BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2592
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2592 (Buchanan)
As Amended May 28, 2010
Majority vote
EDUCATION 5-3 APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Arambula, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Ammiano, |
| |Carter, Eng, Torlakson | |Bradford, |
| | | |Charles Calderon, Coto, |
| | | |Davis, Monning, Ruskin, |
| | | |Skinner, Solorio, |
| | | |Torlakson, Torrico |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Nestande, Miller, Norby |Nays:|Conway, Harkey, Miller, |
| | | |Nielsen, Norby |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires the California Department of Education (CDE)
to implement an early learning quality improvement rating scale
pilot program. Specifically, this bill :
1)Finds and declares that numerous studies have shown that
high-quality early learning programs for low-income children
significantly narrow the achievement gap; reduce the high
school dropout rate; and produce savings from lower costs in
special education, welfare, recidivism or prisons, or both,
and crime.
2)Specifies that for purposes of this bill, "early care and
education providers" and "early care and education facilities"
mean early care and education providers or facilities that are
regulated pursuant to Title 5 or Title 22 of the California
Code of Regulations.
3)Requires the CDE to implement an early learning quality
improvement rating scale pilot program that reflects the
cultural and linguistic diversity of California's young
children and that is based on the final recommendations
developed by the Early Learning Quality Improvement System
(ELQIS) Advisory Committee. Authorizes the quality rating
scale to do any or all of the following:
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a) Measure the quality of services of an early care and
education provider;
b) Measure elements of quality of an early care and
education program and facility that include, but are not
limited to, the following:
i) Quality of the learning environment;
ii) Quality of adult-child interactions;
iii) Adult-to-child ratios;
iv) Provider's education and professional
qualifications, including those recognized by the
Commission on Teacher Credentialing; and,
v) Parent and family involvement.
c) Inform parents and other consumers of early care and
education services about the quality of a facility in a
simple and easy to understand manner.
4)Requires the CDE to develop criteria for the selection of
early care and education providers and facilities to
participate in the pilot program. Requires the CDE to ensure
that the early care and education providers and facilities
selected are geographically diverse and provide services to
low income children, children with special needs, and English
learners.
5)Requires the California State Advisory Council on Early
Childhood Education and Care to do both of the following:
a) Conduct an annual review of the pilot program and
provide ongoing recommendations for the improvement of the
quality rating scale; and,
b) Develop criteria to be used to evaluate the pilot
program.
6)Requires the CDE to develop and implement any rules and
regulations necessary for the implementation of the provisions
of this bill.
7)Requires the CDE to conduct an evaluation of the pilot program
based on the annual reviews and criteria developed by the
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California State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education
and Care and submit the evaluation to the appropriate policy
committees of the Legislature on or before January 1, 2016.
8)Specifies that the provisions of this bill shall not be
implemented unless federal early care and education funds are
provided for the specified purposes.
9)Provides that the provisions of this bill shall become
inoperative on June 30, 2017 and is repealed on January 1,
2018, unless a later enacted statute deletes or extends the
dates.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, one-time federal early care and childhood funds,
likely between $1 million and $2 million.
COMMENTS : This bill requires the CDE to implement an early
learning quality improvement rating scale pilot program that
reflects the cultural and linguistic diversity of children, and
that is based on the recommendations developed by the ELQIS
Advisory Committee, established by SB 1629 (Steinberg), Chapter
307, Statutes of 2008. The ELQIS Advisory Committee was
established to focus attention on how to identify and improve
the quality of early learning programs serving kids from birth
to five years of age in an effort to improve student outcomes in
kindergarten and beyond. The ELQIS Advisory Committee is
charged with developing an implementation plan for an ELQIS and
is required to present an interim report to the Governor and
Legislature by December 31, 2009 and a final report by December
31, 2010. SB 1629 requires the report to address four elements
of a quality improvement system as follows:
1)An assessment and analysis of existing early care and
education infrastructures, including other state and local
systems and the identification of effective features of those
systems;
2)The development of an early learning quality rating scale for
child care and development programs, including preschool;
3)The development of a funding model aligned with the quality
rating scale; and,
4)Recommendations on how local, state, federal and private
resources can best be utilized to complement a statewide
funding model as part of a comprehensive effort to improve the
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child care and development system of the state.
The 13-member ELQIS Advisory Committee held a number of meetings
in different locations throughout the state in 2009 and issued a
preliminary report in January. The Advisory Committee focused
its work mainly on the first two required elements and learned
about existing local systems as well as features of systems from
19 other states. According to the report, one of the lessons
that can be learned from other states' experiences include the
value of conducting a pilot and have the training for the rating
infrastructure in place before implementing the quality rating
system statewide.
The ELQIS Advisory Committee has approved a preliminary general
design of a quality rating structure featuring a non-weighted
block system. Six quality elements - family involvement, ratios
and group size, environment rating scales, staff education and
training, teaching and learning, and program leadership - makeup
the evaluation components. According to the report, all the
quality criteria in each tier need to be accomplished to obtain
that rating, and the criteria included in each tier build on
those in previous blocks. For example, if a program meets Tier
1 criteria in the "Family Involvement" scale, it would be scored
in the Tier 1 box. If it meets criteria for Tiers 1 through 5,
it would be scored in the Tier 5 box for that scale.
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| |
| Matrix of Standards |
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|------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----|
| Quality Elements |Tier |Tier |Tier |Tier |Tier |
| |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |
|------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----|
|Family Involvement | | | | | |
|------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----|
|Ratios and Group Size | | | | | |
| n Infant: | | | | | |
| n Toddler: | | | | | |
|n Preschool: | | | | | |
|------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----|
|Environment Rating Scale(s) | | | | | |
|That focus on Structural | | | | | |
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|Quality and | | | | | |
|Teacher/Provider-Child | | | | | |
|Interaction | | | | | |
|------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----|
|Staff Education and Training | | | | | |
|------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----|
|Teaching and Learning | | | | | |
|------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----|
|Program Leadership | | | | | |
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The report stresses that what has been developed is not final.
During 2010, the ELQIS Advisory Committee will complete the
design structure of the quality rating and improvement system
and complete the last two requirements of SB 1629.
To ensure that the pilot program is able to evaluate the quality
of services provided to all children, the bill requires the CDE
to ensure that the participating program and facilities are
geographically diverse and include services to low income
children, children with special needs, and English learners.
This bill further requires the California State Advisory Council
on Early Childhood Education and Care, comprised of the ELQIS
Advisory Committee plus five additional representatives
specified in the Governor's Executive Order S-23-09, to annually
review and provide ongoing recommendations for the improvement
of the quality rating scale.
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0004680