The 2025-26 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 28, 2025 - (County welfare departments are responsible for administering CalWORKs Stage 1, although most counties contract with an AP agency to administer the program.) Most AP agencies are community ‑based organizations, but in some regions the AP agency is a local governmental agency, such as a county office of education, county welfare department, or school district.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5024

The 2020-21 Spending Plan: Early Education

Oct 26, 2020 - Figure 2 Changes in Child Care and Preschool Spending 2020 ‑21 (In Millions) Adds temporary AP slots starting July 1, 2020 — Adds ongoing AP slots starting July 1, 2020 — Rescinds infrastructure and workforce development funds — Provides federal CARES Act funds for 2019 ‑20 COVID ‑19 expenses — Makes CalWORKs caseload and average cost ‑of ‑care
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4289

Child Care Attendance Records: Comparing Paper and Electronic Processes

Dec 12, 2018 - Introduction The Supplemental Report of the 2018–19 Budget Act requires our office to assess the current processes Alternative Payment (AP) agencies use to collect monthly attendance records from child care providers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3908

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

Nov 14, 2025 - AP = Alternative Payment; COLA = cost ‑of ‑living adjustment; and ELOP = Expanded Learning Opportunities Program. Suspends Statutory Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA). The budget package suspends the statutory COLA for child care and State Preschool in 2025-26.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5088

The 2023-24 Budget: Child Care Proposals

Feb 9, 2023 - COLA for AP Agencies Would Result in Additional Slots, Running at Odds With Proposal to Delay Scheduled Slot Increases. The Governor ’s proposal to increase the AP program based on COLA and effectively provide additional AP slots is consistent with the state ’s longstanding budgeting practice for the program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4672

The 2016-17 Budget: Analysis of Child Care and Preschool Proposals

Feb 24, 2016 - To Help Administer Voucher Programs, State Contracts With AP Agencies. For CalWORKs Stages 2 and 3 and the AP program, the state contracts with AP agencies that determine eligibility for care and process payments to providers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3367

The 2020-21 Budget: Early Education Analysis

Feb 21, 2020 - For example, a CalWORKs family transitioning from Stage 1 t o 2 m ay have to transition from receiving services at their county welfare department to receiving services through an AP agency. Proposal Could Also Create Greater Fragmentation.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4167

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

Nov 17, 2023 - (Refer to the Supplemental Report of the 2023‑24 Budget Act for more detail.) Other Child Care Actions Pauses Child Care Slot Expansion by One Year. The 2021 ‑22 budget agreement included a plan to add 200,000 child care slots by 2025 ‑26.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4817

Overview of Federal Relief for K-12 Education and Child Care

Apr 29, 2021 - CARES Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) Primarily Provided Funding With Broad Discretion. The CARES Act provided $13.2  billion in federal relief for K-12 public schools through ESSER.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4419

COVID-19: Federal and State Actions Affecting K-12 Education and Child Care

May 14, 2020 - The federal funding flexibility waiver affects provisions of ESSA Titles I through V, as well as the McKinney-Vento Act, which provides funding for homeless youth. Child Nutrition Waivers. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), signed by the President on March  18, 2020, authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to waive several requirements of existing federal child nutrition programs until September 30, 2020.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4231