"Jackie Majors comes from the same non-profit sector I came from and brings the same passion I have for advancing our communities through the education of young children," Speaker Rendon said. "She headed a model program in Los Angeles and now will add her immense expertise to policy on the state level."

Majors, 49, of Los Angeles, is the Chief Executive Officer of Crystal Stairs, Inc., a position she has held for eight years. She was previously Chief Program Officer at the Fulfillment Fund and Senior Vice President at the Knowledge Learning Corporation. Majors is a Democrat.

Majors has a personal background as well as professional qualifications that combine to make her uniquely suited for this position.

"As a mother who was enabled to manage the demands of a career due to the availability of affordable, quality child care; and as an African American woman who has personally been impacted by the issues of inequity and inequality, I have a profound commitment to the advancement of Early Care and Education for low-income families and their children," Majors said.

The California Children and Families Commission has worked for two decades to improve the lives of children and families throughout California. The Commission's vision is that the state's children get the best possible start in life. The Commission has nine members - two appointed by the Assembly speaker, two by the Senate Rules Committee, and three by the governor, including one who must be a county health officer or executive.

Members of the commission serve without compensation and shall be reimbursed for necessary traveling and other expenses incurred in performing duties and responsibilities.

Link to article.

To better support our field, CAPPA, in partnership with CDE, will be hosting one-day informational trainings for our field in Pomona and Sacramento!  

These Statewide Meetings will bring our field together to share insights and experiences, explore ideas, shape policy, and discuss best practices.

The training in Pomona will have an additional track of workshops on Trauma and Resiliency, as space at that venue allows for that. The Sacramento training will just offer the CDE workshop track.

We hope you can join us!

April 3. 2019- Pomona 

April 23, 2019- Sacramento

• Early Learning and Care Division Updates 
• Trauma and Resilience
• Updated Review Guides
• 12-month Eligibility
• Fostering Resilience in Ourselves and the Families we Serve

• Early Learning and Care Division Updates
• Updated Review Guides
• 12-month Eligibility

That's a long-term goal set by the California Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education, in its  draft report for how to improve child care and preschool throughout the state, which was released this week.  

Many families in California pay much higher portions of their income for childcare. A single mother with an annual income of $52,076 would pay nearly half of her income on the cost of care for an infant and preschool-age child in a licensed child care center in 2017-18, if she did not have access to subsidized care, according to the  California Budget and Policy Center, a nonprofit organization that analyzes how budget policies affect low- and middle-income Californians.

The report also calls for more active outreach to parents who may not know what child care services are available - even suggesting that doctors in prenatal visits make their patients aware of these services before a child is born."

Link to rest of article.

"Dear Chair Blunt and Ranking Member Murray,

We deeply appreciate the increased investments in early childhood in the FY 2019 omnibus appropriations bill. As you weigh your budget choices for FY 2020, we urge you to lift the caps on non-defense domestic discretionary funding and to expand the federal commitment to early care and education. 

For the FY 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill, we request that you increase funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) by $5 billion over the FY 2019 level, increase funding for Head Start and Early Start by $1.495 billion, and provide $250 million for Preschool Development Grants. We ask you to increase funding for early intervention services provided through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C (Grants for Infants and Families) from $470 million to $531 million and for Part B, Section 619 (Preschool Grants) under IDEA from $391 million to $441.8 million. Funding for these two programs has remained at almost level funding for many years. As we move to increase opportunities for all young children to access high-quality early care and learning programs, these IDEA supports and services are critical to ensure young children with disabilities are able to succeed with their peers that are typically developing.

Together, these programs help parents work, boost the well-being of children, and make our economy stronger."