BILL ANALYSIS �
AJR 16
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AJR 16 (Bonilla)
As Introduced April 1, 2013
Majority vote
EDUCATION 5-1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Ayes:|Buchanan, Campos, | | |
| |Nazarian, Ammiano, | | |
| |Williams | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Ch�vez | | |
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY : Makes findings and declarations regarding the
importance of learning in a child's early years of life, the
impact such learning has on the child's future academic
achievement, and the benefits of providing access to preschool
to three- and four-year-old children, regardless of their
parents' ability to pay. Urges Congress to enact President
Barack Obama's budget proposal to increase funding for preschool
and early learning and the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) to prepare a plan for making California competitive for
future increases in federal funding.
FISCAL EFFECT : None. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : The California Department of Education (CDE)
administers a child care and development system, maintaining
1,401 service contracts with approximately 758 public and
private agencies supporting and providing services to children
from birth to 13 years of age. Contractors include school
districts, county offices of education, cities, colleges, other
public entities, community-based organizations, and private
agencies. In fiscal year (FY) 2011-12, $2.3 billion was
provided for child care and development programs from state and
federal funds, enrolling an estimated 345,000 children. This is
down from $2.669 billion initially provided in the FY 2010-11
budget (prior to midyear trigger cuts) with almost 416,000
slots. According to the Legislative Analyst's Office, overall
funding for the child care and development program has decreased
AJR 16
Page 2
by almost $1 billion since FY 2008-09, with the elimination of
110,000 slots. The Governor's proposed FY 2013-14 budget
provides an increase of $12 million over FY 2012-13 funds for a
total of $2.2 billion for child care and development programs to
provide an estimated 341,000 child care and preschool slots.
In February, President Obama announced his plans for early
childhood education, including providing high-quality preschool
for all low- and moderate-income four-year-old children at or
below 200% of poverty, extending and expanding voluntary home
visits, and investment in a new Early Head Start-Child Care
partnership. In April, President Obama released his proposed
2014 budget, which includes over $90 billion for early childhood
programs, including the following:
1)$75 billion over the next decade to expand access to high
quality preschool for all low- and moderate-income
four-year-olds, funded by a $0.94 cent tobacco tax.
2)$15 billion for the voluntary home visiting program over the
next 10 years. These voluntary programs provide nurses,
social workers, and other professionals that meet with at-risk
families in their homes and connect them to resources that
impact a child's health, development, and ability to learn.
3)$1.4 billion for new early Head Start-Child Care partnerships
to enhance and support early learning settings, provide new,
full-day, comprehensive services that meet the needs of
working families and prepare children for the transition into
preschool.
This resolution urges Congress to enact President Obama's budget
proposal to increase funding for preschool and early learning,
and the SPI to prepare a plan for making the state competitive
for future increases in federal funding.
The author states, "Research shows the early years of a child's
life represents a critically important window of opportunity to
develop a child's full potential and shape key academic, social,
and cognitive skills that determine a child's success in school
and in life. Too often when students start out behind, they stay
behind. In 2012, 52 percent of California's third graders tested
below proficiency in English-Language Arts and more than 30
percent below proficiency in Mathematics. California's
AJR 16
Page 3
population is largely diverse and as a result, early childhood
education provides enhanced readiness amongst students of all
ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds?.Providing access to
these services for low-income children is critical for their
success."
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0000357