Childcare services: enrollment priority.

The Child Care and Development Services Act, administered by the State Department of Social Services, requires the department to administer childcare and development programs that offer a full range of services to eligible children from infancy to 13 years of age, inclusive. The Early Education Act requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to, among other things, provide an inclusive and cost-effective preschool program. Both acts require that families meet specified requirements to be eligible for federal- and state-subsidized childcare and development services and preschool programs, including, among other requirements, that the family needs childcare services or full-day preschool because, among other reasons, the family is homeless, the child's parents are seeking employment or permanent housing, or the child's parents are employed. Existing law requires both the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Department of Social Services to adopt rules and regulations on eligibility, enrollment, and priority of services needed to implement their respective acts. Existing law specifies priority for services pursuant to the acts and requires that first priority be given to neglected or abused children, as specified. Existing law also requires that 2nd priority be given equally to all eligible families, regardless of the number of parents in the home, that are income eligible. Existing law further requires that if 2 or more families are in the same priority in relation to income, the family that has a child with exceptional needs shall be admitted first. This bill would additionally require that priority be given to a child from a family in which the primary home language is a language other than English if there are no families with a child with exceptional needs. The bill would make conforming changes. The bill would make related findings and declarations. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 8210 and 8211 of the Education Code proposed by AB 185 to be operative only if this bill and AB 185 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 8210 and 8211 of the Education Code proposed by SB 185 to be operative only if this bill and SB 185 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 10271 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by SB 1047 to be operative only if this bill and SB 1047 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.