California Assembly Bill AB2592 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2592AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 27, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 8, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Buchanan  (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members   Brownley   and Torlakson   )  FEBRUARY 19, 2010 An act to add Article 14.7 (commencing with Section 8310) to Chapter 2 of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, relating to early childhood education. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2592, as amended, Buchanan. Early Learning Quality Improvement System. Existing law establishes the Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee for the purpose of developing a policy and implementation plan for an Early Learning Quality Improvement System for the state. Existing law requires the committee to submit to the Legislature and the Governor an interim report by December 31, 2009, and a final report by December 31, 2010. The report is required to address various issues relating to early care and education programs that serve children from birth to 5 years of age, inclusive. This bill would require the State Department of Education to  develop and  implement a quality rating scale based on the committee's recommendations  for the purposes of measuring the quality of early care and education providers and   programs  . The bill would also require the California State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care to conduct an annual review of the  quality rating scale   program  , and provide ongoing recommendations for improvement  of the quality rating scale  . Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: 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) 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. (b) Senate Bill 1629 of the 2007-08 Regular Session, enacted as Chapter 41 of the Statutes of 2009, established the Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee to assess the current early care and education infrastructure, including other state and local quality rating systems, and develop an early learning quality rating scale and implementation plan for the Early Learning Quality Improvement System. (c) On March 10, 2009, President Barack Obama called on the United States Congress to create the federal Early Learning Challenge Fund, a proposal that would challenge states to develop effective, innovative models that promote high standards of quality and a focus on outcomes across early learning settings. In the President's 2011 Budget, he dedicated $9 billion over 10 years toward this effort. (d) On November 16, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-23-09 that established the California State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care to build on the Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee's work, and to ensure that California is eligible to compete for and maximize its share of new federal early learning dollars. (e) It is the intent of the Legislature that the development of the Early Learning Quality Improvement System provide a quality rating scale with program indicators that promote high-quality early care and education and future academic success. SEC. 2. Article 14.7 (commencing with Section 8310) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to read: Article 14.7. Early Learning Quality Improvement System Act 8310. For purposes of this article, "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. 8311. The department shall  develop and  implement a quality rating scale based on the recommendations submitted by the Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee pursuant to Section 8301. The quality rating scale shall do  all of  the following: (a) Measure the quality of services of an early care and education provider. (b) Measure elements of quality of an early care and education  facility   program  that include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Quality of the learning environment. (2) Quality of adult-child interactions. (3) Adult-to-child ratios. (4) Provider's education and professional qualifications, including those recognized by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (5) 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. 8312. The California State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care shall conduct an annual review of the program and provide ongoing recommendations for the improvement of the quality rating scale. 8313. The department shall develop and implement any rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this article.