Legislation by Assemblymember Eloise Reyes (D-San Bernardino) Chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee, to revamp California’s approach to early childhood education was approved by a vote of the full Assembly and now heads to the state Senate for further consideration. AB 2581 would create a workgroup focusing on key stakeholder concerns surrounding early childhood development program administration and governance in the event that early childhood development programs see a transition in their administration or governance from one state entity to another. The goals of this workgroup are to mitigate potential issues which can arise in program transitions, ensure greater alignment with early childhood development administration and governance as a whole, and identify ways to best support children, families, and providers building upon existing efforts.
"Ensuring that our early childhood development programs are operating as effectively and efficiently as possible, within a whole child and whole family framework, is crucial for California's children, families, and providers,” said Assemblymember Reyes. “AB 2581 helps ensure this happens in the event any early childhood development programs see a transition in their administration from one state entity to another. The data on child development is clear regarding long term benefits of quality early childhood education making it crucial to get this right for the current, and future generations.”
The California State Assembly Speaker’s Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) released its draft recommendations on March 11, 2019. The report identified its findings including the need for a strong centralized office to direct inter-agency coordination, support parent and provider needs within childcare settings, and implement the growing expansion of Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs. Furthermore, the report showed that because of the multi-agency nature of ECE programs, many families end up having interruptions in the programs their children can attend due to the lack of efficient paperwork transfers and communication between state agencies, county agencies, and the family. Through AB 2581, the transition of administration on governance will include stakeholder input and direction to ensure greater stability.
Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes represents Assembly District 47 which includes the cities of Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Grand Terrace, San Bernardino and the unincorporated areas of Muscoy and Bloomington.