Early Education Teacher Development Grant Report - Legislative Report

California Department of Education Report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, the Legislature, and the Department of Finance

Executive Summary

This report is required by California Education Code (EC), Section 8281.5(e)(10), authorized by Assembly Bill (AB) 130, (Chapter 44, Statutes of 2021). EC 8281.5(e) authorizes the Early Education Teacher Development (EETD) grant to increase the number of highly-qualified teachers available to serve California State Preschool Programs (CSPP) and transitional kindergarten (TK) pupils, and to provide CSPP, TK, and kindergarten teachers with training in providing instruction in inclusive classrooms, culturally responsive instruction, supporting dual language learners, enhancing social-emotional learning, implementing trauma-informed practices and restorative practices, and mitigating implicit biases to eliminate exclusionary discipline. The report will focus on the expenditure of funds and relevant outcome data to evaluate the impact of the grants awarded pursuant to EC 8281.5 (e)(10).

Seventy-two local educational agencies (LEAs) were awarded a portion of the $100 million in one-time funding. As a condition of receiving funding, grantees were required to report to the CDE the expenditure of funds and relevant outcome data related to grant activities. Based on the data submitted, grantees have spent $963,338 on tuition and stipends to support CSPP and TK teacher candidates and $15 million, overall. Additionally, EETD grantees have hosted professional development opportunities for 21,132 early educators in CSPP, TK, and K programs.

Grantees report that a primary use of EETD grant funding is to offer tuition stipends to recruit educators. However, grantees have also reported that tuition stipends are significantly more effective when they cover 75 percent of tuition costs. Rising costs to attend college make it difficult for grantees to offer competitive stipends at the success rate that is needed to meet the high workforce demands in early education. Additionally, low wages have made retention difficult in the early education workforce. This has resulted in continued needs for sustainable early education workforce development and support as Universal PreKindergarten expands.

You can find this report at the CDE Early Education Division’s Laws, Regulations, & Requirements web page.

Evaluating the Impact of the Early Education Teacher Development Grant Expenditures and Outcomes – Legislative Report (DOCX)