8492.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) Increasing the state’s capacity for high-quality early care and education will require increased classroom infrastructure capacity, including staff development, equipment, curricula, and facility development.
(2) All young children benefit from, and should have access to, inclusive and high-quality early care and education programs, and should be provided with individualized and appropriate supports to enable them to meet high expectations.
(3) Inclusive early care and education programs can improve a child’s developmental progress and educational
outcomes, especially for children with exceptional needs.
(4) Interventions provided to children with exceptional needs, including children who are at risk of requiring services for pupils with exceptional needs, can be more effective when a child is younger.
(5) Access to high-quality inclusive early care and education programs benefits communities and families, especially when programs are coordinated with public elementary and secondary education systems to create a developmental and educational continuum of support.
(6) Early childhood inclusion embodies the values, policies, and practices that support the right of every infant and young child, and his or her family, regardless of ability, to participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as full members of families, communities, and society. The desired
results of inclusive experiences for children with and without disabilities, and their families, include a sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships and friendships, and development and learning to reach their full potential. The defining features of inclusion that can be used to identify high-quality early childhood programs and services are access, participation, and supports.
(b) The Early Education Expansion Program is hereby established for purposes of increasing access to inclusive early care and education programs and increasing early learning infrastructure capacity in high-need communities.
(c) The department shall use funds that are appropriated in the annual Budget Act or another statute for purposes of this section in accordance with this section. Notwithstanding any other law, funds shall be available for encumbrance until June 30, 2023.
(d) At a minimum, an applicant shall include all of the following information in its application:
(1) A proposal to increase access to subsidized inclusive early care and education programs for children up to five years of age, or subsidized infant and toddler early care and education programs, in low-income and high-need communities. “High-need” shall be defined pursuant to the county child care needs assessment specified in Section 8499.5. The proposal shall quantify the number of additional subsidized children proposed to be served and the number of children with exceptional needs intended to be served initially, if applicable.
(2) A plan to fill and sustain subsidized spaces or programs created by grant funds beyond the grant period. Subsidies may be funded with private, local, state, or federal funds, but shall be
able to demonstrate a reasonable expectation of sustainability.
(3) The inclusion of a set-aside of resources to invest in professional development, including, but not limited to, professional development to allow staff to develop the knowledge and skills required to implement effective and age-appropriate inclusive practices.
(e) Grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis. Priority shall be given to applicants with a demonstrated need for expanded access to inclusive early care and education or infant and toddler care, as well as applicants that represent a consortium of local partners.
(f) Grants shall be used for one-time infrastructure costs only, including, but not limited to, adaptive and age-appropriate facility renovations or new construction, adaptive and age-appropriate equipment, staff recruitment, and
professional development. Funds shall not be used for ongoing expenditures.
(g) Expenditures shall comply with Subchapter IV (commencing with Section 601) of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code.
(h) A grant recipient shall commit to provide program data, as specified by the department, as a condition of the receipt of grant funding.
8492.1.
(a) The Early Education Expansion Program for Local Educational Agencies is hereby established for the purpose of increasing access to inclusive early care and education programs and increasing early learning infrastructure capacity in high-need communities.(b) The department shall use funds that are appropriated in the annual Budget Act or another statute for purposes of this section in accordance with this section. Notwithstanding any other law, funds shall be available for encumbrance until June 30, 2023.
(c) The department’s Special Education Division and Early Education and Support Division shall provide guidance to local educational agencies on serving young children with
exceptional needs in the least restrictive environment, as required by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1400 et seq.).
(d) At a minimum, an applicant shall be a local educational agency and shall include all of the following information in its grant application:
(1) A proposal to increase access to subsidized inclusive early care and education programs for children up to five years of age, or subsidized infant and toddler early care and education programs, in low-income and high-need communities. “High-need” shall be defined pursuant to the county child care needs assessment specified in Section 8499.5. The proposal shall quantify the number of additional subsidized children proposed to be served.
(2) A plan to fill and sustain subsidized programs created by grant funds beyond
the grant period. Subsidies may be funded with private, local, state, or federal funds, but shall be able to demonstrate a reasonable expectation of sustainability.
(3) The identification of resources necessary to support lead agency professional development, including, but not limited to, professional development to allow staff to develop the knowledge and skills required to implement effective inclusive and age-appropriate practices, and fiscal sustainability.
(e) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a local educational agency from applying on behalf of a consortium of providers within the local educational agency’s program area, including agencies that will provide inclusive early care and education programs on behalf of the applicant.
(f) Grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis. Priority shall be given
to applicants with a demonstrated need for expanded access to inclusive early care and education that demonstrate a commitment to serving a specified number of additional children with exceptional needs or children in infant and toddler early care and education programs, applicants in low-income communities, and applicants that represent a consortium of local partners. Priority shall also be given to local educational agencies that, through their applications, demonstrate collaboration between special education and early education staff and that commit to serving a higher proportion of children with exceptional needs in least restrictive early education environments, if applicable.
(g) Grants may be used for one-time infrastructure costs only, including, but not limited to, adaptive and age-appropriate facility renovations or new construction, adaptive and age-appropriate equipment, staff recruitment, and professional development. Funds shall
not be used for ongoing expenditures.
(h) A grant recipient shall commit to provide program data, as specified by the department, as a condition of the receipt of grant funding.