Bill Text: CA AB2698 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: California state preschool programs: general child care and development programs: mental health consultation services: adjustment factors.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-09-30 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 946, Statutes of 2018. [AB2698 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB2698-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  March 22, 2018

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2698

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Introduced by Assembly Member Rubio

February 15, 2018

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An act to amend Section 8265.5 of, and to add Section 8239.2 to 8265.2 to, the Education Code, relating to child care.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2698, as amended, Rubio. California state preschool programs: general child care and development programs: mental health consultation models. services: adjustment factors.

Existing law, the Child Care and Development Services Act, establishes a system of child care and development services for children up to 13 years of age, and requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to implement a plan establishing assigned reimbursement rates, per unit of average daily enrollment, to be paid by the state to provider agencies for the provision of those services. Existing law also provides for an adjustment factor to be applied to units of average daily enrollment if a provider agency serves children who meet specified criteria.

This bill would require the application of an adjustment factor of 1.05 for children who are served in a California state preschool program, and for infants and toddlers who are 0 to 36 months of age and are served in general child care and development programs, where early childhood mental health consultation services are provided, pursuant to specified requirements.

Existing law prohibits reporting a child who meets the criteria for more than one adjustment factor under more than one adjustment factor category.

This bill, notwithstanding that prohibition, would require, for a child who meets the criteria for one of specified adjustment factors and for the adjustment factor added by this bill, that the reported child days of enrollment for that child be multiplied by the sum of the specified applicable adjustment factor and 0.05.

The Child Care and Development Services Act requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer all California state preschool programs that shall include part-day age and developmentally appropriate programs designed to facilitate the transition to kindergarten for 3- and 4-year-old children in educational development, health services, social services, nutritional services, parent education and parent participation, evaluation, and staff development.

This bill would state that the Legislature finds and declares that research shows that early childhood mental health consultation models can play an important role in addressing challenging behaviors and can yield positive social and emotional outcomes for children, including reducing preschool expulsions.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

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

SECTION 1.

 (a) The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:

(1) Early childhood mental health consultation models provide important supports for effective classroom management and positive learning environments, including supportive teacher practices and strategies for supporting children with challenging behaviors and other social, emotional, and mental health concerns.

(2) Research shows that early childhood mental health consultation models can play an important role in addressing challenging behaviors and can yield positive social and emotional outcomes for children, including reducing preschool expulsions.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this act to encourage mental health consultation services in California state preschools and general child care and development programs as a means of providing adequate supports to teachers, children, and caregivers in addressing challenging behaviors and other social, emotional, and mental health concerns.

SEC. 2.

 Section 8265.2 is added to the Education Code, to read:

8265.2.

 (a) (1) For purposes of this section, “early childhood mental health consultation service” means a service benefitting a child who is served in a California state preschool program or an infant or toddler who is 0 to 36 months of age and is served in a general child care and development program pursuant to this chapter.

(2) For purposes of this section, “early childhood mental health consultation service” includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(A) Support to respond effectively to all children, with a focus on young children with disabilities, challenging behaviors, and other special needs.

(B) Assistance through individual site consultations, provision of resources, formulation of training plans, referrals, and other methods that address the unique needs of programs and providers.

(C) Aid to providers in developing the skills and tools needed to be successful as they support the development and early learning of all children, including observing environments, facilitating the development of action plans, and supporting site implementation of those plans.

(D) The development of strategies for addressing prevalent child mental health concerns, including internalizing problems, such as appearing withdrawn, and externalizing problems, such as exhibiting challenging behaviors.

(E) If a child exhibits persistent and serious challenging behaviors, support with the pursuit and documentation of reasonable steps to maintain the child’s safe participation in the program, as described in Section 8239.1.

(b) The cost to a provider agency of providing an early childhood mental health consultation service shall be reimbursable pursuant to Section 8265.5 if all of the following apply:

(1) The early childhood mental health consultation service is provided on a schedule of sufficient and consistent frequency to ensure that a mental health consultant is available to partner with staff and families in a timely and effective manner.

(2) The early childhood mental health consultation service is supervised by a licensed marriage and family therapist, a licensed clinical social worker, or a doctor of psychology. The supervisor shall be adequately insured, shall have held his or her respective license for a minimum of two years, and shall be in full compliance with all continuing education requirements applicable to his or her profession.

(3) The early childhood mental health consultation service uses a relationship-based model emphasizing strengthening relationships among early childhood education providers, parents, children, and representatives of community systems and resources, and integrates reflective practice into the onsite consultation model.

SEC. 3.

 Section 8265.5 of the Education Code is amended to read:

8265.5.

 (a) In order to reflect the additional expense of serving children who meet any of the criteria outlined in paragraphs (1) to (7), (8), inclusive, of subdivision (b) the provider agency’s reported child days of enrollment for these children shall be multiplied by the adjustment factors listed below.

(b) The adjustment factors shall apply to a full-day state preschool program and those programs for which assigned reimbursement rates are at or below the standard reimbursement rate. In addition, the adjustment factors shall apply to those programs for which assigned reimbursement rates are above the standard reimbursement rate, but the reimbursement rate, as adjusted, shall not exceed the adjusted standard reimbursement rate. The adjustment factors shall apply to those full-day state preschool programs for which assigned reimbursement rates are above the full-day state preschool reimbursement rate, but the reimbursement rate, as adjusted, shall not exceed the adjusted full-day state preschool reimbursement rate.

(1) For infants who are 0 to 18 months of age and are served in a child day care center, the adjustment factor shall be 1.7.

(2) For toddlers who are 18 to 36 months of age and are served in a child day care center, the adjustment factor shall be 1.4.

(3) For infants and toddlers who are 0 to 36 months of age and are served in a family child care home, the adjustment factor shall be 1.4.

(4) For children with exceptional needs who are 0 to 21 years of age, the adjustment factor shall be 1.2.

(5) For severely disabled children who are 0 to 21 years of age, the adjustment factor shall be 1.5.

(6) For a child children at risk of neglect, abuse, or exploitation who are 0 to 14 years of age, the adjustment factor shall be 1.1.

(7) For limited-English-speaking and non-English-speaking children who are 2 years of age through kindergarten age, the adjustment factor shall be 1.1.

(8) For children who are served in a California state preschool program and infants and toddlers who are 0 to 36 months of age and are served in general child care and development programs where early childhood mental health consultation services are provided, pursuant to Section 8265.2, the adjustment factor shall be 1.05.

(c) Use of the adjustment factors shall not increase the provider agency’s total annual allocation.

(d) (1) Days of enrollment for children having who meet more than one of the criteria outlined in paragraphs (1) to (7), inclusive, of subdivision (b) shall not be reported under more than one of the above categories. categories specified in those paragraphs.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), for children for whom an adjustment factor is applied pursuant to any of paragraphs (1) to (7), inclusive, of subdivision (b), and who are additionally eligible for the adjustment factor established in paragraph (8) of subdivision (b), reported child days of enrollment shall be multiplied by the sum of the applicable adjustment factor under paragraphs (1) to (7), inclusive, of subdivision (b) and 0.05.

(e) The difference between the reimbursement resulting from the use of the adjustment factors outlined in paragraphs (1) to (7), (8), inclusive, of subdivision (b) and the reimbursement that would otherwise be received by a provider in the absence of the adjustment factors shall be used for special and appropriate services for each child for whom an adjustment factor is claimed.

SECTION 1.Section 8239.2 is added to the Education Code, to read:

8239.2.

The Legislature finds and declares that research shows that early childhood mental health consultation models can play an important role in addressing challenging behaviors and can yield positive social and emotional outcomes for children, including reducing preschool expulsions.