Childcare and development services: infants and toddlers: state funding.

The Child Care and Development Services Act, administered by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, establishes a system of childcare and development services for children from infancy to 13 years of age and their parents, including a full range of supervision, health, and support services through full- and part-time programs. Existing law requires the Superintendent to administer general childcare and development programs, as specified. This bill would create the California Partnership for Infants and Toddlers, and would provide that a state grant to support the partnership shall be made available and distributed, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to qualifying childcare and development programs and family childcare home education networks that serve infants and toddlers from birth to 3 years of age at a supplemental grant amount of $4,000 annually per child. The bill would provide that a childcare and development program or family childcare home education network qualifies for that funding if it agrees to meet federal Head Start program performance standards and provide full-day, full-year childcare for infants and toddlers from birth to 3 years of age. The bill would impose requirements on a grantee as a condition of receiving a grant. The bill would require the State Department of Education to provide technical assistance to grant applicants and grantees and to adopt regulations to implement these provisions as soon as reasonably possible. The bill would authorize the department to implement and administer the provisions through the issuance of guidance or other written directives until regulations are adopted.