The 2025-26 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 28, 2025 - Recommend Allowing Direct Contract Flexibility to Expire. We recommend allowing the reimbursement flexibility provisions for direct contract providers to expire. This would ensure that funding levels for direct contractors are more closely aligned with the number of children they serve.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5024

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

Nov 14, 2025 - The M OU between the state and CCPU also requires the convening of a Joint Labor Management Committee to meet monthly to provide recommendations by November 30, 2025 on the implementation of a single rate structure based on the alternative methodology.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5088

The 2024-25 Budget: State Preschool

Apr 16, 2024 - Recommendations Recommend Further Reducing State Preschool to Align Funding With Program Costs. Given the state ’s budget condition, we recommend fully aligning funding with anticipated costs and recommend the Legislature direct CDE not to award any of the $33  million for slot expansion being considered this spring.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4894

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2025 - We recommend the Legislature maintain last year ’s momentum by developing a plan for addressing the budget problems on the horizon. The underlying budget dynamics today are particularly challenging for three reasons.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

The 2023-24 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2023 - To  develop its budget, we recommend the Legislature evaluate recently approved augmentations and only maintain those augmentations that meet certain criteria. Recommend the Legislature ’s Budget Not Include Future Deficits.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4662

The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: Child Care and Preschool

Oct 27, 2022 - Trailer legislation requires the Superintendent to convene a work group of stakeholders that will provide recommendations for increasing access to high-quality preschool programs and updating preschool standards.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4643

The 2021-22 Budget: Child Care Proposals

Feb 11, 2021 - We further recommend amending the proposed budget bill so that funds are appropriated to child care in a similar structure as the 2020 ‑ 21 b udget act. Specifically, we recommend that funding for each child care program be scheduled out in separate budget items instead of being consolidated together as proposed.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4363

The 2023-24 Budget: Transitional Kindergarten and State Preschool Proposals

Feb 14, 2023 - Recommend Rejecting Additional Staffing Requirements. In light of staffing challenges, we recommend rejecting the additional staffing requirements for adults assigned to TK classrooms. These requirements would make hiring instructional aides for TK classrooms more difficult.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4682

The 2022-23 Budget: State Preschool

Feb 22, 2022 - Recommend Redirecting Funding to Better Support Non ‑LEA Providers. Because non ‑LEA providers do not have these same advantages, we think it is likely that they will find serving a larger share of students with disabilities more challenging.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4555

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

May 13, 2021 - For example, we recommend the Legislature provide 24 months of State Preschool eligibility statewide. This change would allow three-year olds enrolled in State Preschool to continue participating in the program until they are eligible for kindergarten.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4431