Amended in Assembly April 12, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2660

Introduced by Assembly Member McCarty

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(Coauthor: Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia)

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bonta, Dodd, and Eduardo Garcia)

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February 19, 2016

An act to add and repeal Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 8780) of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, relating to early education.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2660, as amended, McCarty. Early education: begin delete three-year end delete begin insert multiyear end insert plan.

Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer all California state preschool programs, which include part-day age and developmentally appropriate programs for 3- and 4-year-old children, as provided. Existing law provides that 3- and 4-year-old children are eligible for the state part-day preschool program if the family meets one of several eligibility requirements, including income eligibility.

This bill would require the State Department of Education, in consultation with the State Board of Education and the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care, on or before begin delete July 1, 2017, end delete begin insert January 1, 2018, end insert to submit to the Legislature and the Department of Finance a plan that provides a begin delete 3-year end delete begin insert multiyear end insert plan for providing access to begin delete income eligible end delete begin insert income-eligible end insert children to high-quality prekindergarten programs for a minimum of one year before enrollment in kindergarten and a begin delete 3-year end delete begin insert multiyear end insert plan for ensuring that publicly funded prekindergarten programs begin delete focus on certain areas. end delete begin insert include specified elements. end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 8780) is
added to Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to
read:

 

Chapter  4.5. The Quality Early Education and
Development Act of 2016

 

8780.  

This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Quality
Early Education and Development Act of 2016.

8781.  

(a) On or before begin delete July 1, 2017, end delete begin insert January 1, 2018, end insert the
department, in consultation with the state board and the State
Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care, shall submit to the
Legislature and the Department of Finance a plan that provides
both of the following:

(1) A begin delete three-year end delete begin insert multiyear end insert plan for providing access for begin delete income
eligible end delete begin insert income-eligible end insert children to high-quality prekindergarten
programs for a minimum of one year before enrollment in

begin delete kindergarten. end delete begin insert kindergarten, which shall include opportunities and
challenges relating to facility requirements. end insert

(2) A begin delete three-year end delete begin insert multiyear end insert plan for ensuring that publicly funded
prekindergarten programs begin delete focus on all of the following areas, which
are most closely associated with positive outcomes for children: end delete

begin insert include, but are not limited to, all of the following elements, which
are most closely associated with high end insert begin insert -quality prekindergarten
programs, positive outcomes for children, and sustainable funding
at a level adequate to achieve high quality: end insert

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(A) School readiness.

(B) Child development.

(C) Family engagement.

(D) Educator capacity, preparation, and professional
development.

(E) Program environment.

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(A) Comprehensive and developmentally appropriate early
learning standards and curricula that address the whole child,
including academic, social-emotional, and physical development.

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(B) Child assessments that consider academic, social-emotional,
and physical development progress, and support meaningful
teacher-child interaction and instruction, and program planning
that addresses the needs of a child.

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(C) Sufficient learning time through the provision of a full-day
program.

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(D) Meaningful family encouragement that promotes
partnerships between the program and families to support child
development across multiple domains, including, but not limited
to, academic, social-emotional, and physical.

end insert begin insert

(E) Support for diverse learners, including dual language
learners and children with special needs, which may include
primary language instruction and inclusion programs.

end insert begin insert

(F) Class size and child-to-staff ratios that promote optimal
learning, based on generally accepted evidence-based professional
standards.

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(G) Comprehensive program assessments that measure elements
of program quality, including, but not limited to, child-to-staff
ratios, teacher qualifications, the nature of interactions between
children and teachers, and the types of learning activities in which
the children engage.

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(H) A well-implemented quality rating and improvement system
(QRIS) that builds upon the existing QRIS infrastructure in the
state, articulates standards that promote continuous improvement,
and provides a basis for program accountability.

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(I) Continuous support for teachers, staff, and program leaders
through evidence-based coaching and mentoring programs and
job-embedded professional learning opportunities.

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(J) Well-prepared teachers with training that addresses early
childhood education, including child development and instruction
of young children. This portion of the plan shall specifically
address all of the following:

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(i) Strategies for multiple pathways to degrees, certificates, and
credentials, including support for early childhood educators to
attain additional education and qualifications, and strategies to
support a workforce that reflects the diversity of the state.

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(ii) Recommendations for changes to the Commission on
Teacher Credentialing’s requirements for the issuance and renewal
of permits authorizing service in the care, development, and
instruction of children in child care and development programs
and permits authorizing supervision of a child care and
development program.

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(iii) Recommendations for aligning preparation requirements
for educators working with children from infancy through eight
years of age to the 2015 report by the Institute of Medicine and
National Research Council titled Transforming the Workforce for
Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation.

end insert begin insert

(iv) Strategies for achieving pay parity for prekindergarten
educators and staff with educators and staff of the transitional
kindergarten through 12th grade public education system.

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(b) For purposes of this section, “prekindergarten programs”
includes all of the following:

(1) Transitional kindergarten.

(2) State preschool.

(3) Head Start programs.

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(c) For purposes of this section, “income eligible” has the same
meaning as subdivision (a) of Section 8263.1.

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(c) For purposes of this section, “income eligible” has the same
meaning specified for each prekindergarten program, as
applicable.

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(d) The plan shall be submitted to the Legislature in compliance
with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

8782.  

Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code,
this chapter is repealed on January 1, 2021.