44259.4.
(a) (1) The commission shall develop and implement a program to award, on a competitive basis, planning grants of up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) each to regionally accredited institutions of higher education for the development of plans to guide the creation of programs of professional preparation that lead to more credentialed teachers obtaining the PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Credential.(2) A regionally accredited institution of higher education awarded a planning grant pursuant to paragraph (1) may use the grant funds to create a new four-year integrated program of professional preparation, adapt an existing integrated program of professional preparation, or establish a stand-alone program of professional preparation.
(3) A regionally accredited institution of higher education awarded a planning grant pursuant to paragraph (1) may use grant funds for any purpose in support of planning for a program of professional preparation described in paragraph (2), including, but not limited to, any of the following:
(A) To provide faculty release time to design new courses or redesign existing courses.
(B) To assist with hiring and training of faculty who are equipped to use inclusive practices, universal design for learning, effective reading and literacy instruction, early mathematics, and culturally and linguistically responsive, developmentally appropriate pedagogies in their instruction.
(C) To provide stipends for program coordinators to assist in collaboration with subject-matter professors, such as bilingual educators and early childhood education educators, and pedagogy professors, including those at other institutions of higher education.
(D) To expand or establish partnerships with California community colleges to create four-year integrated programs of professional preparation, including associate degree for transfer programs.
(E) To develop high-quality clinical experiences in partnership with local education agencies or other preschool programs.
(F) To recruit individuals for participation as students in programs of professional preparation, especially those who are already educators in the early learning and care field.
(G) To develop a marketing strategy to publicize the new credential program.
(H) To develop and provide academic supports for teacher candidates, including specialized advising for nontraditional students and emergent bilingual teacher candidates.
(I) To provide tuition and nontuition assistance for teacher candidates, such as childcare, transportation, and stipends.
(J) To plan for the concurrent provision of bilingual authorization for teacher candidates.
(K) To offer coursework at times and locations that are convenient for current working candidates who may be providing early learning and care services during the regular work day.
(b) (1) The commission shall develop and implement a program to award, on a competitive basis, implementation grants of up to five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) each to regionally accredited institutions of higher education for the implementation of programs of professional preparation, that lead to more teachers with the PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Credential.
(2) A regionally accredited institution of higher education awarded a planning grant pursuant to paragraph (1) may use the grant funds to create a new four-year integrated program of professional preparation, adapt an existing integrated program of professional preparation, or establish a stand-alone program of professional preparation.
(3) A regionally accredited institution of higher education awarded a planning grant pursuant to paragraph (1) may use grant funds for any purpose in support of implementing a program of professional preparation described in paragraph (2), including, but not limited to, any of the following:
(A) To provide faculty release time to design new courses or redesign existing courses.
(B) To assist with hiring and training of faculty who are equipped to use inclusive practices, universal design for learning, effective reading and literacy instruction, early mathematics, and culturally and linguistically responsive, developmentally appropriate pedagogies in their instruction.
(C) To provide stipends for program coordinators to assist in collaboration with subject-matter professors, such as bilingual educators and early childhood education educators, and pedagogy professors, including those at other institutions of higher education.
(D) To expand or establish partnerships with California community colleges to create four-year integrated programs of professional preparation, including associate degree for transfer programs.
(E) To develop high-quality clinical experiences in partnership with local education agencies or other preschool programs.
(F) To recruit individuals for participation as students in programs of professional preparation, especially those who are already educators in the early learning and care field.
(G) To develop a marketing strategy to publicize the new credential program.
(H) To develop and provide academic supports for teacher candidates, including specialized advising for nontraditional students and emergent bilingual teacher candidates.
(I) To provide tuition and nontuition assistance for teacher candidates, such as childcare, transportation, and stipends.
(J) To plan for the concurrent provision of bilingual authorization for teacher candidates.
(K) To offer coursework at times and locations that are convenient for current working candidates who may be providing early learning and care services during the regular work day.
(c) As a condition of the receipt of a planning grant pursuant to subdivision (a), or an implementation grant pursuant to subdivision (b), a regionally accredited institution of higher education shall provide to the commission program and outcome data for at least five years after receiving the grant. The information shall include program design and features, the number of teacher candidates and their demographics, the number and type of credentials earned, the number of candidates who also received a bilingual authorization, the time taken to earn a degree and credential, the number of graduates and their demographics, and any other information the commission may require for purposes of documenting the effect of the grant and identifying effective practices in program design and implementation.
(d) The commission shall require applicants for planning grants pursuant to subdivision (a), and for implementation grants pursuant to subdivision (b), to provide assurances of both of the following:
(1) That candidates will have the ability to teach designated and integrated English language development (ELD) classes.
(2) Coordination with existing sources of candidate support, such as the Golden State Teacher Grant Program (Article 5.1 (commencing with Section 69617) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3), the California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program (Article 12 (commencing with Section 44391)), the Teacher Residency Grant Program (Article 16 (commencing with Section 44415)), Integrated Teacher Preparation Program Planning Grants pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) of Section 44259.1, or Integrated Teacher Preparation Program Implementation and Expansion Grants pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 44259.1.
(e) (1) The commission shall give first priority to grant applications under this section that commit to all of the following:
(A) A plan to collaborate with bilingual authorization programs to allow candidates to earn their PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Credential and a bilingual authorization at the same time.
(B) A plan for recruitment, preparation, and retention of teacher candidates who have prior experience in the early learning and care field, and who reflect the demographics of pupils in the local community.
(C) A ratified articulation agreement for teacher preparation coursework between one or more California community colleges and one or more four-year institutions of higher education.
(2) The commission shall give second priority to grant applications under this section that commit to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) but do not necessarily commit to subparagraphs (B) and (C) of paragraph (1).
(f) The commission may use up to 1.5 percent of moneys appropriated for purposes of this section to administer the grants described in subdivisions (a) and (b), and provide support to those grantees, pursuant to Department of Finance approval.
(g) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the commission shall annually report to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature on any grants funded pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) until funds are fully expended. In addition to the data required to be reported to the commission in subdivision (c), the report shall also include data on the progress of community college partnerships and institutions relative to the assurances made pursuant to subdivision (d).
(h) Implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute.