The 2025-26 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 28, 2025 - The specific rates providers receive in 2025 ‑ 26 —as well as the overall amount of funding needed to support these rates —will depend on the collective bargaining process, decisions regarding the alternative reimbursement rate structure, and actions by the Legislature.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5024

The 2018-19 Budget: Child Care Programs—Analysis of Governor’s Hold Harmless Rate Proposal

Mar 19, 2018 - Amidst Rate Changes, Providers Held Harmless. Over this period, rate changes were accompanied by temporary hold harmless provisions giving providers the higher of the new or former rates. This means no provider would receive less than it received in the year prior to the rate change.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3787

The 2023-24 California Spending Plan: Child Care and State Preschool

Nov 17, 2023 - Since 2021 ‑22, the state has added about 146,000 new slots, which more than doubled the number of subsidized child care slots in the state. As of April 2023, about 30  percent of the recently added slots have been filled.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4817

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Child Care and State Preschool

Nov 14, 2025 - Expands Rate Reform Reporting Requirements. Trailer legislation included in the 2024-25 budget package requires DSS to provide quarterly updates on progress toward implementing child care rate reform through January 2026.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5088

The 2023-24 Budget: Child Care Proposals

Feb 9, 2023 - The Governor’s proposal to delay the slot expansion plan by not adding additional child care slots in 2023‑24 would save $134 million General Fund. The proposed delay in the slot expansion plan seems reasonable given state’s budget problem.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4672

A Review of Child Care and Preschool Program Flexibilities in Certain Counties

May 13, 2021 - The policy also reduces administrative burden without adding cost pressure, as three-year olds enrolled in State Preschool are very likely to continue to be eligible as four-year olds. Generally, income eligible four-year olds receive priority enrollment in State Preschool.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4431

The 2019-20 Budget: Analysis of Governor’s Preschool Slot Estimate

May 6, 2019 - Other reasonable assumptions argua bly exist, as the participation rates for statewide public preschool programs vary significantly, with rates as low as 60  percent and as high as 90  percent. Assuming a lower participation rate, however, is riskier for the state, as corresponding state funding could fall short were the actual participation rate to come in higher.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4027

The 2024-25 Budget: State Preschool

Apr 16, 2024 - Concerns With CDE ’s New Rate Augmentation Authority. Typically, the Legislature sets rates and provides funding to implement these rates through the annual budget process. However, this fall, CDE used the recently granted authority to redirect excess funds that were set aside for a different purpose, without explicit legislative input or oversight.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4894

The 2022-23 Budget: State Preschool

Feb 22, 2022 - Moreover, the Governor ’s proposal is not clear on whether two ‑year olds enrolled in State Preschool would be funded at the same rate as three ‑ and four ‑year olds, or if they would be funded at the higher rate for toddlers that is used in General Child Care.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4555

The 2019-20 Budget: Governor's Proposals for Infants and Toddlers With Special Needs

Feb 28, 2019 - Increasing provider rates or providing supplemental payments to providers willing to serve children in their families ’ homes, thereby decreasing the number of parents unable to find a nearby provider.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3954