BILL NUMBER: AB 172 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 14, 2005
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Chan
(Principal coauthor: Senator Escutia)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Berg, Bermudez , Cohn
, Coto, Evans, Hancock, Jones ,
Koretz , Leno, Lieber, Liu, Montanez ,
Mullin , Nava, Parra, Pavley, Ruskin, Salinas,
and Yee)
(Coauthors: Senators Figueroa, Florez, Kuehl, Lowenthal, and
Ortiz)
JANUARY 20, 2005
An act to amend Section 8235 of the Education Code,
relatiting to preschool.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 172, as amended, Chan. Universal preschool.
Existing law, the Child Care and Developmental Services Act,
establishes various full- and part-time programs for a comprehensive,
coordinated, and cost-effective system of developmental services for
children to age 14 and their parents. Other existing law, the
Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program, permits, until January 1, 2011,
school districts to participate in the program to provide
kindergarten preparedness opportunities to increase a child's
readiness for school. Existing law requires the Superintendent of
Public Instruction to administer state preschool programs including
part-time day and preschool appropriate programs for prekindergarten
children 3 to 5 years of age.
This bill would make certain findings and state the intent of the
Legislature with regard to universal preschool. The bill would
require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to report
to the Legislature by January 1, 2007, on state preschool programs,
with certain requirements.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no
yes . State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) A compelling body of respected research demonstrates that
quality preschool programs benefit children and their families, the
public school system, public safety, the economy, and society as a
whole.
(b) California has an enormous opportunity to reach children at a
time when they are eager and ready to learn. 90 percent of brain
development takes place before age five, making early childhood the
best time to invest in preschool programs that boost learning,
creativity, and social skills. Preschool programs lay a strong
foundation that helps children succeed in school and in life.
(c) Quality preschool experiences boost academic achievement in
school, decrease grade retention, decrease special education
placements, and increase graduation rates. Quality preschool further
reduces the likelihood of later arrest and incarceration, and
increases college attendance and earnings in adulthood. Economists
report that every dollar invested in quality preschool returns as
much as seven dollars ($7) to the public.
(d) Hundreds of thousands of children in this state do not have
access to quality preschool. Preschool age children enroll at a rate
of just 47 percent below the national average and far below
international comparisons.
(e) The fastest growing segment of the preschool age population is
the most underenrolled, in that Latino children account for nearly
half of all preschool age children, yet have the lowest enrollment
rate of any ethnic group, just 37 percent.
(f) Of the estimated 1.1 million children who are three to five
years old and not yet enrolled in kindergarten, about 39 percent
would likely be designated as English language learners. Therefore,
pathways to excellence must be created for all children while
communicating respect and support for differences in cultural
origins.
(g) Quality preschool experiences decrease special education
placements, in part because they have the potential to provide early
identification and intervention for young children with exceptional
needs, which can reduce the need for ongoing special education
services. Providing access to quality preschool for children with
exceptional needs can help support their development and prepare them
for a successful transition to kindergarten and beyond.
(h) Research confirms the many benefits that children, parents,
and preschool programs gain when parents are involved in their child'
s preschool learning both inside the classroom and at home.
(i) Universal programs - those available to all families - are
supported by research. Research shows that children from all
backgrounds benefit from quality preschool. The school and life
success of low-income and at-risk children may be significantly
increased through quality preschool. But problems with school
readiness are not confined to low-income children and neither are the
benefits of preschool. A 2004 University of California study of
California kindergartners found that children from all income
backgrounds who attended preschool showed significant prereading and
premath gains over children who did not attend preschool.
(j) Low- and middle-income California families have low preschool
enrollment rates. Private preschool may be prohibitively expensive,
with quality programs in some communities costing twice as much per
year as tuition to the California State University system.
(k) The Council of Chief State School Officers has found that
efforts to reform and strengthen public education cannot succeed
without a concerted effort to support and improve programs that
provide care and education for our youngest children.
(l) All California families should have access to quality
preschool programs for their children.
(m) These ideas are supported by many of the findings and
recommendations of the National Education Goals Panel, the 2000
California Master Plan for Education, and the 1998 Universal
Preschool Task Force.
SEC. 2. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to
establish and provide a voluntary preschool-for-all system that
conforms to the following principles:
(a) Programs may be offered in a variety of settings including
public schools, centers, family child care homes, faith-based
institutions, and head start programs. These programs will meet
research-based standards for social, emotional, cognitive,
linguistic, and physical development, and are linked to public school
system standards.
(b) A goal will be set for preschool teachers to be educated and
compensated at levels comparable to teachers in the public school
system and early education professionals will have access to ongoing
professional development.
(c) Recognizing that parents are their children's first teachers,
and that preschool programs benefit from engaged parents, programs
will create opportunities for parent involvement in preschool
settings, as well as for interaction between parents and preschool
teachers and administrators. Quality preschools can become learning
resources not only for children but for their parents as well.
(d) Families will have access to programs with settings,
locations, hours, and participatory opportunities that meet their
needs and preferences, and that support their aspirations for their
children. For working families, part-time preschool will be
integrated with full-time daycare as seamlessly as possible.
(e) Children of all cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds,
income levels, and neighborhoods will be welcomed in inclusive
programs designed to meet their needs.
(f) Elements that promote the inclusion of children with
exceptional needs will be integrated into the planning and design of
programs, facilities, staff training programs, and the provision of
resources for parents.
(g) A system of public accountability will be established at state
and local levels to ensure maximum benefits for children, equal
access to services, proper use of tax dollars, and transparency to
the public.
(h) Programs will meet established standards of the public school
system, providing adequate pay and benefits for qualified teachers,
establishing accessible higher education opportunities for the
preparation of the workforce, developing suitable preschool
facilities, and engaging in ongoing quality assessments. Financing of
preschool should not detract from funding for infants, toddlers, and
schoolage children, nor child care subsidies that enable low-income
families to work.
(i) A preschool-for-all system will connect coherently with the
public education system as well as to programs serving infants and
toddlers and those providing full-time, full-time year-round child
care and other services for children of all ages. In addition, the
preschool-for-all system will connect families to other services,
including health and nutrition resources, that support children's
readiness to learn.
(j) All children deserve the opportunity to get ready to do their
best in school, and to succeed later in life. Quality preschool
helps build a learning foundation that should be available to all
families who want it for their children. The Legislature recognizes
the benefits of quality preschool, and that the public education
system, the economy, and quality of life will be strengthened by
providing quality preschool for all children.
SEC. 3. Section 8235 of the Education Code
is amended to read:
8235. (a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction
shall administer all state preschool programs in accordance
with the funding priorities set forth in Section 8236. Those
programs shall include, but not be limited to, part-day and preschool
appropriate programs for prekindergarten children three to five
years of age in educational development, health services, social
services, nutritional services, parent education and parent
participation, evaluation, and staff development. Preschool programs
for which federal reimbursement is not available shall be funded as
prescribed by the Legislature in the Budget Act, and unless otherwise
specified by the Legislature, shall not utilize federal funds made
available through Title XX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec.
1397).
(b) Federal Headstart funds used to provide services to families
receiving state preschool services shall be deemed
are nonrestricted funds.
(c) Priority for receiving state preschool services shall be given
to low-income families who meet the eligibility standards as
established by the Superintendent of Public Instruction
, in accordance with the priorities set forth in Section
8236.
(d) Reimbursement for state preschool programs shall be on a per
capita basis, as determined by the Superintendent of Public
Instruction .
(e) Any agency described in subdivision (c) of Section 8208 as an
"applicant or contracting agency" is eligible to contract to operate
a state preschool program.
(f) The Superintendent shall prepare a report regarding the types
of preschool programs that receive funding pursuant to this article.
This report shall include, but not be limited to, data relating to
the geographic and income distribution of participants in these
programs. The Superintendent shall submit this report to the
Legislature on or before January 1, 2007.