State and Federal Legislative and Policy Updates

1. State and Federal Legislative and Policy Updates Alameda County Early Care and Education Planning Council July 18, 2014

2. Overview --Updates • State Budget Outcomes • Federal Update

3. State Budget • Signed on June 20th • $156.4 billion in total state spending • Reduce debt by up to $10.7 billion in 14-15 • $1.6 billion transfer to rainy day fund • Small increases for child care and CalWORKs • Higher state corrections spending trend continues

4. State Budget: Early Care and Education • $264 million increase for early care and education • Increases 4 year old access to preschool: for low and moderate income families. • 13,000 slots total ($102 million) • 7,500 preschools slots beginning 2014-2015 AND 4,000 more slots to be added on June 15, 2015 ($70 million) • 1,000 General Child Care and 500 Alternative Payment ($17 million) slots • Eliminates fees for part day preschool ($15 million)

5. state budget: Child Care • Funds Quality Improvement for Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten • $50 million for QRIS block grants • $25 million in one time professional development for preschool and TK teachers • $10 million in one time loans for facility expansion • $7.5 million for Community Care Licensing for 71.5 positions—10% rate increase

6. state budget: Child Care • Provider Rate Increase • SRR (CDE programs) 5% increase ($49 million) • $34.38 per child per day to $36.11 per child per day (still less than the going rate for doggy day care) • RMR (Vouchers)-($19 million) • Increases rates from the 2005 survey to the 2009 survey MINUS 13% • Many counties will not get increases

7. State budget: context • Budget restores 13,000 out of 110,000 lost since 2007-2008 • $264 million vs. $429 million Assembly, $625 million Women’s Caucus, and $713 Senate budget proposals • Does not update income eligibility limits or provide increases to provider rates that would stabilize programs

8. State budget: related programs • Early Start restored to pre-2009 levels; $7.9 million in budget • Increases CalWORKs grant by 5% ($46 million in 14-15/$184 million in 15-16)

9. Federal context:early learning plan • Goal: to provide high-quality early learning opportunities to all children so that they enter kindergarten ready • Plan: • Provide access to high-quality infant/toddler care through Early Head Start-child care partnerships; • Expanding voluntary evidence-based home visiting; • Developing a new partnership with states to provide voluntary, high-quality, full-day preschool for all 4-year-olds from families at or below 200% of the federal poverty line.

10. Federal Level-Early head start • $650M to expand number and quality of early learning experiences for infants and toddlers • Great resources available at http://www.ccfc.ca.gov/programs/programs_ehsccp.html • Deadline: August 20, 2014 • Register on grants.gov and sam.gov

11. Federal Level—Strong Start • Strong Start for America’s Children Act of 2013 • 10-year federal-state partnership to expand and improve early learning opportunities for children across the birth-to-age-five continuum • Will re-authorize Child Care and Development Block Grant • Co-sponsored by all CA House representatives

12. Federal Level- preschool development grants • $500M for Preschool Development Grants + $250M through the Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative • Goal: will help states, local education agencies, and local governments build the fundamental components of a high-quality preschool system or expand proven early learning programs.

13. Federal level- prEschool grants • To be eligible for funding, prospective grantees must: • describe how they will expand access to children from low- to moderate-income families; • ensure an adequate supply of high-quality preschool slots and qualified teachers; • monitor for continuous improvement; • partner with local education agencies and other providers; • sustain high-quality services after the grant period.