Liv Ames for EdSource

Tadeo Hernández looks at a chef doll at the Pajaro Valley Unified's daycare middle for the children of migrant workers in Watsonville.

Liv Ames for EdSource

Tadeo Hernández looks at a chef doll at the Pajaro Valley Unified's daycare center for the children of migrant workers in Watsonville.

Despite initial resistance from Gov. Jerry Brownish, the terminal budget bargain struck past lawmakers on Tuesday provides more than $300 million for early on education.

"This upkeep is skilful news for our infants, toddlers and preschoolers," said Deborah Kong, president of the Oakland-based advancement group Early on Edge California, in a prepared statement. "Information technology builds on the progress fabricated concluding yr and continues the strong momentum for high-quality early learning in California."

The package included the following:

  • An additional 9,500 preschool slots. This includes 7,000 full-day slots plus two,500 office-twenty-four hour period slots with priority given to children with exceptional needs. Advocates say there are currently near 31,500 4-year-olds from low-income families that do not have admission to country-subsidized preschool.
  • Reimbursement rates for land-funded preschool providers volition increase by 7 percent for the 3 hours of the plan that focus on academics. The reimbursement rate for whatsoever additional hours volition increment by half dozen percent. For an caption of how these programs have been funded, see this study from the Legislative Analyst's Office.
  • An additional half-dozen,800 vouchers that volition allow low-income parents to enroll their children in daycare programs with licensed providers. The state disbanded its waiting listing for vouchers in June 2011. At that time, 200,000 eligible families were on the listing.
  • A 4.5 percent increase in reimbursement rates for the voucher program.
  • A 5 percent increase in reimbursement rates to non-licensed daycare providers, such as relatives and friends. The land pays these providers less than licensed providers.
  • $24 one thousand thousand in one-time grants to amend the quality of baby and toddler intendance. The state has allocated $50 million in ongoing funds to local consortia to ameliorate quality and develop a ranking organisation for preschools. The consortia can apply the one-fourth dimension funds to provide technical help and other support to improve the quality of daycare programs for infants and toddlers in their surface area.
  • $thirty million in increases for the Early Education Program for Infants and Toddlers with Exceptional Needs.

The budget deal too places funding for the total-24-hour interval preschool programs under Proposition 98, which finances K-14 education, making it possible for providers of these programs to become their funding under 1 contract.

Ted Lempert, president of the advancement group Children Now, said the new streamlined contract will provide administrative cost savings for preschool providers equally well as for the state.

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