Our 2023 Sponsored Bills:
Help us to make quality Early Learning a reality for all California children. Contact your state representative today.
AB 393 (Rivas) – Childcare: dual language learners.
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California, California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE), and Californians Together
AB 393 builds on AB 1363, which created an asset-based approach for identifying DLLs in California’s State Preschool Program (CSPP), aligning with recommendations from the Governor’s Master Plan for Early Learning and Care for supporting DLLs and making California the first state in the nation to implement such a process. AB 393 expands the asset-based DLL identification process established through AB 1363 to general child care programs (CCTR) and the Migrant Child Care Program (CMIG).
AB 1192 (McCarty) – Kindergarten: transitional kindergarten: admission: birth dates: classroom ratios: teacher aide requirements.
Co-Sponsored by Early Edge California, Children Now, Kidango, and California School Employees Association (CSEA)
AB 1192 will make policy changes to support quality and implementation of Transitional Kindergarten (TK). More specifically, this bill aims to validate experience and build in professional development requirements to help support the Early Learning expertise of the second adult in the TK classroom and allows districts to expand TK to include children with birthdays between July and September ahead of the implementation schedule.
Our 2023 Supported Bills:
AB 555 (Asm. Carrillo) – California state preschool programs.
Introduced: 2/8/2023
Current Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee
AB 555 would require the third priority for California State Preschool Program (CSPP) services to be given to eligible 3- and 4- year old children who are not enrolled in a state-funded Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program. It would also require reimbursement to be based on the lesser of the max reimbursable amount stated in the contract, the net reimbursable program costs, or the product of the adjusted child days of enrollment for certified children times the contract rate. It would apply adjustment factors for children who are at risk of neglect, abuse, or exploitation or who are Dual Language Learners to part-day preschool children, and would remove that prohibition for children who meet more than one of the criteria eligible for adjustment from being reported. This bill would remove that requirement for a child under 4 years of age in a CSPP to be served in a licensed facility, and would authorize the State Department of Education to, commencing July 1, 2023, exempt a CSPP described above from licensing under the act if the children served are 3 or 4 years of age or TK or kindergarten pupils. The bill would require the department to implement this provision through management bulletins or similar letters or instruction before August 1, 2023, and to initiative a rulemaking action on or before December 31, 2024.
AB 596 (Asm. Reyes) – Early learning and care: rate reform.
Introduced: 2/9/2023
Current Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee
AB 596 would require the California Department of Social Services (DSS) to apply to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to amend the state’s current Child Care and Development Fund State Plan to change its current method for determining child care and development and preschool reimbursement rates to an alternative method that’s consistent with the recommendations from the workgroup that was established by DSS.
AB 679 (Asm. Wicks) – Family childcare homes: meals: reimbursement rates.
Introduced: 2/13/23
Current Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee
AB 679 would increase the reimbursement rate for meals served in family daycare homes to instead be 100 percent of the eligible meals served.
AB 1127 (Asm. Reyes) – Teachers: professional development: Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program.
Introduced: 2/15/23
Current Status:Assembly Appropriations Committee
AB 1127 would provide that it is also the purpose of the grant program to increase bilingual teachers in multiple languages to staff bilingual classrooms, such as Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, and Arabic classrooms, and other languages, as represented in instructional programs. The bill would require the department to meet quarterly with grant recipients to share promising practices and resources, and to resolve issues of implementation. The bill would instead require grant recipients to report specified information related to the program to the department by January 1, 2029, and would revise the project performance period to January 1, 2024, to June 30, 2029, inclusive.
SB 380 (Asm. Limón) – Early learning and care: rate reform.
Introduced: 2/9/23
Current Status: Senate Appropriations Committee
SB 380 would enact legislation relating to rate reform for workers in child care.
SB 499 (Asm. Menjivar) – Early childhood education facilities: school facilities: School Extreme Heat Action Plan Act of 2023.
Introduced: 2/14/23
Current Status: Senate Appropriations Committee
SB 499 would require school sites to resurface and replace low specific heat surfaces with high specific heat surfaces, such as cool pavement technologies, grass, trees, or natural systems that mitigate heat and pollution. It would also require school sites to develop an extreme heat action plan by January 1, 2025 and implement by January 1, 2027.
SB 635 (Asm. Menjivar): Early education and childcare.
Introduced: 2/16/23
Current Status: Senate Appropriations Committee
SB 635 would require state preschool programs and child care programs, with consent from a parent, to screen each enrolled child with an Ages and Stages Questionnaire and report the information from the screening to the State, and to refer the child’s family to the appropriate regional center or other intervention service if the screening shows a need for services.
SB 767 (Asm. Rubio) – Elementary education: kindergarten.
Introduced: 2/17/23
Current Status: Senate Appropriations Committee
AB 767, beginning with the 2024–25 school year, would require a child to have completed one year of kindergarten before that child may be admitted to the first grade at a public elementary school, except for a child who has been lawfully admitted to a public school kindergarten or a private school kindergarten in California, but has not yet completed one school year, and is judged to be ready for first-grade work, as specified, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program.
Our 2022 Sponsored and Supported Bills
The following are bills we co-sponsored:
AB 22 (Asm. McCarty) – California Early Education Data.
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California, Kidango, and California School Employees Association (CSEA)
SB 1047 (Sen. Limón) – Early Learning and Care. (Formerly SB 50)
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California, Kidango, and EveryChild California
SB 1047 aims to increase efficiencies in the direct contracting Early Learning and care system by removing barriers to serve more children in quality programs and strengthen the family child care system to give our youngest learners a strong start. The bill expands categorical eligibility for subsidized child care for families who are already enrolled in CalFresh, Medi-Cal, WIC or Head Start which will significantly reduce the paperwork and administrative burden on families and providers. The bill also extends eligibility for subsidized child care from 12 to 24 months to improve continuity of care for families and children.
AB 1363 (Asm. Rivas) – Preschool: Dual Language Learners.
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California, Advancement Project California, California Association of Bilingual Educators (CABE), and Californians Together
AB 1363 aims to systematize the identification of DLLs in California State Preschool Program (CSPP) by:
- (1) developing a standard process for CSPP providers to identify the DLLs they enroll and serve, and
- (2) requiring providers, through contract requirements, to report key information to the state about DLLs to inform future policy and program decisions.
The following are bills we supported:
AB 92 (Asm. Reyes) – Preschool and child care and development services: family fees.
Introduced: 12/7/2020
Current Status: Vetoed
AB 92 would, among other things, instead require the family fees to not exceed 1% of the family’s monthly income. The bill would require the lead agency to convene a workgroup of, among others, parents, child care providers, and lead agency staff to develop an equitable fee schedule, as specified. The bill would require the State Department of Education to create a report that includes, among other things, the proposed fee schedule, as specified. The bill would require the report to be provided and the recommendations adopted prior to a specified date. The bill would additionally exempt families with an adjusted monthly family income below 75% of the state median family income from family fees. The bill would waive family fees for all families until October 31, 2023. The bill would prohibit the reduction in family fees from being absorbed by direct service contractors or family child care providers and would also prohibit the number of child care vouchers and contracted spaces from being reduced on account of the reduction in family fees.
AB 321 (Valladares) – Childcare services: enrollment priority
Introduced: 1/26/2021
Current Status: Signed by Governor Newsom
AB 321 prioritizes children whose primary home language is not English for specified federal and state subsidized child development services and programs. This bill puts an emphasis on the importance of multilingualism and the assets a bilingual student brings to the classroom. This bill extends the priority list for students to enroll in child development services and programs.
AB 1973 (Asm. McCarty) – Education finance: base grants: adjustments: Kindergarten: minimum school day.
Introduced: 2/10/22
Current Status: Vetoed
AB 1973 would require, commencing with the 2025–26 school year, as a condition of receiving that additional adjustment, a school district or charter school that offers a Kindergarten program, to provide, at each school site that offers a Kindergarten program, a minimum school day for the Kindergarten day that is at least equivalent to the minimum school day provided for grades 1 to 3, inclusive.
AB 2806 (Asm. Rubio) – Child care and developmental services: preschool: expulsion and suspension: mental health services: reimbursement rates.
Introduced: 2/9/22
Current Status: Signed by Governor Newsom
AB 2806 would revise and recast the above provisions relating to the expulsion or unenrollment of a child from the state preschool program. The bill would require the respective departments and Child Care Providers United (CCPU) to establish a joint labor-management committee to discuss suspension and expulsion practices among family child care providers serving children in the state preschool program and make recommendations for potential changes related to prohibiting the expulsion or suspension of a child by a family child care provider.
SB 70 (Sen. Rubio) – Elementary education: Kindergarten.
Introduced: 12/8/20
Current Status: Vetoed
SB 70, beginning with the 2022–23 school year, would require a child to have completed one year of Kindergarten before that child may be admitted to the first grade at a public elementary school, except for a child who has been lawfully admitted to a public school Kindergarten or a private school Kindergarten in California, but has not yet completed one school year, and is judged to be ready for first-grade work, as specified, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws
SB 246 (Sen. Leyva) – Early childhood education: reimbursement rates.
Introduced: 1/22/21
Current Status: Dead
SB 246 would require the State Department of Social Services to implement a reimbursement system plan that establishes reasonable standards and assigned reimbursement rates that would vary with additional factors, including a quality adjustment factor to address the cost of staffing ratios. By November 10, 2022, and annually thereafter, the bill would require the reimbursement system plan, including methodology and standards, to be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The bill would require that plan to include a formula for annually adjusting reimbursement rates. By July 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, the bill would require the department to establish a reimbursement rate target for each contracting agency that meets specific quality standards based on specified elements, including quality adjustment factors for the age range of children proposed to be served by the contracting agency. The bill would also require all providers meeting quality standards, as specified, to be paid the quality adjustment factor, as specified. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.
SB 952 (Sen. Limón) – Pupil instruction: dual language programs: Expanding Culture and Language Learning in Schools Grant Program.
Introduced: 2/9/22
Current Status: Dead
Existing law establishes the Pathways to Success Grant Program with the goal of providing pupils in preschool, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, with dual language immersion programs, developmental bilingual programs for English learners, or early learning dual language learners programs, as those terms are defined. Contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes in the annual Budget Act or other statute, existing law requires the State Department of Education to administer the program and award grants to school districts and consortia of school districts in partnership with other specified entities, as provided. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation that would provide grants to school districts to support the conversion of existing schools into dual language immersion schools.
SB 976 (Sen. Leyva) – Universal Preschool Act.
Introduced: 2/10/22
Current Status: Dead
Existing law, the Early Education Act, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to, among other things, provide an inclusive and cost-effective preschool program. Existing law establishes eligibility requirements for participation in the California state preschool program.This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to create a universal preschool system with specified features.
Budget Bills:
Late on Monday, July 12, 2021 after reaching an agreement with the State Senate and Assembly, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the 2021-22 California state budget into law. The 2021-22 year’s budget makes historic investments in Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK) as well as other areas of the state’s Early Learning and Care system.
AB 130
AB 130 is a trailer bill implementing the 2021-22 California state budget provisions for the K-12 education system. This historic budget bill includes the expansion of Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK) by 2025, as well as providing free meals for all children regardless of income and expanding access to after school programs.
AB 131
AB 131 is a trailer bill implementing the 2021-22 California state budget provisions for Early Learning and Care. The bill makes huge strides for child care including in the areas of reimbursement rates, child care slots, family fees, and formalizing a new agreement with Child Care Providers United (CCPU).
Our 2021 Sponsored and Supported Bills
The following are bills we co-sponsored:
AB 22 (Asm. McCarty) – Transitional kindergarten: enrollment: funding: planning workgroups.
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California, Kidango, California School Employees Association (CSEA), and San Diego Unified School District
AB 1363 (Asm. Rivas) – Identifying & Supporting Dual Language Learners (DLLs) in California’s Early Learning System
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California, Advancement Project California, California Association of Bilingual Educators (CABE), Californians Together
AB 1363 aims to systematize the identification of DLLs in California State Preschool Program (CSPP) by:
- (1) developing a standard process for CSPP providers to identify the DLLs they enroll and serve, and
- (2) requiring providers, through contract requirements, to report key information to the state about DLLs to inform future policy and program decisions.
SB 50 (Sen. Limón) – California’s Early Learning and Care System
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California, Kidango, EveryChild California
SB 50 aims to make California’s Early Learning and care system more efficient by removing burdensome barriers for child care providers across the mix-delivery system, ultimately allowing more children to be served in high-quality centers and family child care homes, giving our youngest learners a strong start.
The following are bills we supported:
AB 92 (Asm. Reyes) – Preschool and childcare and development services: family fees.
AB 92 would, among other things, instead require the family fees to not exceed 1% of the family’s monthly income. The bill would require the lead agency to convene a workgroup of, among others, parents, child care providers, and lead agency staff to develop an equitable fee schedule, as specified. The bill would require the State Department of Education to create a report that includes, among other things, the proposed fee schedule, as specified. The bill would require the report to be provided and the recommendations adopted prior to a specified date. The bill would additionally exempt families with an adjusted monthly family income below 75% of the state median family income from family fees. The bill would waive family fees for all families until October 31, 2023. The bill would prohibit the reduction in family fees from being absorbed by direct service contractors or family child care providers and would also prohibit the number of child care vouchers and contracted spaces from being reduced on account of the reduction in family fees.
AB 393 (Asm. Reyes) – Early Childhood Development Act of 2020.
AB 393 will support the ongoing transition of child care and development programs from the California Department of Education (CDE) to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), as funded by the 2020-21 Budget, and ensure the voices of families and providers are heard as the transfer moves forward. This bill will also help prepare California’s child care system for future crises by requiring CDSS to report on the emergency supports provided to families and providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide recommendations for ongoing and future emergency supports.
AB 1361 (Asm. Rubio) – Child care and developmental services: preschool: expulsion and suspension: mental health services: reimbursement rates.
The Child Care and Developmental Services Act prohibits a contracting agency, as part of the state preschool program, from expelling or unenrolling a child because of a child’s behavior, except as provided. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to consider, in determining whether to issue a citation or impose a civil penalty to a state preschool program, whether the program is in the process of complying with the above law relating to expulsion or unenrollment. This bill would revise and recast the above provisions relating to the expulsion or unenrollment of a child from the state preschool program, and would include a general child care and development program and family child care home education network program as part of those provisions, as provided. The bill would also establish requirements for the use of suspensions in the programs described above. The bill would require these programs to maintain records on expulsion and suspension, as provided. The bill would require the State Department of Education to collect and annually publish a report with this information, as provided. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.
SB 70 (Sen. Rubio) – Elementary education: Kindergarten.
SB 70, beginning with the 2022–23 school year, would require a child to have completed one year of kindergarten before that child may be admitted to the first grade at a public elementary school, except for a child who has been lawfully admitted to a public school kindergarten or a private school kindergarten in California, but has not yet completed one school year, and is judged to be ready for first-grade work, as specified, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws
SB 246 (Sen. Leyva) – Early childhood education: reimbursement rates..
SB 246 would require the State Department of Social Services to implement a reimbursement system plan that establishes reasonable standards and assigned reimbursement rates that would vary with additional factors, including a quality adjustment factor to address the cost of staffing ratios. By November 10, 2022, and annually thereafter, the bill would require the reimbursement system plan, including methodology and standards, to be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The bill would require that plan to include a formula for annually adjusting reimbursement rates. By July 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, the bill would require the department to establish a reimbursement rate target for each contracting agency that meets specific quality standards based on specified elements, including quality adjustment factors for the age range of children proposed to be served by the contracting agency. The bill would also require all providers meeting quality standards, as specified, to be paid the quality adjustment factor, as specified. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.
Our 2020 Sponsored and Supported Bills
The following are bills we co-sponsored:
AB 123 (Asm. McCarty) – Early childhood education: child care and development programs.
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California and Kidango
On Wednesday, July 29, 2020, Early Edge California’s co-sponsored bill AB 123 (McCarty) passed out of the Senate Education Committee with unanimous bipartisan support. During the Committee hearing, Early Edge California Executive Director Patricia Lozano and bill co-sponsor Kidango’s CEO Scott Moore provided key witness statements in support of the bill. As amended on July 7, 2020, AB 123 will help reduce paperwork and administrative burdens on families and providers, allow providers to maximize their contractual resources, and waive family fees for those receiving distance learning rather than in-person care.
Current Status: Held in Committee due to COVID-19 legislative restrictions
AB 2500 (Asms. McCarty, Reyes, Ting and Sens. Dodd, Gonzalez, Rubio) – Transitional Kindergarten: average daily attendance.
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California, California School Employees Association (CSEA), and Kidango
Complements and builds upon the existing TK law and the California State Preschool program to provide universal access to Early Learning by offering TK to all four-year-olds.
Current Status: Held in Committee due to COVID-19 legislative restrictions
AB 2516 (Asm. Reyes) – Teachers: professional development: bilingual and dual language grant programs.
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California, Children Now, Californians Together, CABE, and MomsRising
Makes critical investments in bilingual education and teacher preparation, beginning in early childhood and continuing through high school graduation.
It is anticipated that AB 2516 (Reyes) will be amended to address distance learning of dual language learners and their families which will allow for it to be heard in policy committees and to continue through the legislative process.
Current Status: Held in Committee due to COVID-19 legislative restrictions
AB 2581 (Asms. Reyes, Mullin) – Early childhood development: interagency workgroup.
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California and Kidango
As amended on June 4, AB 2581 will improve the integration and coordination of early childhood programs that serve young children and their families by requiring the establishment of an interagency workgroup to ensure services to children, families, and providers remain uninterrupted during the transition while working to improve administrative processes. The group will be composed of the existing agencies that currently administer child development programs.
Current Status: Held in Committee
Learn more about this bill
AB 2516 (Asm. Reyes) – Teachers: professional development: bilingual and dual language grant programs.
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California, Children Now, Californians Together, CABE, and MomsRising
Makes critical investments in bilingual education and teacher preparation, beginning in early childhood and continuing through high school graduation.
It is anticipated that AB 2516 (Reyes) will be amended to address distance learning of dual language learners and their families which will allow for it to be heard in policy committees and to continue through the legislative process.
Current Status: Held in Committee due to COVID-19 legislative restrictions
SB 959 (Sen. Hurtado) – Educational equity: immigration and citizenship status.
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California and The Children’s Partnership
Would ensure that early childhood programs have “safe space” policies in order to protect the safety, privacy, and wellbeing of young children and their families.
Current Status: Held in Committee due to COVID-19 legislative restrictions
Our 2019 Sponsored and Supported Bills
The following are bills we co-sponsored:
AB 123 (Asm. McCarty) – Pre-K For All
Early Childhood Education: State Preschool Program: Transitional Kindergarten: Access: Standards
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California and Kidango
AB 123 expands access to preschool for all 4-year-olds living in low-income neighborhoods and all 3-year-olds in poverty, and raises preschool quality and funding to help close the school readiness gap.
- Expands access to full-day, full-year preschool for all 4-year-olds who live in a neighborhood where more than 70% of students are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals. AB 123 also ensures that all 3-year-olds in poverty receive two years of high-quality preschool.
- Increases salaries and qualifications of preschool teachers to support children’s learning with adequate financial supports.
- Raises preschool quality to what is proven to work and increases funding.
- Provides scholarships for teachers to pursue higher education in Early Learning fields.
Current Status: Held in Committee
AB 1012 (Asm. Reyes) – Bilingualism For All Act of 2020
Co-sponsored by Early Edge California, CABE, Californians Together, and Advancement Project
AB 1012 makes critical investments in bilingual education, beginning in early childhood and continuing through high school graduation.This bill builds on previous state investments by providing multi-year support to build the capacity of teachers to help students become bilingual and biliterate, beginning in early childhood and throughout their educational journey.
Current Status: Held in Committee
The following are bills we supported:
AB 6 (Asms. Reyes, McCarty)
This bill would establish in the California Department of Education, on or before January 1, 2021, the Early Childhood Education Branch, in order to ensure a holistic implementation of early childhood education programs and universal preschool. The bill would require the office to have specified responsibilities, including the responsibility of coordinating services with the California Department of Social Services and the California Health and Human Services Agency to ensure that social and health services are provided to children in early childhood education programs and to identify families eligible for early childhood education financial assistance.
Current Status: Held in Committee
AB 124 (Asm. McCarty) – Preschool Facilities Bond Act of 2020
Enacts the Preschool Facilities Bond Act of 2020. Authorizes the issuance of bonds in the amount of $500,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a preschool facility grant program.
Current Status: Held in Committee
AB 125 (Asm. McCarty)
Expresses Legislative intent to establish a single regionalized state reimbursement rate system for child care, preschool and early learning services that would achieve specified objectives.
Current Status: Held in Committee
AB 167 (Asm. Rubio)
This bill would create the California Partnership for Infants and Toddlers, and would provide that a state grant to support the partnership shall be made available and distributed, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to qualifying childcare and development programs and family childcare home education networks that serve infants and toddlers from birth to three years of age at a base grant amount of $4,000 annually per child, adjusted
as specified. The bill would require the Superintendent to determine which childcare and development programs and family childcare home education networks qualify for that funding and to establish standards for grantees to ensure high-quality infant and toddler childcare.
Current Status: Held in Committee due to COVID-19 legislative restrictions
AB 194 (Asm. Reyes)
Enacts legislation to appropriate $1 billion to immediately improve access to alternative payment programs and general childcare and development programs that subsidize services for low-income families.
Current Status: Held in Committee due to COVID-19 legislative restrictions
AB 378 (Asm. Limon)
Authorizes family child care (FCC) providers (licensed and license exempt) to form, join, and participate in the activities of provider organizations and to seek the certification of a provider organization to act as the representative for FCC providers on matters related to child care subsidy programs.
Current Status: Signed by Governor
AB 452 (Asm. Mullin)
Would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that appropriates between $25 million and $35 million to create a grant program to develop child care facilities that serve children from birth to three years of age, of which no less than $10 million to be provided to Early Head Start program facilities to serve children.
Current Status: Held in Committee
SB 174 (Sen. Leyva)
Enacts legislation that would establish a single regionalized state reimbursement rate system for subsidized early care and education services; requires the CDE to create a plan by January 1, 2021 for the reimbursement rate system and ensure that the plan’s methodology includes items such as competitive compensation for early childhood teachers and providers.
Current Status: Held in Committee
SB 443 (Sen. Rubio)
Deletes the provision that prohibits a pupil admitted to TK who has their birthday after December 2 from generating average daily attendance or being included in the enrollment or unduplicated pupil count.
Current Status: Held in Committee