BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2660
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 4, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
2660 (McCarty) - As Amended April 12, 2016
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Policy |Education |Vote:|7 - 0 |
|Committee: | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill establishes the Quality Early Education and
Development Act of 2016, and requires the California Department
of Education (CDE), on or before January 1, 2018, to submit a
multi-year plan for providing access to high quality
prekindergarten programs to the Legislature and the Department
of Finance. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires CDE to develop the multiyear plan, in consultation
with the State Board of Education (SBE), and the State
Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care, for providing
access for income-eligible children to high-quality
AB 2660
Page 2
prekindergarten programs for a minimum of one year before
enrollment in kindergarten, including opportunities and
challenges relating to facility requirements.
2)Requires certain program elements to be included in the plan
to ensure quality, including, but are not limited to:
developmentally appropriate early learning standards and
curricula, assessments, sufficient learning time through a
full-day program, meaningful family engagement, support of
diverse learners such as special needs and dual language
learners, appropriate class size ratios, teacher
qualifications and supports, and a well implemented quality
rating system.
3)Requires the plan to also focus on teacher qualifications and
training, including 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.
4)Requires recommendations for changes to the Commission on
Teacher Credentialing's requirements for 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.
5)Requires the plan to also address strategies for achieving pay
parity for prekindergarten educators and other educators,
including transitional kindergarten (TK) through grade 12
teachers.
FISCAL EFFECT:
AB 2660
Page 3
1)One-time General Fund administrative costs to the CDE of
approximately $315,000 over two years to implement the plan.
Specifically, CDE estimates costs of $200,000 in 2016-17 to
support 1.5 positions and travel costs, and $108,000 to
support staffing and administrative cost for the first half of
2017-18. There are many elements of the plan that would
require comprehensive research and development by a consultant
with a high-level of support by an analyst. The consultant
would need to confer with numerous experts in various aspects
of early education within the Department as well as with
outside organizations.
2)Proposition 98/GF cost pressures, in the millions of dollars,
to implement the recommendations of the plan. There are
approximately 33,000 children eligible for federal head start,
state preschool or TK that currently do not have access. In
2015, the Department of Finance estimated costs of
approximately $590 million to provide full day access to all
low income children not currently served by the state. The
proposed plan in this bill will also address issues related to
program quality, teacher preparation and pay parity. Solutions
to these issues are also likely to create significant cost
pressures.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. Early Edge California is sponsoring this bill to take
steps to ensure the state develops a comprehensive plan to
provide high-quality pre-kindergarten programs for
California's disadvantaged children. According to the
sponsor, too many children are still missing out on the high
quality preschool experiences that research shows will provide
them with lifelong benefits. The American Institutes for
Research found that across California, more than 33,000 four
year olds and four times as many three-year olds from
AB 2660
Page 4
low-income families are still unserved by any publicly funded
school readiness program. The sponsors believe a comprehensive
plan to deliver high quality pre-kindergarten programs and
provide access for all eligible children is a small investment
that will result in great benefit for California's children,
families, and economy.
2)Background. The CDE administers a child care and development
system, maintaining over 1,300 service contracts with
approximately 750 public and private agencies supporting and
providing services to children from birth through 12 years of
age. The combined federal and state funding for child care and
development programs total $3.6 billion (state funds of $2.7
billion and federal funds of $938 million), offering 436,185
slots.
The 2015-16 Budget Act included $98 million (Proposition
98/GF) to expand 7,030 full-day preschool and 2,500 part day
preschool slots. Of this amount 5,830 were set aside for
full-day care offered by LEAs. The funding also covered a 5%
increase in the Standard Reimbursement Rate for these programs
that was made on January 1, 2016.
The Governor's January budget includes a proposal to reform
preschool and child care programs. The proposal includes an
early education block grant that consolidates $1.6 billion of
Transitional Kindergarten, Preschool, and Quality Rating
Improvement System (QRIS) to serve low-income and at-risk
children. The proposal also eliminates all Title V child
development contracts and instead provides care through
vouchers. The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education
Finance rejected this proposal in April.
3)Prior legislation. AB 47 (McCarty) of 2015 would have
established the Preschool for All Act of 2015 to require, on
AB 2660
Page 5
or before June 30, 2018, all eligible children who are not
enrolled in transitional kindergarten to have access to the
California State Preschool Program the year before they enter
kindergarten. Governor Brown vetoed this bill stating that
the discussion on expanding state preschool should be
considered in the budget process.
Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916) 319-2081