California State Budget, Legislature & The Capitol

CALIFORNIA BUDGET UPDATES

Last Friday, Governor Newsom released the 2024-25 May Revision.

• Link to May Revision Summary
• May Revise Details
• 5/10/2024 ASM Budget - Preliminary Summary of Governor’s Proposed 2024-25 May Revision
• 5/10/2024 - SEN B&FR - Overview of the May Revision

Click here to be directed to TFC's Budget page where relevant Budget Trailer Bill Language (TBL) proposals are posted.

Highlights (Lowlights)

• Child Care Slot Expansion Pause at Current Level—Approximately,119,000 slots of the promised 200,000 have been realized; a pause at the current 119,000 slots until fiscal conditions allow for resuming the expansion will result in a revenue gain of $489 million in 2024-25 and $951 million in 2025-26. NOTE: Governor noted commitment to continue after two-year hold but concern it will be captured as a permanent redcution and the promised 200,000 will never be realized. The number of slots not yet released is 81,000.
• Reduces CalWORKs Home Visting Program by $47.1 million ongoing
• Reduction in the Proposition 98 funding
• Eliminates $550 million in facility funding for California Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten and Full-Day Kindergarten
• Eliminates $47.9 million in 2025 and $97.9 million onging starting in 2026-27 to support the California State Preschool Program for State Preschool to serve at least 10 percent of students with disabilities.
• Sweeps all of the $900 million in the Safety Net Reserve.
• Eliminates CalWORKs Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Services

Upcoming Committee Hearings for this week below. All upcoming calendared budget hearings noted here:

• Monday, May 20 -  ASM Budget Sub 1 @ 2:30 - Overview of Governor's May Revision Health Proposals - State Capitol, Room 126; AGENDA
• Monday, May 20 - SEN B&FR Sub 3 @ 9:00 am - Open Items - 1021 O Street, Room 1200; AGENDA
• Wednesday, May 22 - ASM Budget Sub 2 Upon Call og the Chair - Overview of Governor's May Revision Proposals, State Capitol Room 126
• Wednesday, May 22 - ASM Budget Sub 3 Upon Call of the Chair-  May Revision Proposals, Room TBD
• Thursday, May 23 -  ASM Budget Sub 3 Upon Call of the Chair-  May Revision Proposals, Room TBD

All of the above information can be found on TFC's Budget Page. Be sure to reach out to TFC staff with any questions.

BILL OF THE WEEK

AB 1808 (Nguyen) Childcare and development services: eligibility

Author: Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen

Assemblymember Nguyen served as the Executive Director of Asian Resources, Inc. (ARI) to ensure that all communities, especially the low-income, immigrant, refugee, limited English-speaking youth, formerly incarcerated and undocumented, have access to support and services to help them get one step closer to self-sufficiency.

Assemblymember Nguyen currently serves as the Assistant Speaker pro Tempore of the California State Assembly, a position that underscores her leadership and influence within the legislative body. She also serves on the Assembly Committees on Business and Professions, Communications and Conveyance, Jobs, Economic Development, and Economy, Public Employment and Retirement, and Public Safety.

Click here to view the bill.

To submit a support letter, click here.

HOW TO SUPPORT A BILL

As bills move through California’s legislative process, they are presented to and heard by several committees who may recommend amendments and vote on whether or not the bill should continue through the legislative process.

As legislators decide how to vote, they consider public opinion as expressed through position letters. To support a bill and submit a position letter, you must first register here for an account. You only need to do this once. After you register, you will log in, and then you click on submit a letter. From there, you simply click on either AB (Assembly Bill) or SB (Senate Bill) and then the bill number. If you need any support, please email TFC.

IMPORTANT DATES, DEADLINES & BILLS

• May 20 - Floor Session only. No committees, other than conference or Rules committees, may meet for any purpose (J.R. 61 (b)(10)).

• May 24 - Last day for each house to pass bills introduced in that house (J.R. 61(b)(11)).

Upcoming Legislative Hearings:

Bills to Watch:

• AB 1808 (Nguyen) Childcare and development services: eligibility. Extends 24-month eligibility to CalWORKs child care. TFC SPONSORED.
• AB 2476 (Bonta) Childcare services: alternative payment programs. TFC SPONSORED.
• AB 2774 (Grayson) Childcare for Working Families Act

Resources:

• See the full 2023-24 Legislative Calendar here.
• Visit TFC's legislation page to find a comprehensive list of bills of interest.
• Visit TFC's Budget Page for full budget bill details, as well as budget hearing video archive links.
• Visit TFC's dedicated page to find a full list of Senate and Assembly Committee chairs and contact information.
• Click here to view all the bills that the Assembly and Senate introduced this legislative year.

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE INFO, RULES & POSITION LETTER DEADLINES

All changes to committee assignments have been reflected on TFC's Committee Information, Rules & Position Letter Deadlines page. This page has been tailored to only include those committees relevant to the field. However, you can find the full, comprehensive and updated list of all committees on this site.

Please reach out to TFC staff if you have any questions.

Network and CAPPA 2024 Hybrid Joint Conference!

Visit the Joint Conference Webpage for more information.

Did you know?

Child Care Q&As

Question: What does Broadly Consistent mean and how is it beneficial to families?

Answer: Each month, child care providers turn in invoices and/or attendance sheets showing that families are using the approved child care.

In some situations, an attendance sheet or documentation will be turned in that shows the approved hours or child care were not being used by the family. If there appears to be a pattern of non-use of certified care by a family, then the Broadly Consistent law supports reaching out to the family seeking information that the family is okay. Sometimes the family has transportation issues. When an agency reaches out to talk with the family, it is simply a means to make sure the family is okay. It is not a policy used to reduce hours on families. These are two entirely different issues and should not intersect.

Advocacy Opportunity - Letter Sign-on

Last Friday, Governor Newsom released the "May Revise" or "May Revision" which included a number of budget solutions (i.e. cuts) to balance this year's $27.6 billion deficit.

One of the most concerning cuts proposed is a $34.8 million (or 40%) cut to the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children, which identifies and provides child care options as well as Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) training for child care providers and navigation support for families. We know there are numerous reasons there has been underspending in this program in recent years, and we are pushing back that this is not the time to cut this program as the need remains high and service vital with unintended, negative consequences with this deep of a cut.

Here is a response letter urging legislators to reject Governor Newsom's harmful cuts to the Bridge Program. We need you to add your organization to this letter to demonstrate community support for this program. Please respond and attach your organization's logo using this form no later than THIS MORNING.

The 2024-25 Budget: Initial Comments on the Governor’s May Revision

THE LAO Estimates Governor Addressed a $55 Billion Budget Problem. The Governor cites a budget problem of $27 billion. Based on the administration’s revenue estimates and proposals, we estimate the Governor addressed a larger deficit than this—$55 billion. The difference is attributable to what our offices consider to be current law, particularly for school and community college spending. While we would maintain that our approach more accurately reflects current law, these scoring differences do not reflect substantive differences in our views of the state’s fiscal position...

Read the full report here.

Federal Update

Federal Government Update

Congress is beginning to lay out its plans for FY25 annual appropriations despite the overwhelming probability that funding bills will not be finalized until after the November elections.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Cole (R-OK) released the FY25 mark-up schedule and preview of interim FY25 subcommittee allocations. We have an uphill battle to ensure investments in ECE programs are prioritized – as Ranking Member DeLauro says, “caps are cuts.” 

House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member DeLauro (D-CT) released a fact sheet on these cuts. Considering the cuts detailed this week, this fact sheet calls for nothing less than a one percent increase in both nondefense and defense funding, consistent with what both parties already agreed to.  

Additionally, Senate Finance Committee Chair Wyden (D-OR) is working with Majority Leader Schumer (D-NY) to get a time scheduled to bring the House-passed tax package that contains the improvements to the CTC to the Senate floor.

***

Child Tax Credit

Improvements to the Child Tax Credit (CTC) remain at a standstill following pushback from key Republican Senators despite bipartisan support. 

⇒ Please urge your Senators to pass the expanded CTC now.

We know how to end child poverty. That is why we are fighting for this expansion right now, and why we will keep fighting to further improve the CTC.   

More: 

• Child Tax Credit 2024 Resources & Social Media (Coalition on Human Needs)

***

Supplemental Federal Child Care Funding 

We are focused on ensuring that any future domestic supplemental that is considered includes $16 billion for child care and early learning.

⇒ Please urge your Members of Congress to support the $16 billion proposal supported by President Biden and many congressional Democrats. 

As previously shared,

• State-by-State Map on Local Impact of Child Care Funding Cliff - National Women's Law Center (nwlc.org)
• The-Child-Care-Stabilization-Act-One-Pager.pdf (senate.gov)

New Polling - National and Senate Swing State Poll from First Five Years Fund

From the First Five Years Fund:

First Five Years Fund is out with a brand-new poll showing that, in this election year, voters not only want Congress to do more to address child care challenges today, they also want future lawmakers to have a plan for addressing these challenges tomorrow.

The poll, which was conducted by the bipartisan research team of New Bridge Strategies (R) and Hart Research (D) also found that:

• A vast majority of voters want candidates to have a plan around child care, including 89% of all voters; 80% of Republicans; 88% of Independents, 93% of Democrats. 
• Voters say affordable child care is “essential/very important” to the economy: 68% all voters; 53% Republicans; 64% Independents; 84% Democrats
• Voters strongly support increased federal funding to the states so they can expand child care programs and options (i.e. CCDBG), including: 75% of Trump voters and 94% of Biden voters. 
• And they overwhelmingly support efforts to modernize the federal child care tax credit (i.e. CDCTC) to help ease the burden of child care costs for families, including: 76% all voters; 62% Republicans; 74% Independents; and 92% Democrats.

If you are interested in learning more or learning about some of the message testing we conducted, please feel free to reach out (johern@ffyf.org). A link to the full polling deck can be found on the website. 

Recap - Day Without Child Care 2024

From Community Change (as of Tuesday, 5/14):

Wow! We are still processing everything that happened yesterday - in the best way. Starting the day with an incredible segment on the TODAY show set the tone for what was to come on our third-annual Day Without Child Care on May 13th. The day of action showcased our movement as a powerful nationwide force for child care justice. 

Thank you to so many of you who were co-sponsors this year, and even those who were not co-sponsors, we appreciate the many ways you still supported Day Without Child Care. Here is a recap of the day, and we plan to circulate more information as we continue to hear back from all the partners and leaders in the field about their events.

This was our biggest Day Without Child Care yet. Childcare organizers planned at least 86 events across 26 states and Washington, DC. More than 1,300 providers from our Childcare Changemakers and local partners’ bases closed their doors. Thousands of parents, early educators, and community members took action with us in solidarity. States like Georgia, Alabama, and Utah held their first-ever actions for Day Without Child Care, helping us extend our movement’s reach. More than 30 elected officials publicly supported the events in person or online, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT), and Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA).

At the end of the day, more than 300 movement leaders and allies came together for a virtual celebration — joined by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, who congratulated organizers on successfully illustrating the fact that child care is essential economic infrastructure. Erica Gallegos from the Child Care for Every Family Network also spoke and shared about all the work national and state organizations are doing to strengthen the childcare ecosystem.

And we made headlines in national mainstream media and local media outlets with at least 90 hits tracked so far. The morning segment on the TODAY Show was aired on televisions across the country, and our leaders were featured in USA Today, Early Learning Nation, The National Desk, Cox Media Group, and other national syndicates.

As Community Change Co-President Dorian Warren noted during Monday’s virtual event, this year’s Day Without Child Care represents one of the biggest showings of child care organizing in the past 50 years. 

Here are just a few examples of what our leaders were up to on Monday:

• Ohio (Ohio Organizing Collaborative): 350 people — including parents, kids, and providers — flooded the state capitol in Columbus, demanding funding for a more equitable child care system. 250 child care centers across the state closed their doors for the day. Their actions were featured nationally as well as in local outlets including the Ohio Capital Journal.
• Wisconsin (WECAN): Organizers set a Day Without Child Care record with 18 local events in communities large and small, including Madison, Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, LaCrosse, New Glarus, Waunakee, and Beaver Dam. The action will continue this Saturday with a rally and march around the state capitol. They saturated their local media market with at least 17 news hits, including local NPR and NBC affiliates.
• New York (ECE on the Move): 150 people took to the streets on Monday to march to the governor's office to demand more state and federal funding for child care. Providers chanted: "No more broken promises!" Their feature in AM NY captured the march and linked it to national efforts. We know many allies attended this event, too, which made it even stronger!
• Washington, DC (SPACEs in Action): More than 200 people rallied outside municipal buildings in downtown DC, and dozens of parents, grandparents, and children showed up to stand in solidarity with educators. In the lead-up to this action, SPACEs and Community Change were featured in Inside Philanthropy, News One, the Grio, and on Monday, local TV station WUSA9 did a ride-along on the field trip to the Wilson Building. Thank you to so many of you who attended this event in person! A special thank you to Melissa Boteach for speaking at the action on behalf of the National Women’s Law Center.
• Minnesota (ISAIAH): Early childhood educators shut down five of the seven child care centers in the Iron Range and took a bus to the state capitol, where they rallied with state senators, marched through the capitol building, and met with Governor Tim Walz to discuss their funding demands. They were featured in several local news spots, including in ABC affiliates and the Minnesota Reformer.
• Childcare Changemakers: Grassroots leaders organizing through Childcare Changemakers led “anchor actions” across the country that involved dozens of providers closing for the day. Changemakers held rallies of 50-150 people in Austin, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Utah, and Charlotte/Durham. Folks in Texas and Utah were featured in Community Change’s national press conference, Atlanta’s event was attended by their local NPR affiliate, and Axios North Carolina covered local Day Without Child Care events.
• Online content creators: Several online content creators and ChangeWire fellows helped us amplify the day of action — including a piece by our Georgia fellow and a new podcast And How Are the Children by our Texas fellow, which was boosted by creator Feminist, an account with over 5.9 million followers on Instagram.

We are grateful to be in this work of building the power of the child care justice movement alongside so many of you. We hope you’re feeling as energized as we are by the parents and providers who are stepping into their leadership so powerfully to envision a different future. 

Most Viewed Bills of the Week:

1. H.R.6090 [118th] Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023
2. H.R.7109 [118th] Equal Representation Act
3. H.R.3935 [118th] Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act
4. H.R.2670 [118th] National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024
5. H.R.815 [118th] Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.
6. H.R.7024 [118th] Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024
7. H.R.82 [118th] Social Security Fairness Act of 2023
8. S.596 [117th] Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2021
9. H.R.4366 [118th] Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024
10. H.Res.894 [118th] Strongly condemning and denouncing the drastic rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world.

Social Media Spotlight

Field Highlights

Child Care at a Standstill:

Price and Landscape Analysis

CCAoA’s analysis found that there was a very small increase in the number of child care centers and a very small decrease in the number of family child care (FCC) homes from 2022 to 2023. The number of child care centers has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, while the decrease in FCC homes follows the downward trend seen in recent years. 

Click here to view the full article.

The child care system is broken. Here are 5 striking statistics that show why.

On Monday, more than 1,000 U.S. child care providers plan to temporarily shut down facilities or call in sick to take part in the country's third annual “Day Without Child Care.” The event seeks to raise awareness about early learning professionals' critical role in the nation’s economy and how little they earn in return for that labor. 

“We can’t make it work without more money, bottom line,” Yessika Magdaleno, who has provided child care for nearly 23 years in Garden Grove, California, said in a statement. “I’m always told that I should close my doors and try working in a different, more lucrative industry, but I don’t want to do that.”...

Click here to view the full article.

CDSS & CDE Information & Updates

Upcoming Webinars

RELEASED May 14, 2024: CDSS CA Budget May Revision

The California Department of Social Services’ Child Care and Development Division will host a webinar regarding the California Budget 2024/25 May Revision on May 23rd, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

The purpose of this meeting is to provide updates in the May Revise for child care and development programs and services. The webinar will feature a brief question and answer session.

Please register for this zoom webinar by using this link.

RELEASED April 10, 2024: Child Development Virtual Permit Training

The Child Development Training Consortium (CDTC) is now offering virtual trainings on how to process and submit a Child Development Permit Stipend application.

We will be reviewing the Permit Matrix and the benefits of applying for a permit through CDTC. 

Registration spaces will be limited and are first come, first served. Additional information along with the registration link will be available on our CDTC website two weeks prior to each Permit training. For any questions, please reach out to us at CDTC-Permit@yosemite.edu.

Upcoming Dates:

June 13, 2024 10:00 A.M-12:00 P.M.

Early Childhood Policy Council Meeting Notice and Agenda-TODAY

Monday, May 20, 2024

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Physical Meeting Information: 

1000 G Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

WestEd, 5th floor, Capitol Room

Virtual Meeting Information: Register in advance for this meeting. 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Any person who wishes to request this notice or other meeting materials in an alternative format, which would enable that person to participate in the meeting, must make that request at least five (5) business days prior to the meeting date by email to Desirae.Carrera@dss.ca.gov.

The order in which agenda items are considered may be subject to change. Public comment will be taken at the conclusion of each agenda item.

More information is available on the Early Childhood Policy Council web page.

Information & Updates

RELEASED May 16, 2024: CDSS FY 2023-2024 Program Self-Evaluation training webinar

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Child Care and Development Division (CCDD), has posted the FY 2023-2024 Program Self-Evaluation training webinar hosted on March 20, 2024.

The submission requirement is to complete the survey developed around the monitoring tool using the Alchemer application online. One survey per contractor is required, regardless of the number of contract types held. Individual Family Child Care Providers do not complete a PSE survey.

The Child Care Bulletin 24-03 Program Self-Evaluation For Fiscal Year 2023-2024 contains a link to access the PSE Survey. A PDF copy of the PSE Survey Questions was sent to Executive Directors and Program Directors to support with planning for the PSE.

Reach out to your assigned PQIB consultant should you have any questions

RELEASED May 9, 2024: CCB 24-07: SUBSIDIZED PROVIDER REPORT UPDATED REQUIREMENTS

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently posted the following document on its Internet website: CCB 24-07: SUBSIDIZED PROVIDER REPORT UPDATED REQUIREMENTS.

The purpose of this CCB is to provide clarification to Child Care and Development Contractors who administer CalWORKs Stage 2 (C2AP) and CalWORKs Stage 3 (C3AP) contracts regarding the additional eligibility requirements for children and families enrolling in these programs. 

Read the entire CCB here..

April 2024: CHILD CARE TRANSITION QUARTERLY REPORT

With the arrival of the new year, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS)

continued to deliver important programs to support California’s most vulnerable

residents.

The Department unveiled a significant new foster care rate reform proposal that

represents a critical step toward making sure foster youth receive the support and

care they need to thrive.

Other highlights from the first quarter included aiding county and local partners in

support of arriving migrants, disrupting poverty, strengthening families, and

addressing inequitable outcomes.

Click here to see the Quarterly Achievements at a glance.

Click here to see the Quarterly Report.

Inclusive Early Education Resources

The California Department of Social Services, Child Care and Development Division, is sharing the following message on behalf of the California Department of Education (CDE).

In November 2022, CDE, Early Education Division, in collaboration with the cross-sector early learning and care state-level Impact Inclusion Workgroup (IIW), announced the development of the Inclusive Early Education web page.

The CDE is excited to share that the IIW has compiled additional resources and has restructured the Inclusive Early Education web page to a user-friendly matrix format. Resources are now organized by resource content type, including Governance and Leadership, Finance, Personnel, Workforce, and Quality Standards, Accountability and Quality, and Family Engagement. In addition, each resource indicates an audience type (families, providers and teachers, and administrators) that may most benefit from the resources.

We hope this web page, compiled of resources, is supportive of individuals and programs to increase access, participation, and support for children with disabilities in early learning and care programs, including Universal PreKindergarten.

Happening This Week, May 20th- May 24th:

Monday, May 20th:

Early Childhood Policy Council Meeting, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Register Here.

Tuesday, May 21st:

-TFC Weekly Member Connections Meeting @ 1:00pm. Email to register.

Thursday, May 23rd:

Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) 2024-2025 May Revision Webinar, 11:00am-12:00pm. Register Here.

Thriving Families California (formerly CAPPA) is committed to supporting our field with a coordinated calendar. Click here to see current calendar of events. If you have an event to add, email us and it will be added.

The Weekly Good

An uplifting way to start the week, for those of us who need a break from the chaos that is our lives.

During this time where we are all stressed, it would be great to celebrate the positive. Each week we will celebrate everyday heroes, inspiring movements and great things happening in our field. 

Become a Monday 

Morning Update Partner! 

Our Monday Morning Update supports our Early Learning & Child Care field with timely information about what is going on in California and nationally; as well as dates to be aware and upcoming events. 

Our weekly Monday morning distribution is to nearly 10,000 federal and state local agencies, resource and referrals, contractors, legislators and their staffs', centers, parents, providers, state departments and advocates. 

To help support the continuation of this resource and or advertise in the Monday Morning Update, click HERE.

To advertise in the update, click here.

You can also make a donation to TFC and The CAPPA Children's Foundation HERE.

The Children's Foundation is a non-profit organization (501(c)3), Taxpayer Identification Number is 03-0521444. Your generous donation is tax deductible.