California Assembly Bill AB2660 Latest Draft

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2660AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 12, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member McCarty (  Coauthor:   Assembly Member   Eduardo Garcia   Coauthors:   Assembly Members   Bonta,   Dodd,   and Eduardo Garcia  ) FEBRUARY 19, 2016 An act to add and repeal Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 8780) of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, relating to early education. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2660, as amended, McCarty. Early education:  three-year   multiyear  plan. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction 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. This bill would require the State Department of Education, in consultation with the State Board of Education and the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care, on or before  July 1, 2017,  January 1, 2018,  to submit to the Legislature and the Department of Finance a plan that provides a  3-year   multiyear  plan for providing access to  income eligible   income-eligible  children to high-quality prekindergarten programs for a minimum of one year before enrollment in kindergarten and a  3-year   multiyear  plan for ensuring that publicly funded prekindergarten programs  focus on certain areas.   include specified elements.  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. Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 8780) is added to Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to read: CHAPTER 4.5. THE QUALITY EARLY EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2016 8780. This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Quality Early Education and Development Act of 2016. 8781. (a) On or before  July 1, 2017,   January 1, 2018,  the department, in consultation with the state board and the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care, shall submit to the Legislature and the Department of Finance a plan that provides both of the following: (1) A  three-year  multiyear  plan for providing access for  income eligible   income-eligible  children to high-quality prekindergarten programs for a minimum of one year before enrollment in  kindergarten.   kindergarten, which shall include opportunities and challenges relating to facility requirements.  (2) A  three-year   multiyear  plan for ensuring that publicly funded prekindergarten programs  focus on all of the following areas, which are most closely associated with positive outcomes for children:   include, but are not limited to, all of the following elements, which are most closely associated with high   -quality prekindergarten programs, positive outcomes for children, and sustainable funding at a level adequate to achieve high quality:   (A) School readiness.   (B) Child development.  (C) Family engagement.   (D) Educator capacity, preparation, and professional development.   (E) Program environment.   (A) Comprehensive and developmentally appropriate early learning standards and curricula that address the whole child, including academic, social-emotional, and physical development.   (B) Child assessments that consider academic, social-emotional, and physical development progress, and support meaningful teacher-child interaction and instruction, and program planning that addresses the needs of a child.   (C) Sufficient learning time through the provision of a full-day program.   (D) Meaningful family encouragement that promotes partnerships between the program and families to support child development across multiple domains, including, but not limited to, academic, social-emotional, and physical.   (E) Support for diverse learners, including dual language learners and children with special needs, which may include primary language instruction and inclusion programs.   (F) Class size and child-to-staff ratios that promote optimal learning, based on generally accepted evidence-based professional standards.   (G) Comprehensive program assessments that measure elements of program quality, including, but not limited to, child-to-staff ratios, teacher qualifications, the nature of interactions between children and teachers, and the types of learning activities in which the children engage.   (H) A well-implemented quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) that builds upon the existing QRIS infrastructure in the state, articulates standards that promote continuous improvement, and provides a basis for program accountability.   (I) Continuous support for teachers, staff, and program leaders through evidence-based coaching and mentoring programs and job-embedded professional learning opportunities.   (J) Well-prepared teachers with training that addresses early childhood education, including child development and instruction of young children. This portion of the plan shall specifically address all of the following:   (i) Strategies for multiple pathways to degrees, certificates, and credentials, including support for early childhood educators to attain additional education and qualifications, and strategies to support a workforce that reflects the diversity of the state.   (ii) Recommendations for changes to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing's requirements for the issuance and renewal of permits authorizing service in the care, development, and instruction of children in child care and development programs and permits authorizing supervision of a child care and development program.   (iii) Recommendations for aligning preparation requirements for educators working with children from infancy through eight years of age to the 2015 report by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council titled Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation.   (iv) Strategies for achieving pay parity for prekindergarten educators and staff with educators and staff of the transitional kindergarten through 12th grade public education system.  (b) For purposes of this section, "prekindergarten programs" includes all of the following: (1) Transitional kindergarten. (2) State preschool. (3) Head Start programs.  (c) For purposes of this section, "income eligible" has the same meaning as subdivision (a) of Section 8263.1.   (c) For purposes of this section, "income eligible" has the same meaning specified for each prekindergarten program, as applicable.  (d) The plan shall be submitted to the Legislature in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code. 8782. Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this chapter is repealed on January 1, 2021.