Kids Ready to Succeed, California Ready to Lead: 2014 Early Learning Proposals 1

2014: A Big Year for Early Learning

New York Times: “All of a sudden, early childhood education is really, really popular. Everybody’s favorite. If early childhood education were an actor, it would be Tom Hanks or Meryl Streep. If it were a video game, it would be Candy Crush or Angry Birds…”

Birth Through 5 Policy Proposals in 2014

Building upon and improving California's early learning system so it serves more children in high-quality programs, and all children are ready for success in school

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California’s Early Childhood Education System 4

SB 837: Expanding and Improving Transitional Kindergarten

Transitional kindergarten is hereby established to: • Be age and developmentally appropriate.

• Build on high-quality early learning and child care programs, including federal Head Start programs, to sustain the gains that children achieve attending those programs.

• Support all children in developing the skills necessary for success in school and life. These skills shall include, but are not limited to, all of the following: o Cognitive skills such as language, early literacy and numeracy o Social-emotional skills such as perseverance, self-control, self-esteem, motivation and conscientiousness o Physical skills such as gross and fine motor development, and healthy eating habits

TK for All: Five Year Phase-in

Allows: 1)

districts, providers to expand access slowly

2) 3)

teachers, associate teachers time to obtain education, training gradual implementation in line with improving state budget projections

New TK Estimated Additional 4 Year Olds Served Estimated Additional TK Funding 2015-16

46,000 $280 million

2016-17

46,000 $280 million

2017-18

46,000 $280 million

2018-19

46,000 $280 million

2019-20

46,000 $280 million

Total

350,000 1.

$1.4 billion 1.

350,000 is based on a estimated 70% enrollment rate, which is similar to the experience of other states with preschool for all such as Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida

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TK for All: Higher Quality Programs

Standards would be based on Preschool Learning Foundations and aligned with Kindergarten Common Core Standards

New TK Model Head Teacher Assoc. Teacher Class Size Teacher/Child Ratio Length of Day Quality Standards

Credentialed AA Degree 20 1:10 3 to 6 hours

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TK for All: New Opportunities for Teachers

• Compensation on par with K-12 colleagues • At end of the five year phase-in: o Head teachers required to hold credential, 24 units in early childhood education o Associate teachers required to hold Associate’s degree, 24 units in early childhood education • Estimated 8,000 new teaching positions, 12,000 associate teaching positions created

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TK for All: Vision and Goals

Goal:

Maintain and utilize mixed delivery system

Goal:

Encourage and incentivize full-day, full-year programs for low-income 4 year olds

Goal:

Raise reimbursement rates across the board

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Growing Support for SB 837

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Editorial: Pre-kindergarten for all 4-year-olds makes sense

Friday, January 31, 2014

Our economic future depends on early investments in kids

By Ann O’Leary Thursday, February 13, 2014

Transitional kindergarten for all would lessen inequality

By Paul Miller Friday, January 27, 2014

Op-ed: California should give all kids the pre-K advantage

By David L. Kirp Friday, December 20, 2013

Editorial: Universal preschool would be a boon to California families, taxpayers 10

Birth through Age 3: Making the Case

• The first three years of life are a period of dynamic and unparalleled brain development in which children acquire the ability to think, speak, learn and reason. • During these first 36 months, children need good health, strong families and positive early learning experiences to lay the foundation for later school success. • Low-income infants and toddlers are at a greater risk for a variety of poorer outcomes and vulnerabilities, such as later school failure, learning disabilities, behavior problems, developmental delay, and health impairments.

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Introducing SB 1123: California Strong Start Program

Introduced by author Senator Carol Liu, SB 1123 would state that it is the Legislature’s intent to enact legislation that would establish the California Strong Start program by redesigning the General Child Care Program for infants and toddlers into a comprehensive, evidence-based, locally controlled program, in order to improve the healthy development and school readiness of California’s most vulnerable children.

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SB 1123: California Strong Start Program

• Serve and nurture more of the most vulnerable children B-3 receiving high-quality, comprehensive services to meet needs for early learning, health, family support • Build on existing Title 5 General Child Care • Provide adequate funding not only to restore and expand services but transform system to support comprehensive services modeled after Early Head Start, other quality programs

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SB 1123: The Impact

• California could more than double number of 3 year olds and infants and toddlers served • Combines part-day and full-day State Preschool for 3 year olds with General Child Care for infants and toddlers program • $175 million of $350 million previously spent on part-day State Preschool will help fund B-3 program

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SB 1123: Comprehensive, High-Quality Services

Services could include: • • • • • • • Full- and part-day State Preschool for 3 year olds Full- and part-day infant and toddler care Family engagement and support Voluntary home visitation Nutrition and other health services Early intervention Early childhood mental health

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Federal Momentum: State of the Union

“Research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a child’s life is high-quality early education.”

President Obama, 2014 State of the Union

Federal Momentum: Bipartisan Omnibus Spending Bill

2014 federal budget: • $1.025 billion increase for Head Start • $154 million increase for Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) • $250 million for new round of Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge

Federal Momentum: Strong Start for America’s Children Act

• Expands access and quality to voluntary preschool for 4 year olds from families below 200% of the federal poverty line • Gives Early Head Start programs the ability to reach more eligible children through partnerships with child care programs to improve quality • Endorses the expansion of evidence-based home visiting programs that have been shown to have a range of positive impacts on parenting • Urges Congress to fund evidence-based, voluntary home visitation programs under Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV)

Questions?

Email your questions about SB 837 to [email protected]

Or visit our SB 837 FAQ page: www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/ SB837FAQ

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THANK YOU!

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