California

Overview of Pre-K Program-California State Preschool Program 

  • Program is open to three- to five-year-old children in communities where 90% of the families make less than 75% of the State Median Income or who are considered at risk of exploitation, neglect or abuse.
  • Funding is provided to school districts, child care providers, and Head Start Agencies through a competitive grant process.
  • Funded and administered through the California State Department of Education.

Brief History of California’s Pre-K Program

  • 1965 California begins the State Preschool Program, becoming one of the first states to make state-funded preschool available.
  • 1998 California forms the Universal Preschool Task Force which issues the goal that California should provide preschool for all four year olds by 2008.
  • 2006 California voters defeat Preschool for All Act.  Governor signs a scaled down measure which provides access to preschool to 12,000 more four year olds living in poorly performing districts, and includes a family literacy component.
  • 2008 State passes the California State Preschool Program Act and combines into one California’s five major preschool programs:  State Preschool, Full-Day State Preschool, Prekindergarten and Family Literacy, Prekindergarten and Family Literacy Full-Day and General Child Care and Development Programs.  They are now known as the California State Preschool Program, the largest state-funded pre-k program in the nation.
  • 2009 Program serves 97,948 children.

Evaluations of California’s Pre-K Program

Preschool Adequacy and Efficiency in California RAND Study
Prepared to Learn: The Nature and Quality of Early Care and Education for Preschool-Age Children in California
Early Care and Education in the Golden State: Publicly Funded Programs Serving California’s Preschool-Age Children
Who is Ahead and Who is Behind: Gaps in School Readiness and Student Achievement in the Early Grades for California’s Children

Program Website

California Department of Education, California State Preschool Program Webpage

Resource List

NIEER 2009 Yearbook California Profile
Pre-K Now California Profile

 

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