California Assembly Bill AB427 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 427AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 26, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Weber FEBRUARY 19, 2015 An act to  amend Section 8970 of   add Section 8209.5 to  the Education Code, relating to early childhood education. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 427, as amended, Weber. Early primary  programs.   programs: child care services: eligibility: military families.   The Child Care and Development Services Act has a purpose of providing a comprehensive, coordinated, and cost-effective system of child care and development services for children from infancy to 13 years of age and their parents, including a full range of supervision, health, and support services through full- and part-time programs.   This bill would exclude from income the amount of the basic allowance for housing provided to an individual who is on federal active duty, state active duty, active duty for special work, or Active Guard and Reserve duty in the military that is equal to the lowest rate of the allowance for the military housing area in which the individual resides for purposes of determining eligibility for child care and development services.   Existing law provides various legislative declarations concerning early primary programs, including, among others, that it is the Legislature's intent that school districts that establish an early primary program coordinate that program, whenever possible, with the Demonstration in Restructuring of Public Education program and, where applicable, with the county interagency children's services coordinating council.   This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.  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.   (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:   (1) California is home to a large number of military personnel, including 150,000 active duty personnel.   (2) Military families are a unique population with unique circumstances. The children of military families face constant transition, including family mobility and parental deployment.   (3) Military families move more than twice as often as civilian families. Forty percent of officers and 60 percent of enlisted personnel move during the school year. Thus, the lower the rank of the military family member, the more often the family moves.   (4) During a time of war, military families endure the strains of long-term separation as one or both parents may be deployed overseas.   (5) During parental deployment children are often anxious, stressed, and confused. Child care providers and preschools can be places where stability and routine can provide security. The routine helps to cushion the impact of parental deployment.   (6) Early education can be a determining factor in the early academic success of a pupil from a military family by providing educational enrichment, as well as a stable and nurturing learning environment.   (b) Given these special circumstances, it is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this act to ensure that military families have access to the child care development services that their children need.   SEC. 2.   Section 8209.5 is added to the   Education Code   , to read:   8209.5. For purposes of determining eligibility for services offered pursuant to this chapter, the income of an individual who is on federal active duty, state active duty, active duty for special work, or Active Guard and Reserve duty in the military shall not include the amount of the basic allowance for housing pursuant to Section 403 of Title 37 of the United States Code provided to the individual that is equal to the lowest rate of the allowance for the military housing area in which the individual resides.   SECTION 1.  Section 8970 of the Education Code is amended to read: 8970. The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following: (a) The Superintendent convened a Task Force on School Readiness that prepared a report that included the following findings and recommendations: (1) Preschool and kindergarten programs have become more academically oriented with an emphasis on paper and pencil "seat work" and a decreased emphasis on other essential age-appropriate curricular elements such as language development; familiarity with stories, music, and oral language experiences; artistic exploration; social interaction; and large muscle development. (2) Assessment tests of questionable validity and reliability are being used to delay children's entrance to kindergarten or to place them in a two-year kindergarten. (3) An appropriate, integrated experiential curriculum should be provided for children in preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 3, inclusive. (4) Programs should meet the special needs of our culturally and linguistically diverse pupils as well as the needs of exceptional children. (5) Classroom organization and teaching methods should reflect the heterogeneous skills and abilities of children in early primary programs. (6) School districts should be encouraged to develop communication about linkages between programs for four-year-olds, early primary programs, and the primary and intermediate grades of elementary schools. (7) The staff of early primary programs should receive appropriate education, training, and remuneration. (8) Programs should be offered full-day and also should provide before- and after-school care. (9) Assessment methods of children in early primary programs should be drastically altered. (10) Parental involvement should be encouraged. (11) A public awareness campaign should be launched describing appropriate learning practices for children in preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 3, inclusive. (b) The Superintendent issued a Triennial Report on Publicly Funded Child Development Programs that documents the increasing numbers of low-income families eligible but unserved by limited preschool and child care funds, and that presents policy implications for staffing and funding issues. (c) National studies show future benefits of early intervention programs to society and immediate advantages to California employers in the form of reduced absenteeism, improved worker morale, and increased productivity. (d) It is the intent of the Legislature that activities initiated as a result of this chapter shall continue without regard to fiscal year depending, when necessary, on continued funding. (e) It is the intent of the Legislature that school districts that establish an early primary program coordinate that program, whenever possible, with the Demonstration of Restructuring in Public Education program, established pursuant to Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 58900) of Part 31 and, where applicable, with the county interagency children's services coordination council, established pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 18986.10) of Chapter 12.8 of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.