CSPP as an Extended Learning and Care Option

Early Education Division Email

Date: September 20, 2022

Expires: Superseded by Management Bulletin 23-05: Part-Day California State Preschool Program as an Extended Learning and Care Option

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

As of July 1, 2022, children enrolled in a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) or Kindergarten (K) program may be enrolled in the part-day California State Preschool Program (CSPP) for extended learning and care services during the hours that they are not receiving educational services in a TK or K program. CSPP contractors are required to follow all current laws in place for part-day CSPP, including eligibility, priority, and certification, that may impact enrolling children in part-day CSPP extended learning and care.

Note: Extended learning and care was previously an option in full-day CSPP as well. That is no longer the case as of July 1, 2022. TK and K students who are currently enrolled in full-day CSPP and are still within their 12-month eligibility period must not be disenrolled at this time. Contractors shall not enroll any additional TK and K students in full-day CSPP going forward. As families reach their recertification dates, contractors must disenroll the family from full-day CSPP and assist the family in finding a part-day CSPP or refer the family to the local Resource and Referral Agency to find another care option.

Assembly Bill (AB) 185 is on the Governor’s desk pending approval to be signed into law. By law, the Governor is required to sign or veto any bills into law by September 30 (if no action is taken, a bill automatically becomes law).

• AB 185 will authorize part-day CSPPs to provide and certify TK or K families for part-day CSPP services for less than four hours per day (which services may also not overlap with the instructional minutes of TK or K).
• AB 185 will also authorize part-day CSPPs operating on a local educational agency (LEA) campus to operate a part-day preschool program that allows flexibility in the operational hours and enrollment cutoff dates to better align with the enrollment for the new school year.
  

AB 185 also provides that until regulations are filed with the Secretary of State to implement this change, the department shall implement these changes through management bulletins or similar letters of instruction to be issued on or before December 31, 2022. The Early Education Division (EED) will notify the field as soon as these provisions become law, and a Management Bulletin on this policy is forthcoming.

In the interim, if you have any programmatic questions regarding this policy, please contact your assigned EED Program Quality Implementation (PQI) Office Regional Consultant at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/assignments.asp.

If you have any fiscal questions about this policy, please contact your assigned Early Education and Nutrition Fiscal Services (EENFS) analyst. The fiscal analyst directory can be accessed at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/cd/faad.asp.