Cal. EDC § 8320

region.

(2) To the extent funds are available in the Budget Act of 2023, existing grantees shall be eligible to apply for a renewal grant subject to terms and conditions developed by the Superintendent.

(3) (A) To the extent funds are available in the Budget Act of 2024, the following entities shall be eligible to apply for a grant subject to terms and conditions developed by the Superintendent:

(i) Existing grantees.

(ii) Newly formed consortia.

(iii) Individual counties that participated in a former consortium for this grant, with the first priority for the funds going to the local planning council, pursuant to the process described in subdivision (c), as appropriate.

(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), in a county that previously received funds from this grant, where the previous grantee or consortia of grantees does not intend to reapply for funding pursuant to subparagraph (A), the following entities shall be eligible to apply as part of an existing or newly formed consortia, with the following priority order:

(i) The local planning council.

(ii) Resource and referral agencies.

(iii) First 5 county commissions.

(C) If an entity applies for the grant pursuant to subparagraph (B), the grant submission shall include a signed statement, from all entities within the county with a higher priority and within the same priority, that acknowledges their intent not to apply for the funds.

(D) An entity receiving funds pursuant to this paragraph shall complete all activities of the grant pursuant to subparagraph (D) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c), subparagraph (E) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c), and subdivision (f).

(E) The entity applying for funds in each county pursuant to this paragraph shall express interest by submitting a letter of intent to the department on a template developed by the Superintendent, before submitting the request for data.

(F) Each county shall submit a single planning grant application for the relevant fiscal year.

(G) If funds are awarded pursuant to this paragraph to a First 5 county commission, the First 5 county commission shall collaborate with, and subgrant funds, where appropriate, to local planning councils and resource and referral agencies to implement the activities of this section.

(4) (A) For the 2026–27 fiscal year, the sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the department for allocation to local educational agencies pursuant to subparagraph (B). These funds shall be available for encumbrance until June 30, 2032.

(B) Existing local educational agency grantees or new local educational agency consortia lead agencies shall be eligible to apply for a renewal grant or new grant, respectively, subject to terms and conditions developed by the Superintendent, which shall include, but not be limited to, a one-to-one funding match requirement.
(B). These funds shall be available for encumbrance until June 30, 2032.

(B) Existing local educational agency grantees or new local educational agency consortia lead agencies shall be eligible to apply for a renewal grant or new grant, respectively, subject to terms and conditions developed by the Superintendent, which shall include, but not be limited to, a one-to-one funding match requirement.

(e) Grant funds may be used for costs associated with any of the following:

(1) Assessing the parental preferences and the need for access to available high-quality universal preschool through a mixed-delivery system for three- and four-year-old children in the county or region by program type.

(2) Establishing or strengthening partnerships with other providers of early childhood education services and family childcare home education networks within the county or region’s mixed-delivery system and with tribal partners, to ensure that high-quality options for universal preschool, including inclusive preschool programs and multilingual programs, are available for three- and four-year-old children.

(3) Engaging in community-level coordination and planning with agencies participating in the county or region’s mixed-delivery system to implement high-quality universal preschool options.

(4) Coordinating with special education local and regional partners, including regional centers and local educational agencies, to ensure three- and four-year-old children with exceptional needs in the county or region have access to universal preschool through the mixed-delivery system in the least restrictive environment in accordance with Section 1412(a)(5)(A) of Title 20 of the United States Code.

(5) Partnering with the regional agency responsible for the system described in Section 8203.1 to fund and support workforce development, coaching, and other quality improvement activities to support the universal preschool mixed-delivery system.

(6) Other costs, as specified by the Superintendent.

(f) Entities receiving grants pursuant to this subdivision shall do all of the following:

(1) Plan for the provision of high-quality universal preschool options for three- and four-year-old children, through a mixed-delivery system that ensures access to high-quality full- and part-day learning experiences, coordinated services, and referrals for families to access health and social-emotional support services. Indicators of quality shall be determined by the Superintendent pursuant to Section 8203.

(2) Plan for increasing inclusion of children with exceptional needs in universal preschool.

(3) Assist existing and aspiring universal preschool site supervisors, teachers, and other support staff in identifying and accessing local workforce pathway programs, including financial support programs, to increase the number of site supervisors, teachers, and other support staff who have required credentials and degrees.

(4) Provide outreach services and enrollment support for families of three- or four-year-old children, to meet family needs and provide those children with high-quality full- and part-day learning experiences.

(5) Partner to plan for, align and coordinate the plans, and conduct the activities described in paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, with all local educational agencies in the county or region that received funding pursuant to the California Prekindergarten Planning and Implementation Grant Program (Article 13.2 (commencing with Section 8281.5)).

(6) Partner with tribes to reflect family and tribal community needs, as sovereign nations, in the planning and implementation of the universal preschool mixed-delivery system.
usive, with all local educational agencies in the county or region that received funding pursuant to the California Prekindergarten Planning and Implementation Grant Program (Article 13.2 (commencing with Section 8281.5)).

(6) Partner with tribes to reflect family and tribal community needs, as sovereign nations, in the planning and implementation of the universal preschool mixed-delivery system.

(7) Commit to providing program data to the department, as specified by the Superintendent, including, but not limited to, plan development steps and participants engaged in the grant activities and planning, core needs of critical communities, including tribal communities, and recipient information and participation in overall program evaluation.

(8) Develop a plan for consideration by the county board of education at a public meeting on or before June 30, 2023, for how all four-year-old children and an increased number of at-promise three-year-old children in the county may access full-day learning programs before kindergarten that meet the needs of parents, including through partnerships with the universal preschool programs in the mixed-delivery system and expanded learning offerings.

(g) If the entity receiving the grant in a county is a local planning council, the local planning council shall collaborate with, and subgrant funds where appropriate to, local resource and referral agencies to implement the activities of this section.

(h) If the entity receiving the grant in a county is a resource and referral agency, the resource and referral agency shall collaborate with, and subgrant funds where appropriate to, the local planning council to implement the activities of this section.

(i) (1) Funds that are allocated or awarded pursuant to this section shall be expended on or before June 30, 2032. Notwithstanding any other law, on June 30, 2032, any unexpended funds of the amount awarded for purposes of this subdivision shall revert to the General Fund.

(2) The department shall initiate collection proceedings for grant funds used by grantees in a manner inconsistent with the requirements of this section, including, but not limited to, failing to submit all required data pursuant to subdivision (f).

(j) This section does not prohibit counties from joining together to address regional needs with their funding and developing regional plans.

(k) The Superintendent shall provide a report to the Department of Finance and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature on or before October 1, 2029, on the expenditure of funds and relevant outcome data in order to evaluate the impact of the grants awarded under this section.

(l) For purposes of this section, the State Department of Education may enter into exclusive or nonexclusive contracts with nongovernmental entities on a bid or negotiated basis. A contract entered into or amended pursuant to this section shall be exempt from Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 14825) of Part 5.5 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, Section 19130 of the Government Code, and Part 2 (commencing with Section 10100) of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code, and shall be exempt from the review or approval of any division of the Department of General Services.

(m) Notwithstanding any other law, a contracted nongovernmental entity described in subdivision (l) may subcontract as necessary in the performance of its duties, subject to approval of the Superintendent.

(n) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.
oval of any division of the Department of General Services.

(m) Notwithstanding any other law, a contracted nongovernmental entity described in subdivision (l) may subcontract as necessary in the performance of its duties, subject to approval of the Superintendent.

(n) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.

(o) For purposes of making the computations required by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, the appropriation made by paragraph (4) of subdivision (d) shall be deemed to be “General Fund revenues appropriated for school districts,” as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 41202, for the 2025–26 fiscal year, and included within the “total allocations to school districts and community college districts from General Fund proceeds of taxes appropriated pursuant to Article XIII B,” as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 41202, for the 2025–26 fiscal year.