Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Management Bulletin 25-03

This Management Bulletin (MB) notifies and provides guidance to California State Preschool Program (CSPP) contractors of the new law that allows, but does not require, two-year-old children to be enrolled in the CSPP.

Early Education Division

Subject: Serving Two-Year-Old Children in CSPP

Number: 25-03

Expires: Until Rescinded

Authority: Senate Bill (SB) 163 (Statutes of 2024) and Assembly Bill (AB) 176 (Statutes of 2024); California Education Code (EC) Section 8207.1

Attention: Executive Directors and Program Directors of all California State Preschool Programs


Purpose

This Management Bulletin (MB) notifies and provides guidance to California State Preschool Program (CSPP) contractors of the new law that allows, but does not require, two-year-old children to be enrolled in the CSPP through June 30, 2027. Two-year-old children that are enrolled prior to June 30, 2027, may continue to be served in the program. This MB supersedes all email directives previously sent by the California Department of Education (CDE) on this topic.

Policy

Beginning July 2, 2024, and until June 30, 2027, CSPP contractors may enroll two-year-old children in a part-day or full-day CSPP (see definition of two-year-old children in guidance below). Beginning July 1, 2027, two-year-old children shall no longer be enrolled in CSPP but may continue to be served in CSPP if enrolled prior to that date.

Contractors are not required to enroll two-year-old children; however, if contractors choose to enroll two-year-old children, all current requirements must be followed for children in the CSPP, including but not limited to:

  • Collecting and verifying the appropriate documentation for enrollment, determining eligibility, and determining a need for CSPP services, as applicable.

  • Ensuring children are enrolled in priority order as required by the EC sections 8210 (for part-day CSPP) and 8211 (for full-day CSPP).

  • Assessing and collecting family fees for families enrolled in full-day CSPP, as applicable.

  • Ensuring all program quality requirements applicable to the CSPP are met.

  • Ensuring that all data is reported as required by the CDE.

  • Ensuring that families are only required to provide diapers and/or disposable training pants (such as pull-ups) as needed for a child, if the contractor has a specific written policy adopted by the governing board that includes a parent advisory committee in the decision-making process. If the contractor has such a policy, one of the two shall apply:
    • Contractors that have developed policies within their program handbook will need to have their entire handbook approved by their governing board.

    • Contractors that do not have this policy developed in their handbook are required to obtain governing board approval on this specific policy.

NOTE: Contractors are required to provide all other diapering supplies, including wipes, gloves, and so forth, needed to support diapering or toileting in the program. If families desire to use a specific or different brand of diapering supplies than the contractor provides, including diapers or training pants, then it is the responsibility of the family to provide those supplies.

The guidance in this MB applies to all children in the CSPP. The CDE has specified areas of guidance within this MB to highlight areas that may be more relevant for contractors working with two-year-old children; however, it is important to remember that all requirements must be in place for all children served in the CSPP, as applicable.

Additionally, although this MB is focused on serving two-year old children in CSPP, it is important to keep in perspective the continuum of development which begins at birth and continues beyond the child’s time in a CSPP; therefore, contractors must adjust program activities and schedules to meet all children’s individual development.

Directives for Implementation

Definitions

Two-year-old children” means children who have had their second birthday and do not otherwise meet the definition of “three-year-old children.”

As a reminder, the definition of “three-year-old children” means children who will have their third birthday on or before December 1 of the fiscal year in which they are enrolled in a CSPP. Children who have their third birthday on or after December 2 of the fiscal year may be enrolled in a CSPP on or after their third birthday. Any child under four years of age who is receiving CSPP services, shall be served in a CSPP facility that is licensed in accordance with Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations.

Note: Throughout this MB, anytime the words “two-year-old children” or “three-year-old children” are used, these definitions are operative. If the MB is speaking to children’s chronological age, the MB will specify that explicitly.

Examples of Age Categories

"Two-year-old children” and “three-year-old children” as defined in the definition section above are not identical to chronological age. The examples below are provided to illustrate the implications of these statutory age definitions.

Example Number Child Birthdate When They Can Enroll in CSPP for 2025–26 Program Year Age Category Based on Statutory Age Definitions
1
November 3, 2023
This child can enroll in CSPP on or after their second birthday (November 3, 2025).
This child would be considered a two-year-old for the remainder of the 2025–26 program year and would be considered a statutory three-year-old at the beginning of the 2026–27 program year.
2
February 5, 2023
This child can enroll in CSPP from the beginning of the program year, as they will have had their second birthday (February 5, 2025) before the beginning of the program year.
This child would be considered a two-year old child from the beginning of the program year until their third birthday, at which point they would become a statutory three-year-old.
3
November 3, 2022
This child can enroll in CSPP from the beginning of the program year.
This child would be considered a statutory three-year-old the entire year, even if they are chronologically two years old when enrolling because their birthday is before December 1 of the year they are being served.

Example 1: This child would be considered a “two-year-old" child for the remainder of the 2025–26 program year and would be considered a statutory “three-year-old" child at the beginning of the 2026–27 program year.

Example 2: This child would be considered a “two-year-old" from the beginning of the 2025–26 program year until their third birthday on February 5, 2026. This means that during the 2025–26 program year, this child would be considered both a two- and a three-year-old at different points in the program year. Specifically, during the 2025–26 program year, the child would be considered a two-year-old from July 1, 2025, through February 4, 2026, and a three-year-old beginning February 5, 2026, through the remainder of the program year. The child would be considered a “three-year-old" child in the 2026–27 program year as well, and this status would last for the entirety of that program year.

Example 3: This child would be considered a “three-year-old" starting at the beginning of the 2025–26 program year, even though the child may not be chronologically three years of age at the time of enrollment. The child would remain a “three-year-old" child through the end of the program year.

Eligibility

Two-year-old children, as defined above, must be eligible for CSPP under one of the current eligibility categories to enroll in a CSPP, including if they are being enrolled in the 15 percent above the income eligibility threshold category or the Neighborhood School Eligibility category.

Two-year-old children that were enrolled and receiving services before July 1, 2027, will continue to receive CSPP services and shall not be disenrolled.

Enrollment Priorities

NOTE: This section differs from the email guidance that was released by the CDE on July 8, 2024.

Contractors must follow enrollment priorities for CSPP. If the contractor does not choose to serve two-year-old children, then the priorities for two-year-old children listed below shall not apply and contractors shall follow the California Code of Regulations, Title 5 (5 CCR) section 17746 and 17747, as applicable. However, if the contractor chooses to enroll two-year-old children the following priorities must be followed.

For ease of seeing where two-year-old children fall in the priorities, the CDE has bolded and italicized references to two-year-old children.

  1. First Priority (Part-day and Full-day): The first priority for services shall be given to three-year-old and four-year-old children who are recipients of child protective services or who are at risk of being neglected, abused, or exploited and for whom there is a written referral from a legal, medical, or social service agency. If an agency is unable to enroll a child in this first priority category, the agency shall refer the child’s parent or guardian to local resources and referral services so that services for the child can be located.
    For contractors that choose to serve two-year-old children, once all three and four-year old children in this priority category have been enrolled, priority for services shall then be given to two-year-old children who are recipients of child protective services or who are at risk of being neglected, abused, or exploited and for whom there is a written referral from a legal, medical, or social service agency.
  2. Second Priority (Part-day and Full-day): To the extent that there are additional three-year-old and four-year-old children with exceptional needs interested in enrolling beyond those already enrolled in the percent of funded enrollment set aside pursuant to EC Section 8208, the second priority for services shall be given to children with exceptional needs from families with incomes below the income eligibility threshold, as described in EC Section 8213. Within this priority category, children with exceptional needs from families with the lowest income according to the income ranking on the most recent schedule of income ceiling eligibility table, as published by the CDE at the time of enrollment, shall be enrolled first.
  3. Third Priority (Part-day and Full-day): The third priority for services shall be given to eligible three-year-old, and four-year-old children who are not enrolled in a state-funded transitional kindergarten (TK) program. This priority shall not include children eligible pursuant to clause (v) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of EC Section 8208 if they are from families with incomes above the income eligibility threshold, as described in EC Section 8213.
    • Within this priority category, eligible children with the lowest income according to the income ranking on the most recent schedule of income ceiling eligibility table, as published by the CDE at the time of enrollment, shall be enrolled first.

    • If two or more families have the same income ranking according to the most recent schedule of income ceiling eligibility table, a child who is identified as a dual language learner shall be enrolled first.

    • f there are no children who are identified as dual language learners, the child that has been on the waiting list for the longest time shall be admitted first.
  4. Fourth Priority (Part-day and Full-day): If a contractor chooses to enroll two-year-old children, the fourth priority for services shall be given to eligible two-year-old children. This priority shall not include children eligible pursuant to clause (v) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of EC Section 8208 if they are from families with incomes above the income eligibility threshold, as described in EC Section 8213.

    • Within this priority category, eligible children with the lowest income according to the income ranking on the most recent schedule of income ceiling eligibility table, as published by the CDE at the time of enrollment, shall be enrolled first.

    • If two or more families have the same income ranking according to the most recent schedule of income ceiling eligibility table, a child who is identified as a dual language learner shall be enrolled first.

    • If there are no children who are identified as dual language learners, the child that has been on the waiting list for the longest time shall be admitted first.
  5. Fifth Priority (Part-day and Full-day): The fifth priority, after all otherwise eligible children have been enrolled, shall be children from families whose income is no more than 15 percent above the eligibility income threshold, as described in EC Section 8213.

    • Within this priority category, priority shall be given to three- and four-year-old children with exceptional needs interested in enrolling beyond those already enrolled in the set aside pursuant to EC Section 8208.

      • After the children enrolling pursuant to (a) above are enrolled, three- and four-year-old children without exceptional needs shall be enrolled in income ranking order, with the lowest income according to the income ranking on the most recent schedule of income ceiling eligibility table, as published by the CDE at the time of enrollment, being enrolled first.

      • For purposes of clause (i), if two or more families have the same income ranking according to the most recent schedule of income ceiling eligibility table, the child that has been on the waiting list for the longest time shall be admitted first.
  6. Sixth Priority (Part-day only): After all otherwise eligible children have been enrolled in the priority categories listed above, the contractor may enroll the children in the following order:

    • A CSPP site operating within the attendance boundaries of a qualified free and reduced priced meals school, in accordance with EC Section 8217, may enroll any three-, or four-year-old children, followed by two-year-old children, whose families reside within the attendance boundary of the qualified elementary school. These children shall, to the extent possible, be enrolled by lowest to highest income according to the most recent schedule of income ceiling eligibility table.

    • Children enrolling in the CSPP to provide expanded learning and care to TK or kindergarten pupils, pursuant to subdivision (l) of EC Section 48000.

    Sixth Priority (Full-day only): After all otherwise eligible children have been enrolled in the priority categories listed above, the contractor may enroll the children in the following order:

    • The contractor may enroll two-, three-, and four-year-old children from families that meet eligibility criteria, without regard to the family having a need for full-day CSPP services, pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (d) of Section 8208. Within this priority, contractors shall enroll families in income ranking order, lowest to highest, and within income ranking order, if the contractor has chosen to enroll two-year-old children, three- and four-year-old children must be enrolled before two-year-old children.

    • For CSPP sites operating within the attendance boundaries of a qualified free and reduced priced meals school, in accordance with EC Section 8217, the contractor may enroll any three-, and four-year-old children, followed by two-year-old children, whose families reside within the attendance boundary of the qualified school that has been approved by the CDE, Early Education Division (EED) without establishing eligibility or a need for services pursuant to EC Section 8208(d)(5). These families shall, to the extent possible, be enrolled in income ranking order, by lowest to highest income according to the most recent schedule of income ceiling eligibility table.

Non-Prioritized Families in Part-day and Full-day CSPPs Not Serving Two-Year-Old Children

After all applicable families have been enrolled through the priorities listed above, contractors must enroll families in the order listed below:

  1. Three- and four-year-old children with disabilities from families with income above 15 percent of the income threshold who were not enrolled pursuant to the children with disabilities set aside, pursuant to EC Section 8208.

  2. Early enrollment TK children enrolling in a CSPP operated by the school district or charter school, regardless of income, pursuant to EC Section 48000.15(c) for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 program years.

  3. If a contractor chooses to enroll two-year-old children, then two-year-old children who are eligible for services and not listed above in the priorities.


Staffing Ratios

Contractors that choose to serve two-year-old children must follow one of the two options for ratios listed below:

  1. The contractor may operate using a 1:8 adult to child ratio, with a 1:24 teacher to child ratio, if and only if the number of two-year-old children enrolled in the classroom does not exceed eight children or more than 30 percent of all children enrolled in the classroom, whichever is less.
  2. If a contractor chooses to enroll more two-year-old children in a classroom than described above in (1), a 1:4 adult to child ratio and 1:16 teacher to child ratio must be followed for two-year-old children.
    • Within this requirement and in alignment with Title 5 Section 17714 on commingling:
      • If the number of two-year-old children exceeds 50 percent of the total number of children in attendance, the ratios for the entire group must meet the ratios required for the two-year-old children.

      • If the number of two-year-old children does not exceed 50 percent of the total number of children in attendance, the teacher-child and adult-child ratios shall be computed separately for each group.

NOTE: To ensure contractors are able to meet the required ratios, contractors may limit enrollment of two-year-old children. Although a contractor may limit enrollment of two-year-old children, the contractor must follow eligibility and priority requirements for two-year-old children as defined in EC sections 8208, 8210, and 8211.

Reminder: Please reference the definitions of two- and three-year-old children above, as a child may be chronologically two years of age but meet the definition of a three-year-old child. Ratio requirements set above are based on statutory definitions of two-year-old children, not based on chronological age.

Diapering and Toilet Training in CSPP

Children shall not be denied services or skipped over in priority based on toileting status, as learning to independently use the toilet is not an eligibility requirement for the CSPP. Diapering supplies, including wipes, must be provided by the contractors and diapers or training pants may only be required to be provided by families if the contractor has a written policy adopted by the governing board that includes a parent advisory committee in the decision-making process, pursuant to 5 CCR Section 17736(c).

Policies and Plans

All children must be supported to make progress towards learning new toileting skills and routines and contractors must have a plan in place to address the needs of all children in care. If the program and family have a written toileting plan for a child, the plan must be followed, and staff shall have ready access to the toilet-training plan for children in their care. As a child’s toilet-training plan changes, the program must notify and update the family of the changes. In order to support successful toilet-training and a shared understanding among program staff and families about developmentally appropriate toileting practices, it is recommended that a program develop toilet-training plans.

Contractors must notify all families of diapering and toileting procedures at the time of enrollment, including having extra clothing available, how soiled clothes will be handled, and what a program will do if a child does not have extra clothes or supplies available at any given time.

Contractors must post written and visual handwashing procedures in a place that is visible to children and adults. Handwashing procedures must be followed by children and adults. Staff shall aid children as needed in following handwashing procedures.

Contractors must post written and visual non-punitive, developmentally appropriate, and age-appropriate toileting procedures that are visible to all children and adults. Toileting procedures must be followed.

Contractors must post written and visual non-punitive, developmentally appropriate, and age-appropriate diapering procedures in a place that is visible to children and adults. Diapering procedures must be followed.

Contractors must have an identified area for diapering and toilet-training.

While diapering or toileting, a teacher must be able to ensure visual supervision of all children in their ratio at all times.

Procedures for Diapering & Toileting

When changing a child's diapers or changing soiled clothing, the following shall apply:

  • Each child’s clothing and diapers must be changed as often as necessary to ensure that the child is clean and dry at all times, and all children must have sufficient changes of clothing and diapers or training pants, as needed.

  • If a child runs out of extra clothes to change into and needs to be changed, a contractor must have a plan in place to ensure the child can be changed into extra clothes. This plan cannot include having a guardian pick them up early or bring clothes prior to their scheduled pick-up time.

  • When diapering or supporting toileting with a child, staff must wear disposable gloves. These gloves must be changed and disposed of after each use and staff must perform handwashing procedures before assisting another child.

  • Children must be diapered on a changing table, a pad on the floor that can be sanitized and disinfected after each use or using a standing method. No child shall be left unattended while on a changing table and the staff must always keep at least one hand on a child at the changing table.

  • The diaper changing surface, including the changing table, changing pads, and/or floor area, must be disinfected after each use even when disposal covers are used.
  • The diaper changing area must not be located in the kitchen or food-preparation area.

  • When a potty chair is used, it must be placed on the floor and used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. After each use, the potty chair must be promptly emptied into a flushing toilet, and all surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

  • No child shall be left unattended while on a potty chair or seat.

  • Soiled or wet clothing or cloth diapers provided by the child's authorized representative must be placed in an airtight container labeled with the child’s name and returned to the authorized representative at the end of each day. The airtight container shall prevent the escape of fluids and odors and be portable enough to give to the authorized representative.

  • Solid waste must be stored, located and disposed of in a manner that will not transmit communicable diseases or odors, create a nuisance, or provide a breeding place or food source for insects or rodents.

  • All containers used for storage of solid waste, including movable bins, must have a tightfitting cover that is kept on; be in good repair; and be leakproof and rodent-proof. These containers must be cleaned and sanitized on a daily basis.

  • All diapering supplies, including cleaning and disinfectant supplies, must be inaccessible to children.

NOTE ON RATIOS: During the time that an adult program staff is supervising children in the restroom or changing a diaper outside of the classroom, this program staff member counts in ratio for the children in the restroom and does not count in ratio for the classroom until the staff member returns to the classroom with all the children in the restroom. A program staff member must not have their back turned towards any children under their supervision as this staff member must maintain visual supervision while changing diapers and/or assisting in toileting.

Universal PreKindergarten Toileting Toolkit:

For more information on best practices for toileting, partnering with families and communities, and more, please see the California’s Great Start, Developmentally Appropriate Toileting Practices Toolkit External link opens in new window or tab..

Licensing Requirements

A preschool license may, but does not always, include children ages 24 months through entrance into first grade. CSPP contractors choosing to serve two-year-old children are responsible for confirming that their classroom license allows them to serve children as young as 24 months. Refer to your program’s facility license(s) and/or contact your California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Community Care Licensing (CCL) analyst to determine the ages of children you are licensed to serve. You may access licensing information on the CCL website External link opens in new window or tab. by clicking on “Regional Office Search”.

Questions regarding additional requirements based about your program’s facility license(s) can be directed to your local Regional Office External link opens in new window or tab. or you may utilize the CDSS Office Locator tool External link opens in new window or tab..

Desired Results Developmental Profile

In accordance with 5 CCR 17702, contractors serving two-year-old children must complete the age-appropriate Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) for each child enrolled in the program for at least 10 hours per week. The DRDP must be completed for each child between 60 and 90 calendar days from the first day of attendance and at least once every six months thereafter. The contractor must use the data from the DRDP to plan and conduct age and developmentally appropriate activities.

For children chronologically two years through two years and eight months, contractors must use one of the following DRDP options:

  1. DRDP (2015) Infant/Toddler Comprehensive View (rev. 6/27/2019)
  2. DRDP (2015) Infant/Toddler Essential View (rev. 6/28/2019)

For two-year-old children that are chronologically at least two years and nine months of age and served in a preschool classroom, contractors must use one of the following DRDP options:

  1. DRDP (2015) Preschool Comprehensive View (rev. 6/24/2019)
  2. DRDP (2015) Preschool Fundamental View (rev. 6/24/2019)
  3. DRDP (2015) Preschool Essential View (rev. 6/24/2019)

Classroom Assessment Scoring System Observations and CLASS Environment Observations

In alignment with MB 23-10, when conducting a Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) or CLASS Environment Observation in a mixed-age setting or classroom, including in family childcare homes operating as part of a Family Childcare Home Education Network (FCCHEN), contractors must observe using the CLASS Second Edition Pre-K-3rd.

Data Submission and Reporting

Contractors must report all enrolled two-year-old children in the applicable data systems beginning with the first data reporting period for the 2024–25 fiscal year (FY).

California Preschool Data Collection (CASPDAC) System users and Child Development Management Information System (CDMIS) users will submit data for two-year-old children beginning with the first 2024–25 data submission period opening August 1, 2024, for children enrolled in CSPP for the month of July 2024.

Preschool Language Information System (PLIS) users will begin to report two-year-old children with the 2024–25 Quarter 1 reporting period opening October 1, 2024, for children enrolled in CSPP for the months of July, August, and September 2024.

As a reminder, local educational agencies (LEAs), which include county offices of education, school districts, and charter schools, are required to complete the CAPSDAC Monthly Data Submission in the CAPSDAC System. Community-based organizations including private agencies and businesses as well as public agencies that are not considered LEAs for purposes of CASPDAC such as community college districts, are required to complete the monthly CDD-801A Report in the CDMIS, and the quarterly PLIS Report in the PLIS.

The FY 2024–25 Enrollment, Attendance, and Fiscal Reports, found in the California Preschool Accounting Reporting Information System (CPARIS), have been modified to allow contractors to report two-year-old children. The adjustment factors for two-year-olds are identical to the adjustment factors for three-year-olds. Therefore, the Three Years Old lines of the FY 2024–25 Enrollment, Attendance, and Fiscal Reports in CPARIS have been updated to Two Years Old and Three Years Old. Contractors will report on both two-year-old and three-year-old child days of enrollment in this section.

Contractors are reminded that reporting child days of enrollment within the Two Years Old and Three Years Old adjustment factor category is based on the statutory age definitions. Please refer to the Examples of Age Categories section of this MB for further information.

Background and Authority

The Early Education Act (EEA) comprised of EC sections 8200 through 8489.1, governs preschool programs overseen by the CDE’s EED. The CSPP serves three- and four-year old children and provides developmentally appropriate programs designed to facilitate the transition to kindergarten. Part-day, part-year CSPP can also provide extended learning and care for children enrolled in a TK or kindergarten program during the hours that they are not receiving instructional time services in a TK or kindergarten program, not to exceed three hours. While not addressed in the EEA, school districts and charter schools also offer TK to four-year old children, and families eligible for CSPP may choose between CSPP and a TK program classroom.

The SB 163, Chapter 73, Statutes of 2024, amended EC 8205, 8207, 8208, 8210, 8211, 8244 and added EC Section 8207.1, until July 1, 2027, when these changes and additions become inoperative. EC Section 8207.1 includes language stating that until July 1, 2027, a California state preschool contractor operating a part-day, full-day, or both part- and full-day CSPP may, but is not required to, enroll interested eligible two-year-old children. Section 8207.1 further provided that the department may implement this section and associated guidance on serving two-year-old children through MBs or similar letters of instruction.

On September 30, 2024, AB 176 (Chapter 998, Statutes of 2024) was enacted, further amending section 8207.1 to require that such guidance be implemented in consultation with the CDSS and that the guidance includes information on safe, age-appropriate diaper and toilet training in alignment with Title 22 regulations.

The EC Section 8205 contains statutory definitions that are pertinent to contractors operating a CSPP. Until July 1, 2027, this section includes a definition for “two-year-old children”.

The EC Section 8207 addresses CSPP program administration requirements. This section has been amended until July 1, 2027, to include two-year-old children as an age group included in the program design for CSPP.

Eligibility criteria for CSPP are set forth in EC 8208. This section has been temporarily amended to include eligibility for two-year-old children, along with three- and four-year-old children.

Priority criteria for part-day and full-day CSPP are set forth in EC sections 8210 and 8211 respectively. These sections have been temporarily amended to include priority for two-year-old children amongst the enrollment priorities.

The SB 75, the Budget Act of 2019, added EC Section 8217 and allowed CSPP contractors to enroll four-year-old children through Neighborhood School Eligibility. AB 185, effective July 1, 2022, modified this section to include three-year-old children in Neighborhood School Eligibility as well. AB 176 modified this section to include two-year-old children until July 1, 2027.

The EC Section 8244 contains statutory requirements regarding adjustment factors that reflect the additional expenses for serving children in CSPP that meet specific criteria. This section has been amended to include the adjustment factor for serving two-year-old children which is an adjustment factor of 1.8; the same as for serving a three-year old child.

The 5 CCR Section 17702 requires contractors to complete a Desired Results Developmental Profile 2015 (DRDP [2015]) for each child who is enrolled in the program at least ten (10) hours per week, within sixty (60) calendar days of enrollment, and at least once every six (6) months.

Resources

To further support contractors, the CDE has compiled a frequently asked questions document which can be found here: insert link here

A resources page specific to serving two-year-old children in CSPP has been developed on the California Educator’s Together web page External link opens in new window or tab..

For modules on supporting early childhood development and professional development opportunities through a virtual learning platform, visit California Early Childhood Online (CECO) External link opens in new window or tab..

To support family education and understanding of developmentally appropriate practices and supporting development, the CDE recommends programs become familiar with resources such as Zero to Three External link opens in new window or tab. and share this information with families.

As programs are looking into supporting two-year-old children, a compendium of resources External link opens in new window or tab. are available around Office of Head Start, training and technical assistance, job center, and events.

For more information on supporting children in developmentally appropriate toileting practices, see the California’s Great Start, Developmentally Appropriate Toileting Practices Toolkit External link opens in new window or tab..

In order to support best practices, the CDE recommends reviewing the National Health and Safety Performance Standards Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs which can be found in Caring for Our Children Fourth Edition External link opens in new window or tab..

For more information on the Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations, please see the following resource page.

For more information on how to support children and families with the transition to elementary school, please see the California’s Great Start Transition to Elementary School page External link opens in new window or tab..

If you have programmatic questions related to this MB, please contact your assigned EED, Program Quality Implementation (PQI) office regional consultant. This can be accessed through the EED, PQI regional consultant directory web page.

If you have fiscal questions about the information in this email, please contact your assigned CDE Early Education Nutrition and Fiscal Services (EENFS) fiscal analyst by accessing the fiscal analyst directory.

Pursuant to the authority provided in SB 163 and AB 176, this MB constitutes guidance for serving two-year-old children in CSPP.

Questions:   Early Education Division| 916-322-6233
Last Reviewed: Friday, April 11, 2025
Recently Posted in Early Education
  • Serving Two-Year-Old Children in CSPP FAQ (added 11-Apr-2025)
    Frequently asked questions (FAQ) for serving two-year-old children in California State Preschool Programs (CSPP)
  • Management Bulletin 25-03 (added 11-Apr-2025)
    This Management Bulletin (MB) notifies and provides guidance to California State Preschool Program (CSPP) contractors of the new law that allows, but does not require, two-year-old children to be enrolled in the CSPP.
  • Management Bulletin 25-02 (added 19-Mar-2025)
    This Management Bulletin notifies and provides guidance to California State Preschool Program Contractors about requirements for the Fiscal Year 2024–25 Program Self Evaluation.
  • CAPSDAC Update #5 (added 13-Mar-2025)
    This web page includes information related to updates in the California Preschool Data Collection (CAPSDAC) Monthly Data Submission.
  • Classroom Assessment Scoring System Data Guidance (added 10-Mar-2025)
    Data guidance on implementation of Management Bulletin 23-10.

  • PTKLF Publications (Traditional Chinese Version) (added 06-Mar-2025)
    The Traditional Chinese version of the Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations (PTKLF) provide guidance to all California early education programs.
  • Management Bulletin 25-01 (added 19-Feb-2025)
    This Management Bulletin provides guidance on reporting requirements for California State Preschool Programs operated by a Community-Based Organization or Community College District.
  • Guidance for Wildfire Executive Order N-17-25 (added 19-Feb-2025)
    Guidance to California State Preschool Program (CSPP) contractors of additional flexibilities that were granted through Executive Order (EO) N-17-25 regarding the wildfires in Los Angeles (LA) and Ventura Counties.