1, 2009. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Article 14.5 (commencing with Section 8300) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to read: Article 14.5. Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee 8300. (a) The Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee is hereby established in the state government. The advisory committee shall consist of 13 members as follows: (1) The Superintendent of Public Instruction or his or her designee. (2) The Secretary of Education or his or her designee. (3) The President pro Tempore of the Senate or his or her designee. (4) The Speaker of the Assembly or his or her designee. (5) The Director of the Department of Finance or his or her designee. (6) The Director of the Department of Social Services or his or her designee. (7) The Governor shall appoint two representatives. (8) The Chairperson of the California Children and Families Commission or his or her designee. (9) The Senate Committee on Rules shall appoint two representatives from the early care and education community, one who is a program administrator of a child development program funded by the department, and another who is a caregiver for infants and toddlers. (10) The Speaker of the Assembly shall appoint two representatives, one from the early care and education community who has experience with English learners, and one who is a local educational agency teacher who teaches kindergarten. (b) The Superintendent and the Secretary for Education or their designees shall be cochairpersons of the committee. (c) The advisory committee shall seek input through the establishment of subcommittees or other methods from persons with expertise in the following areas: early learning quality improvement systems in use nationwide; early care and education, including representatives from the higher education segments, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and administrators, caregivers, and teachers from both the public and private sectors; K-12 public school teachers; English language development, including primary and secondary language acquisition; education and care of children with exceptional needs and disabilities; infant and toddler care; consumer education; parent and guardian engagement; workforce development; facilities development; technical assistance; and program accreditation. 8301. (a) The advisory committee shall develop the policy and implementation plan for an Early Learning Quality Improvement System for the state and shall submit, to the Legislature and the Governor, an interim report by December 31, 2009, and a final report by December 31, 2010, containing its recommendations for the creation of an Early Learning Quality Improvement System. The report shall address, but need not be limited to, the following four elements of a quality improvement system: (1) An assessment and analysis of the existing early care and education infrastructure, including other state and local early learning quality improvement systems. The assessment shall identify and review existing quality rating systems in use and determine the features of those systems that are most effective in determining and improving quality. (2) The development of an early learning quality rating scale for child development and care programs, including preschool, that serve children from birth to five years of age, inclusive, including preschool age children, infants, and toddlers. The early learning quality rating scale shall reflect features of quality rating systems that most directly contribute to high-quality care, as identified in the assessment pursuant to paragraph (1). The advisory committee shall consider consumer awareness so that parents receive accurate information about the type of program in which their children are enrolled. The advisory committee also may consider, but need not be limited to, the following features of high-quality programs: (A) Developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate practices. (B) Staff qualifications and professional development and education needs. (C) Staff compensation and retention. (D) Group size and ratios. (E) Learning environment. (F) Statutory and regulatory compliance, including provisions of Title 5 and Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations relating to child care and development. (G) Articulation within systems of care for children from birth to five years of age, and with the K-12 public school system. (H) The inclusion of children with exceptional needs and children with disabilities. (I) English learner support. (J) Family involvement. (K) Comprehensive health and development screenings using standard tools. (L) Data collection and methods to support continuous quality improvement. (M) Program management and leadership. (3) The development of a funding model aligned with the quality rating scale for child care and development programs that serve children from birth to five years of age, inclusive, including preschool. (4) The advisory committee shall consider and make recommendations on how local, state, federal, and private resources, including resources available pursuant to the California Children and Families Act of 1998 (Division 108 (commencing with Section 130100) of the Health and Safety Code), can best be utilized to complement a statewide funding model as part of a comprehensive effort to improve the child care and development system of the state, including preschool. (b) The advisory committee shall meet no less frequently than each quarter per year, at the call of the chairperson, at a time and location convenient to the public, as the chairperson deems appropriate. All meetings shall be open to the public in accordance with Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. Once a draft report of the final report is complete, the advisory committee shall conduct no less than four public hearings in different parts of the state to ensure that the advisory committee obtains meaningful public input prior to submitting its report to the Governor and the Legislature. 8302. No General Fund expenditures shall be required to fund the work of the advisory committee. The advisory committee shall be established only after the Superintendent applies to and obtains funds from the California Children and Families Commission or other sources. The Superintendent shall apply to the California Children and Families Commission for funding to cover committee costs, including, but not limited to, staff support and travel expenses. 8303. This article shall become inoperative on July 1, 2011, and, as of January 1, 2012, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2012, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. SEC. 4. This act shall become operative only if Assembly Bill 2759 of the 2007-08 Regular Session of the Legislature is enacted and becomes effective on or before January 1, 2009.