EdSource Today (3/13, Mongeau) reports that a new analysis from the California Department of Education finds that a bill in the California state Senate “to expand transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds would be more expensive than originally predicted” and would cost $1.46 billion “in addition to the $901 million already being spent on the current transitional kindergarten program.” The piece notes that the bill’s sponsor had said that the plan would cost $990 million.
California Considers Five-Year Plan For Expanding Pre-K
The San Mateo (CA) Daily Journal (1/14, Swartz) reports on California state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2014, which proposes spending $198 million annually towards offering pre-k for all four-year-olds. The program would take five years to reach all eligible children. The plan includes “a model of both a morning and afternoon session for two-teacher teams.”
California Democrats Looking To Expand Provisional Kindergarten To All Four-Year-Olds
The Los Angeles Times (1/8, Megerian) reports on a proposal in the California state Senate to “use an upcoming jump in education funding to make transitional kindergarten available to every 4-year-old in California,” calling the plan by Democratic lawmakers “another sign of the state’s rebounding financial health.” The Times reports that the plan would cost nearly $1 billion when it is “fully phased in by 2020.” Noting that Superintendent Tom Torlakson is on board with the plan, the Times adds that it would “would fund the hiring of 8,000 more teachers” and raise the number of students eligible for transitional kindergarten from 120,000 to 470,000.
Advocates: Strong Start Bill Highlights Needed California Program Improvements
The AP (11/20, Mongeau) reports that California early childhood education advocates say that the Federal Strong Start for America’s Children Act, which supports President Obama’s calls for a “new federal grant program for states wishing to create or expand their public preschool programs,” draws attention to the need “to beef up early education programs” in the state.
Study: Children As Young As 18 Face Language Gap
The New York Times (10/22, Rich, Subscription Publication) reports that a new study--following up on research two decades ago which found that children as young as three face significant differences in the number of words they have heard based on their parents’ income levels--found that his “language gap” can be seen as early as 18 months. The article explores the impact that the new research is having on the early childhood learning policy debate.