Issue #8                                         February 20, 2018
"Children Learning, Parents Earning, Communities Growing"
A Message From State Superintendent  Candidate, Marshall Tuck
California prides itself as a global center of innovation, creativity, opportunity, and equality. We are the wealthiest state in the nation. We should have among the very best public schools in the country. But the truth is, for too long, our schools have been stuck near the bottom. In California, 6.2 million students attend our public schools; but, about 3 million of them cannot read or write at grade level. The situation is especially bleak for our most vulnerable students.

There are many ways to measure it, but the bottom line is that we have a significant gap in achievement and opportunity
There are many ways to measure it, but the bottom line is that we have a significant gap in achievement and opportunity for many of our state's children, and we know that gap begins before a child's first day of kindergarten. This isn't all that surprising, given that 90% of brain development occurs by the time a child is just 5 years old. As long as our state fails to provide universal access to early childhood education and strong 0-3 supports, this gap will persist.

It's time our politicians stop simply talking about closing the achievement gap and take action to make it a reality. CAPPA members understand how important early education is to this equation. We need to think outside the box and support a variety of quality early education providers so that children- beginning at birth- are provided with opportunities that will nurture and support their cognitive growth. We must consider various models that support the needs of our earliest learners, and that are provided in settings that support the true needs of working families.

As State Superintendent, I will work to make pre-k accessible to all. I will not lose sight of the positive long-term impacts that child care and quality preschool have on the children supported, and also on the economy, including the benefits to working parents--  many of whom are single working mothers.   

When considered against spending on delinquency, dependence on public assistance, and revenue generated on employment and earnings, studies have found significant returns on investments in quality early education and child care. But most importantly, it is a critical tool in our fight against inequity, providing to all children what most affluent parents are already paying to provide to theirs.

Our next State Superintendent needs to be focused on supporting a 21st century public education system for California that truly serves all students. Critical to a 21st century education is accessible pre-k for all, and additional supports for 0-3 year-olds. Thank you for the work you are doing in this area.

Please read our full plan and sign up for updates on our campaign by visiting MarshallTuck.com

DISCLOSURE:  CAPPA neither supports nor endorses candidates.  
Request for Support
In partnership, CAPPA and the Western Center on Law & Poverty are requesting your support on AB 1883 (Weber): 
Child care and development services: military families: alternative payment programs.

AB 1883 seeks to alleviate a multitude of poverty stressors on military families by seeking to clarify that the basic allowance for housing (BAH) should not be considered income in determination of eligibility for CalFRESH and Child Care Voucher programs. For California's CalFRESH program and for California's subsidized child care "voucher" program, the BAH must be counted. However, it is not counted for eligibility purposes for: Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), Head Start, and other federal programs. This bill would align state law with other similarly situated programs and improve access to food and early learning environments for low-income military families.
Assemblymember Shirley Weber

This bill also allows providers of subsidized child care to adjust their rates as they deem appropriate.  Current law restricts subsidized child care providers to an adjustment of their rates only once per year, yet private pay providers can adjust as needed to reflect the ongoing costs of running a private business.  Additionally, this bill deletes the burden on alternative payment programs to randomly sample 10 percent of licensed provider rates yearly since California already captures this information via a biannual Regional Market Rate (RMR).   


By filling out the above form and clicking "SIGN", your information, along with the AB 1883 Support letter, will automatically be emailed to all members of the California Assembly Human Services Committee.
Quick Links
CAPPA's
2017-18 Board of Directors
President
Rick Richardson
 Child Development Associates

Vice President
Karen Marlatt
Valley Oak Children's Services

Treasurer
Beth Chiaro
Child Care Resource Center 

Secretary
LaVera Smith
Supportive Services Fresno

Past President
Martin Castro
Mexican American Opportunity Foundation
Public Policy Co-Chair
Jeffrey Moreira
Crystal Stairs, Inc.

Public Policy Co-Chair
Phillip Warner
Children's Council San Francisco 

Members-at-Large
Tina Barna
Choices for Children

Abby Shull
YMCA Childcare Resource Service 
 
Amanda Al Fartosi
KinderCare Education

Jeanne Fridolfs
Community Resources for Children
 
Mike Michelon
Siskiyou Child Care Council

Marco Jimenez
Central Valley Children's Services Network

Jasmine Tijerino
San Mateo 4Cs

Michelle Graham
Children's Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County

Joie Owen
Glenn County Office of Education

Denyne Micheletti Colburn
CAPPA CEO
EESD/CDE, DSS & CCLD Updates
January 31, 2018
12-month Eligibility Regulation Input:
The Budget Act of 2017 requires the CDE to convene a workgroup to solicit input for developing regulations regarding the provisions of California Education Code 8263(h), 12-month eligibility. In order to garner as much input as possible, the EESD Policy Office has opened an e-mail address to gather input/recommendations from any interested party. Please e-mail your input/recommendations to EESDTitle5@cde.ca.gov. This e-mail address will be available until the close of business on Wednesday, February 28, 2018.
January 25, 2018
A manual letter (
EAS-18-03
) containing amendments to the California Department of Social Services' Eligibility and Assistance Manual has been uploaded onto the Department's website.   
January 24, 2018
The California Department of Social Services has scheduled a public hearing for March 14, 2018, to receive testimony on the CalWORKs Income or Household Composition Reporting, ORD No. 0717-18, regulations package.  Details can be found by clicking Here.
January 20, 2018
A manuel letter containing revisions CDSS' Eligibility and Assistance Standards Manual has been uploaded onto the Departments' website. Click here
 for more information.
January 12, 2018
CDSS has scheduled a public hearing for February 28, 2018, to receive testimony on the "CalWORKs Program: Subsidized Employment, Approved Career Pathways and Post-Aid Services" regulations package.
Click Here  for more information.  
Job Openings

Is Your Organization Hiring?
Post your job announcement here for thousands to see!
There is no charge for CAPPA members.
Non-members will be charged a fee of $75.
Please email us your posting!
International Institute Los Angeles
Solano Family & Children's Services 
International Institute Los Angeles
UC Berkeley
North Coast Opportunities-Lake County
Children's Council of San Francisco
Child Care Coordinating Council, Inc. of San Mateo County
International Institute Los Angeles

Go Kids, Inc., Gilroy

Teacher Assistant
International Institute of Los Angeles

Child Development Inc. is Hiring! See the Recruitment Flyer  Here.
Announcements
CAPPA Member-only Benefits:
All new AP branding templates  from CAPPA's Branding Committee are now available for CAPPA members. 

Self-Care is Not Selfish 


Save money when you join TechSoup! TechSoup is a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits.  Save hundreds of dollars on products like Microsoft Office, Antivirus software, a number of fundraising programs, and much more!  Signing up to become a TechSoup member is the first step toward getting product donations. Once you sign up, you can see the donation programs your organization is eligible for. 
Sign up  and check it out today!  Once you've signed up as a TechSoup member, you can register your organization and get started requesting donations.

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support CAPPA every time you shop.  When you shop at  smile.amazon.com , you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to CAPPA. 
If interested, you can also sign up for an Amazon Business account for free. This is similar to a Prime account and will give you free 2-day shipping. You can learn more  Here.
Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you for your support! 
February Featured Agency of the Month! Kings Community Action Organization (KCAO)
 



Kings Community Action Organization (KCAO) is a community based non-profit organization established in 1965 pursuant to the federal legislation "Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". KCAO serves children, families, and providers across Kings County with a variety of services with our mission to develop self-sufficiency. With over 240 employees and 500 volunteer we are committed to improving our communities and demonstrate our passion through daily interactions with families and community partners.  KCAO is often referred to as the "hub of Kings County" as our mixed funding of Federal, State and local funding allows us to provide an array of services that can be accessed in one location. 
Field Happenings!
The CAPPA Board has made it a priority to support our field with a coordinated calendar to note upcoming statewide conferences, federal conferences of relevance, CDE and DSS stakeholder meetings and legislative and budget deadlines and hearings. 
  • Community Resources for Children
         For the Love of Reading: The 7th Annual Family Literacy Night!     February 23rd
    for this FREE event. 
  • Valley Oak Children's Services' benefit concert to support their Butte Parent Cafe Program 
    February 24th in Chico  Get tickets Here.    
  • State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (SAC) meeting Feb 28 at 9am. Click here for more information
  • SSPI Torlakson Early Learning and Educational Support Stakeholder Group meeting  Feb 28 at 1pm  Click here to RSVP.
  • 4Cs of Alameda County offering Tax Preparation Services  Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) provides free tax preparation services for eligible low and moderate income families. February 1st-April 12th. Learn More Here.
  • Click here  to see the calendar.
  • If you have news to share or an event you want added to CAPPA's website Calendar,  email us!
CAPPA Monday Morning Update Partner






Our Monday Morning Update supports our Early Learning & Child Care field with timely information about what is going on in California and nationally; as well as dates to be aware and upcoming events. 

Our weekly (50 times per year) Monday morning distribution is to more than 4,000 federal and state local agencies, resource and referrals, contractors, legislators and their staffs', centers, parents, providers, state departments and advocates.  

To help support the continuation of this resource and or advertise in the Monday Morning Update, click  HERE. 

You can also make a donation to CAPPA and CAPPA Children's Foundation
The Children's Foundation is a non-profit organization (501(c)3), Taxpayer Identification Number is 
03-0521444. Your generous donation is tax deductible.
What's Happening
California 
State Legislation 
California Assembly and Senate floor sessions will convene on Tuesday and Thursday this week. 
This past Friday, February 16, was the last day for bills to be introduced for the 2017-18 Legislative Session, resulting in a flurry of bills, many of which are of interest to the field. 

The grand total for bills introduced is as follow:   The California State Assembly introduced 3,239 Assembly Bills (including 1506 new ones in 2018) and the State Senate introduced 1,490 Senate Bills (including 673 in 2018). 
 
Click here   to be directed to CAPPA's website to see all of the legislation that has been identified to be of interest to our field. You can find fact sheets and sample letter templates when available. On this page, CAPPA will also note legislative hearings of interest to our field.  To track and/or review legislation or to create your own tracking list,  click here.  

Here is a small sample of bills that have been identified as being of interest to the child care and early education field. You can find a more expansive list on our website. 
  • AB 1883 (Weber) Child care and development services: military families: alternative payment programs.   *CAPPA & Western Center on Law and Poverty (WCLP) cosponsored bill.  This bill would clarify that military basic allowance for housing (BAH) of a person who is on state or federal active duty, active duty for special work, or Active Guard and Reserve duty in the military not be considered income for purposes of determining child care eligibility.  This change is consistent with the IRS that also lists BAH as one of the tax-exempt military allowances not considered as earned income when determining eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Head Start and other assistance programs. 
  • AB-1754 (McCarty) Pre-K for All Act of 2018 -  Pre-K for All Act of 2018.  The intent of this bill is to to ensure a fair start to all low-income children by providing quality early care and education for all low-income children whose families wish to enroll them in early care and education programs.
  • AB 2001 (Reyes) Family Child Care Education Networks - This bill seeks to  require that tools used to make family child care assessments be appropriate to family child care  home  settings, and would require a family child care  home   education  network program to include the maintenance of a developmental portfolio for each child, as provided, and opportunities for parent involvement.   Fact Sheet.
  • AB 2292 (Aguiar-Curry) Child care: reimbursement rates: start-up costs: grants -  This bill would allow for a higher rate of reimbursement to Child Day Care Center and Family Child Care Homes through an adjustment factor for infants and toddlers, aged 0 to 36 months. In addition, this bill establishes a grant program designed to assist new Child Care and Development Center and State Preschool Programs with funding to reflect start-up costs of opening new facilities.  
  • AB 2626 (Mullin) Child care services - This bill seeks to clarify that families receiving services on the basis of seeking employment or housing, and/or incapacity shall receive services for no less than 12 months. Additionally, it makes it possible so that these families can be provided with full-time child care, as opposed to the current part time maximum. This bill would also allow for intra-agency adjustments between the state preschool program contracts and general child care contracts for the same agency and funding allocation.
  • SB 1359 (McGuire) Child care services: CalWORKs: Stage 2 - This bill seeks to merge Stage 2 and 3 child care, by removing the 24 month time clock for families in Stage 2 child care, and instead would clarify that a family is eligible for child care until they otherwise income out of the program at 85 percent of the State Median Income (SMI), thus expanding entitlement to all CalWORKs families. 
For child care and early education, our need and our ask is quite simple... 

WHAT DO WE WANT...
100,000 CHILD CARE SLOTS!!!
WHEN DO WE NEED THEM...NOW!!!
  • Parents need access to 24 hour/7 days per week affordable child care options that meet the demands of full time employment.
  • Children need stable and enriching child care settings to attain greater educational outcomes.
  • Child care providers and teachers need to be reimbursed livable rates that value their profession and economic contributions.
  • Employers need a reliable workforce.

Click here to read CAPPA Policy Principles & Goals: Partnering in 2017-18.   To help support a coordinated ask from our field, CAPPA will contribute to the development of talking papers, sign on communications, and more.   The more coordinated we are in our asks and priorities, the better the outcomes for families and children.

State Budget Update
will be available to CAPPA Members and subscribers only.  On this new and improved webpage, CAPPA will begin hosting enhanced budget information and strategic communications.  Annual subscriptions will be available to non-members for $50/year. 

Upcoming Budget Hearings:
FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE BUDGET, VISIT OR SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BUDGET WEBPAGE.

Upcoming Advocacy Days

 Join Us in Advocating for Our State's 
Youngest Learners!
We are excited to have Senator Connie M. Leyva and Kristin Shumacher, Budget Analyst for the California Budget Policy Center, join us for the annual Early Learning Advocacy Day on March 1, in Sacramento, California. 

This all-day event will bring together early learning advocates from across California to "Seize the Moment for California's Youngest Children" and brief state legislators on why high-quality early learning programs are an essential investment for California and the nation.

Take the opportunity to:
  • Participate in small-group visits with state legislators
  • Learn about innovation in early learning taking place throughout California
  • Meet and network with other early learning advocates
ELAD Meeting Location: California District Attorneys Association, Sacramento, CA

If you would like something added to the CAPPA/Field Happenings Calendar, click here.  To view the calendar, click here.

SHARING FROM OUR STATE WIDE PARTNERS

If you would like something added to the CAPPA/Field Happenings Calendar,  click here.  To view the calendar, click here.
New Budget Center Analysis Shows Need to Increase CalWORKs Grants
By Kristin Schumacher,  Senior Policy Analyst, California Budget & Policy Center

The California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program helps support nearly 900,000 children across our state by providing families with modest monthly cash grants, while also assisting parents in preparing for and finding employment.

Yet even though CalWORKs is a critical support for families with low incomes, state policymakers significantly reduced CalWORKs grant levels during and after the Great Recession and have only taken modest steps in recent years to build back CalWORKs grants. In addition, Governor Brown's proposed state budget for 2018-19 does not call for boosting grant levels.

A new California Budget & Policy Center Fact Sheet  highlights the need for increasing CalWORKs grants. This analysis not only points to how these grants have failed to keep up with inflation (see chart below), but also shows that, if not increased, they would continue to fall below the "deep poverty" threshold (equal to just 50% of the federal poverty line).



Federal
Sign the Petition to Expand Child Care Access
Last week, Congress agreed on a budget deal that includes the largest increase for child care funding in our country's history - but the fight isn't over yet. For many families across the United States, child care costs more than rent, and child care workers are bringing home poverty wages at an average of less than $23,000 per year.


The Child Care for Working Families Act works to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care for all children who need it. Passing this child care bill would mean...
  • Lowering the percentage of a family's income spent on child care to 7 percent, making child care affordable.
  • More than doubling the number of children eligible for child care assistance, and ensuring all those who are eligible have the ability to enroll their child in a quality program.
  • Supporting universal access to high-quality preschool programs for all low- and middle-income three- and four-year-olds
  • Ensuring that all child care workers are paid a living wage
  • Building more inclusive, high-quality child care facilities for children with disabilities, and infants and toddlers with disabilities, including by increasing funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Child Care in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018: Frequently Asked Questions
On February 9, Congress passed and the president signed a two-year budget deal, that includes an additional $5.8 billion in discretionary funding will be provided over two years for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). This deal will increase discretionary funding to CCDBG from $2.9 billion in FY 2017 to $5.8 billion in FY 2018 and in FY 2019. 
We understand that there are many questions about this deal. This factsheet, created by CLASP and the National Women's Law Center, answers "frequently asked questions" about the budget deal. Please reach out to Hannah Matthews for further questions. 
Trump Budget Deeply Cuts Assistance for Low-and Moderate-Income Families

Less than two months after signing massive tax cuts that largely benefit those at the top of the economic ladder, President Trump has put forward a 2019 budget that cuts basic assistance that millions of families struggling to get by need to help pay the rent, put food on the table, and get health care.
The cuts would affect a broad range of low- and moderate-income people, including parents, children, seniors, and people with disabilities.
Taken together, the cuts are far deeper than any ever enacted and would deepen poverty and hardship and swell the ranks of the uninsured.
These cuts would also leave funding substantially below the 2019 level agreed to in the recent bipartisan agreement and grow even larger in subsequent years.
The effect would be dramatic. 
Of Interest
Upcoming CAPPA Events 

CAPPA Statewide Meeting-in partnership with CDE-Northern CA location just added!
April 5, 2018
Pomona Unified School District
1460 E. Holt Avenue 
Pomona, CA 91767
Entrance 3 
9:30am-2:30pm
June 21, 2018
University of Phoenix
2860 Gateway Oaks Drive
Bldg. B, Ste. 100
Sacramento CA  95833
Classrooms 121/122/123 
9:30am-2:30pm
To better support our field, CAPPA, in partnership with CDE, will be hosting TWO, informational trainings for our field in both Pomona and in Sacramento!  
These Statewide Meetings will bring our field together to share insights and experiences, explore ideas, shape policy, and discuss best practices.
Both locations will offer the same format, agenda and presentations. We hope you can join us!

Agenda:
9:00am
Registration
9:30am-11:00am
 Improper Payment Elimination and Recovery Act Results
 The purpose of this informational session is to present information and results regarding the Improper Payments and Elimination Recovery Act (IPERA) review for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2015-16.
11:00am-12:30pm
 Overview of the Alternative Payment, CalWORKs Child Care and Family Child Care Home Education Networks Review Guide
This workshop presents an overview of the Alternative Payment review guide and provides clear written information that will be used in Alternative Payment monitoring reviews.
12:30pm
Lunch
1:00pm-2:30pm
 Attendance Recording, Reporting and Provider Payments (Alternative Payment Programs)
This workshop presents an overview of the changes to attendance reporting as prescribed in AB 274. It will provide information on provider payment requirements and parent and provider responsibilities for attendance recording for reimbursements, proration, monthly maximums, provider examples of actual calculations and how to deal with oddities like if hourly rates exceed daily rates.

Interested in sponsoring these events?
Click Here to sponsor the Pomona Training
Click Here to sponsor the Sacramento Training

We look forward to seeing you!
Register Today for an Entire Year's Worth of Training!

 
All New Early Learning & Child Care Webinar Series for 2018!
Build or Add to your 
Resource Library!
This is Your Opportunity  to Receive Professional  Development in a Format  Convenient to You. 
CAPPA Children's Foundation, in partnership with MCT  Technology, brings you an ALL NEW Series of trainings, all for one low price per center or program location. 
 View the webinar series and be connected without ever leaving your location. This is a fabulous opportunity to train staff, providers and the community on the most requested child care topics for 2018 at an affordable price in an incredibly convenient format. 

Click Here  to see more details, topics and to  register for the all new 2018 series.

The 2010- 2017 series' are still available for purchase. Purchase the 2010, 2011 and 2012 webinar CDs for 50% off!!  For more information or to view past topics,  Click Here.
Upcoming Calls & Webinars of Significance 
Foster Program Monthly Technical Assistance  Call 
 
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care Programs Bureau will be hosting technical assistance calls on the last Tuesday of each month from 1-2 pm, beginning February 27, 2018. These calls will provide opportunities for counties to share best practices and challenges as they implement the Bridge Program. CDSS staff will also be available to answer questions and address concerns. If you have specific questions or suggestions for topics in advance of the calls, please send them to
 
Please register for Bridge Program TA Call on Feb 27, 2018 1:00 pm at:
 

 
Webinar: Attendance Recording and Reporting Center Based Programs
 
The EESD will host a webinar training for CDE, EESD contractors on Wednesday, March 7, 2018, on Attendance Recording and Reporting for Center Based Programs. It is not necessary to pre-register for this webinar training.
 
Attendee Information
 
Topic: Attendance Recording and Reporting Center Based Programs
Date and Time: Wednesday, March 7, 2018, 9:30 a.m., Pacific Standard Time
Event number: 668 732 584
Event password: 148274
Event Registration/address for Attendees: