CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill No. 123

Introduced by Assembly Members McCarty, Berman, Bonta, Burke, Carrillo, Chiu, Friedman, Gonzalez, Limón, Reyes, Santiago, Ting, and Wicks
(Principal coauthors: Senators Dodd and Hill)

December 03, 2018

An act relating to early childhood education.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 123, as introduced, McCarty. Early childhood education: state preschool program: transitional kindergarten: access: standards.
The Child Care and Development Services Act, administered by the State Department of Education, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer child care and development programs that offer a full range of services to eligible children from infancy to 13 years of age, inclusive. Existing law requires the Superintendent 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. Existing law authorizes a school district or charter school to maintain a transitional kindergarten program. Existing law requires, in the 2014–15 school year and each school year thereafter, and as a condition of receipt of apportionments for pupils in a transitional kindergarten program, a child who will have his or her 5th birthday between September 2 and December 2 to be admitted to a transitional kindergarten program maintained by a school district or charter school.
This bill would make various findings and declarations regarding early childhood education and would provide that it is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would do certain things relating to early childhood education, including expanding the state preschool program and enabling local educational agencies to blend the program with transitional kindergarten.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NO   Local Program: NO  

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


SECTION 1.

 (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) Quality early learning and care for children from birth to age five, inclusive, is a sound and strategic investment to narrow achievement gaps that are present well before children enter kindergarten.
(2) In the annual Budget Act for the 2014–15 fiscal year, the Legislature and the Governor committed to providing all low-income children with at least one year of early care and education programs.
(3) Other states and cities that have been most successful in closing the school readiness gap and improving long-term academic achievement have provided either universal or targeted universal access to preschool.
(4) Successful preschool programs also require all of the following:
(A) Lead teachers who have a bachelor’s degree with a teaching credential or certificate and a salary at the same level as public K–12 teachers.
(B) Classrooms that implement an evidence-based, developmentally appropriate curriculum that is aligned to K–12 standards and tied to professional development and coaching.
(C) At least two adults in the classroom, including one lead teacher.
(D) Effective and high-quality professional development that is focused on teacher-child interactions, quality of instruction, and child outcomes.
(E) Use of child outcome data to inform instruction and continuous quality improvement.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would do all of the following:
(1) Ensure a fair start to all low-income children by providing quality early care and education for all low-income children whose families wish to enroll them in early care and education programs.
(2) Provide high-quality universal preschool, which would include the California State Preschool Program, federal Head Start programs, and transitional kindergarten, to all four-year-old children, starting in the communities that need it most, which would be considered communities that serve all four year olds that live within the attendance area of an elementary school where at least 70 percent of the pupils qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
(3) Provide high quality preschool to all three-year-old children that live in poverty through either the California State Preschool Program or federal Head Start programs.
(4) Expand the California State Preschool Program and enable local educational agencies to blend the program with transitional kindergarten.
(5) Increase the standard reimbursement rate by 23 percent in the 2019–20 budget year to increase the pay of teachers to a professional wage.
(6) Offer local educational agencies a supplemental grant of $3,000 per pupil for transitional kindergarten, if all of the following standards are met:
(A) Classrooms have a credentialed teacher and an instructional aide.
(B) Classrooms have no more than 24 pupils, and one adult per 12 pupils.
(C) A full school day program is provided to all pupils.
(D) Pupil progress is assessed for purposes of informing instruction and continuous quality improvement.
(7) Increase the quality standards of both the California State Preschool Program and transitional kindergarten by achieving all of the following:
(A) Over an eight-year period, require all lead teachers in the California State Preschool Program to have a bachelor’s degree and any additional requirements as established by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
(B) Limit California State Preschool Program classrooms to no more than 24 pupils and two adults in the classroom.
(C) Require all transitional kindergarten teachers to obtain a Preschool through grade 3 Teaching credential or certificate and instructional aides to have an associates degree with 24 units of early childhood education or alternative certification as established by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.