CAPPA: Monday Morning Update for the week of January 11, 2021

"Children Learning, Parents Earning, Communities Growing"

January 11, 2021 | Issue #2

2021 Child Care & End Child Poverty in CA Virtual Advocacy Day- Next Week!

We invite you to partner with those noted above for a Child Care & End Child Poverty in CA

VIRTUAL Advocacy Day!

On January, 21 2021, we're coming together as advocates--child care, food programs, safety net, and anti-poverty champions--for our “Child Care and End Child Poverty CA Advocacy Day.” Our landscape has shifted significantly. Let's raise our unified voices in support of California's kids and families. The needs are urgent and we want to provide both immediate relief and solutions to build back better. On January 21st, we'll advocate for budget proposals that keep families fed, keep child care providers open, and commit to lifting families out of poverty. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unmet need is growing exponentially, yet California is facing an unprecedented budget deficit: we need our decision makers in Sacramento to hear from the field on the impact of this pandemic, and what supports need to be improved during recovery. Don't miss this impactful day of action!

JUST ADDED: Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, Women's Caucus Chair!

Expert Panel Presenters: Overview of the Governor's Proposed 2021/22 Budget; What has the Governor proposed and where are our opportunities?

Kristin Schumacher, CA Budget & Policy Center
Erin Gabel, Assembly Budget Committee
Sarah Neville-Morgan, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, Opportunities for All Branch - California Department of Education
Jen Troia, Chief Deputy Director, Department of Social Services

For more information, agenda and to register, Click Here!

If you would like to sign on as a partner, please let us know!

Interested in supporting this Event? Learn more about sponsorships here.

Thank you to our event sponsors:

CAPPA Virtual Audit Training, in partnership with CDE- This Week!

January 15, 2021

9:30am-2:00pm

CAPPA, in partnership with the CDE Audits and Investigations Division, will be delivering a training for our field focused on auditing. During the first part of the training, there will be two trainings from CDE on Auditing Changes and Requirements, as well as a Q&A Session with CDE staff. During part 2, there will be a training from an independent auditor on how agencies should be preparing and complying with the different requirements.

Agenda:

9:30am – 10:30am

Fiscal Requirements

10:30am – 11:45am

Audit Requirements

11:45am – 12:15pm

Q&A Session with Early Learning and Support Division (ELCD), The Child Development and Nutrition Fiscal Services (CDNFS) Office and Audits & Investigations Unit

12:15pm – 1:00pm

Lunch Break

1:00pm – 2:00pm

How to Prepare for an Audit from an Independent Auditor’s Perspective

Learn more and register here.

Sponsored by:

2021-22 State Budget Updates

On Friday, Governor Newsom released his 2021-22 State Budget Proposal. Click here to read the budget summary along with Department of Finance (DOF) documents with more details.

The proposal released notes to close a $54.3 billion funding gap. Concern of a recession coming on, the proposal casts California's financials in a better position than anticipated.

The budget proposal provides some critical investments to very fragile segments of California's population. It prioritizes the need to safely reopen schools, puts money into the pockets of many, extends eviction protections for renters and supports small businesses.

Although there is much to like about the budget proposal, for California's child care system and access for working moms and dads to child care to support REAL family needs of employment and securing a paycheck, the proposal falls short.

Governor Newsom's proposal calls for $500 million in new investments for early learning and reflects ongoing Cannabis Funds for 4,500 more child care vouchers including $21.5 million in 2020-21. In regards to COVID-19 related support, the budget includes $55 million to support child care providers' and families' needs as a result of the pandemic. The numbers for child care captured in the 2021-22 proposal do not include the new federal dollars of roughly $1.005 billion for child care.

While there are new investments noted above for transitional kindergarten and preschool, there are not meaningful investments for child care. This proposal notes to fund 4,500 new child care slots. However, if you look at the details provided by the Department of Finance (DOF) total slots for child care vouchers for families to access for child care there is a decrease of (8,682).

From this starting point of a proposal to one enacted by July 1, more tough choices are going to have to be made. Would we like to expand transitional kindergarten and preschool? Absolutely!

However, child care providers and centers are closing NOW. Thousands of family child care homes and centers have permanently closed. Prior to COVID, there were roughly 2.4 million children with NO access to child care. Working families need access to child care options that support their real needs of working past six o'clock Monday to Friday or on weekends. We need to expand the child care and early learning system to one that offers more than three and a half hours of "instruction" per day. We need to be visionary and talk about child care and early learning from the lens of an eight hour day with wraparound services such as transportation and nutrition. We need to talk about a child care and early learning system that begins at birth and one that support working demands of families. And we need to focus on doing this via a valued public and private partnership.

"You can't see the forest for the trees."

If California does not prioritize and support the family child care businesses and centers that have kept their doors open while others had to close, who kept showing up every day so that essential working moms and dads could go to work and who placed their own health and safety at risk so that California would not totally close down, then shame on us.

Now let's come together to work on a budget that reflects the needs of families and supports a recovering and thriving economy.

California Budget Proposal Expands Transitional Kindergarten, But Does Little To Support Child Care Industry In Crisis

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal calls for a $500 million investment toward the long-term goal of universal preschool, but promises little immediate relief for parents and providers struggling to operate during the pandemic and lacks critical details on how the state will spend new federal dollars for child care.

Expanding transitional kindergarten to serve every 4-year-old and all 3-year-olds from low-income families is one of the goals outlined in the long-anticipated Master Plan For Early Learning and Care released in December. Click here to read full article.

Legislation Updates

To date, 448 bills have been introduced. Of the 448, 234 are Assembly Bills (ABs) and 214 Senate Bills (SBs).

Kevin McCarty introduces AB 22 - Universal Transitional Kindergarten

AB 22 seeks to create universal transitional kindergarten (TK) programs for children across the state at no cost to families. The introduction of AB 22 coincides with robust incentive grants for transitional kindergarten in the Governor's proposed budget, and is bolstered by a growing body of literature.

According to the American Institute of Research, TK programs boost child performance in Kindergarten and accelerate classroom skills by up to six months when compared to children not enrolled in TK. These gains bear out in various skills such as literacy, language, math, and problem solving. FAQ

"This bill gives families an additional option to ensure their children enter kindergarten with the maturity, confidence, and skills they need to excel." Fact Sheet

Kevin McCarty was elected to the California State Assembly in 2014 to represent the 7th Assembly District, which includes Sacramento, West Sacramento and parts of unincorporated Sacramento County.

McCarty serves as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, which oversees the largest component of California’s multi-billion dollar budget. As Chair, McCarty made historic investments in public education including expanding access to preschool for low and middle income families, providing greater career technical education programs, and increasing student enrollment at our public colleges and universities. Click here to read full biography.

Other bills of interest the field:

SB 50 (Limon) - Early learning and care: California Early Learning and Care Program.
AB 65 (Low) - California Universal Basic Income Program.
AB 92 (Reyes) - Preschool and childcare and development services: family fees.

For more legislation Click Here!

NOTE: If there is a piece of legislation that you would like to highlight, email here. Remember the distribution of this update is roughly 6,200.

Department of Social Services Updates

The Department of Social Services (CDSS) has recently posted the following document(s) on its Internet website:

County Letter (1/8/21)

Guidance On Provider Reimbursements For 14 Nonoperational Days For Closures Due To The Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19 Or Novel Coronavirus) For California Work Opportunity And Responsibility To Kids (CalWORKs) Stage One Child Care Providers

For reference or other information visit the CDSS Letters-and-Notices website.

Please note that all documents are being provided in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC format. If you do not have the free Acrobat Reader software, visit the Adobe website.

CDE Information & Updates

12-Month Eligibility Regulations

All Early Learning and Care Program Executive Directors, Program Directors and other interested parties:

This notice is to inform interested parties that pursuant to the requirements of Government Code section 11346.4(a), the 12-Month Eligibility Regulations have been posted to the CDE Proposed Rulemaking and Regulations web page and can be found at https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/lr/rr/calworks12monthelig.asp.

Any interested person, or that person’s authorized representative, may submit written comments relevant to the proposed regulatory action. Comments must be received by the Regulations Coordinator prior to or on January 20, 2021. Instructions on how to submit public comments can be found on the CDE Proposed Rulemaking and Regulations web page listed above. All written comments received by CDE staff during the public comment period are subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act.

Impact Inclusion State Leadership Team - Request for Applications (Early Learning and Care)

The CDE has established a workgroup with the purpose of sharing challenges, barriers, and best practices for inclusion of children with exceptional needs in early learning and care settings, and to continuously improve the inclusion of children with exceptional needs in high-quality California early learning and care programs. The workgroup, formerly known as the Impact Inclusion State Leadership Team (SLT), consists of representatives from the CDE, the State Department of Developmental Services, the State Interagency Coordinating Council on Early Intervention, local educational agencies, appropriate county agencies, regional centers, and resource and referral agencies.

Authority: Education Code Article 23.5 Section 8492 (a)(5)(k)

The SLT is currently requesting applications from the following representatives:

Regional Center
Resource and Referral Agency
Family Resource Center
Parent of a child birth through five years old

If you are interested in serving one of these roles as a participant in the SLT, please complete the attached application and submit it to the Inclusive Early Education Expansion Program (IEEEP) mailbox at IEEEP@cde.ca.gov no later than January 22, 2021.

Intra-agency Transfer Requests through the Child Development Provider Accounting Reporting Information System (CPARIS)

Attention: General Childcare (CCTR) and California State Preschool (CSPP) non-LEA Contractors

This communication is to inform non-Local Education Agency (LEA) contractors that all General Child Care and Development (CCTR)/California State Preschool Program (CSPP) intra-agency transfer requests will be submitted through the Child Development Provider Accounting Reporting Information System (CPARIS).

Education Code Section 8236.2 requires that the CDE arrange intra-agency adjustments between CCTR and CSPP contracts for the same agency and funding allocation, in an effort to promote the full utilization of child care and development funds when projected needs have changed. Transfers between CCTR and CSPP contracts are only available to non-LEAs, as non-LEA agreements are fully funded by general state funds (i.e. not funded by Proposition-98 funding). LEAs may not transfer between CCTR and CSPP contracts because Proposition-98 funding – the sole fund source of LEA CSPP programs – cannot be utilized for CCTR services.

For Fiscal Year (FY) 2020–21, the first opportunity for non-LEA contractors to request a CCTR/CSPP transfer is between January 6, 2021 and January 21, 2021. Non-LEA contractors will have another opportunity to request a transfer of funds and amend their CCTR and CSPP contracts, May 1 – 15, 2021. Please note that all intra-agency transfer requests are temporary and are only effective through June 30, 2021. All approved transfer requests will revert back in FY 2021–22.

How to Request an Intra-Agency Transfer Request in CPARIS

Only users assigned as the Authorized Representative Role can submit the transfer request form. The Authorized Representative will find the transfer request form within the Agreements tab of CPARIS by clicking on the subcategory labeled Transfer Requests for Funding.

To submit a transfer request, the Authorized Representative must choose the contract that they are requesting to transfer funds from (i.e. the underearning contract), by clicking “Create.” Clicking the link “Create” will take the user to a new page that asks the user to complete the following: the requested transfer amount, the eligible agreement (i.e. contract number of the overearning contract) that will be accepting the transfer, and the name, phone number, and email address of the Agency Representative requesting the transfer. By saving the transfer request form in CPARIS, the Authorized Representative will officially submit the request to the CDE.

If a significant portion of the contract Maximum Reimbursable Amount (MRA) is being requested to transfer, ELCD may require a Program Narrative Change form. Your fiscal analyst may consult with your ELCD consultant to determine if a Program Narrative Change form is required.

Contractors that have not yet established users in the CPARIS system must register and establish a username and password through the Centralized Authentication System (CAS), at https://www3.cde.ca.gov/cdeauthentication/registration.aspx?programabbr=CPF, prior to submitting any report in CPARIS. Please refer to the CPARIS User Manual for detailed information on reporting procedures. The User Manual can be found at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/cd/documents/cparisusermanual.docx. Additionally, there is a Frequently Asked Questions Document at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/cd/cparisfaqs.asp for answers to common questions regarding logging in, passwords, and user roles.

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact your assigned fiscal analyst from the Fiscal Apportionment Analyst Directory Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/cd/faad.asp.

New Contractor’s and New Program Director’s Resources

Click Here to see resources and CDE Department Contacts

CAPPA is committed to supporting our field with a coordinated calendar. Click here to see current calendar of events. If you have an event to add, email CAPPA and it will be added.

Federal News

Federal Update - The President signed the spending package, but the path to his signature was unexpectedly eventful. Last time you heard from us we expected the President to sign into law a package that included a full-year omnibus spending bill AND a COVID-19 relief bill. He did sign the package on December 24, avoiding a partial government shutdown, but it was an unexpectedly wild time arriving to that point. The day after Congress passed the bill President Trump signaled that he perhaps wouldn’t sign the bill partially because the direct payment portion was too low at $600 per individual and he called for $2,000 per individual. This was a surprising position to take given that Senate Republicans blocked efforts to include $1,200 direct payments in the relief bill. After substantial back and forth, the President signed the full-year omnibus spending bill and the COVID-19 relief bill that included the $600 individual relief amount on December 24^th. However, two pandemic-related programs expired the day before so millions of Americans had their unemployment benefits delayed by a week.

That said, the bill does provide important investments, including on $10 billion for child care through CCDBG, that create a bridge until the Biden-Harris Administration begins and we can think about another relief package and more long-term fixes. We outlined both the omnibus spending bill and the COVID-19 relief bill in our last memo on December 22^nd as well as some excellent resources from partners, so check those out if you’d like more information about the specifics.

Georgia On My Mind – Results of the Georgia Runoff Elections

Thanks to decades of work from black and brown organizers, Raphael Warnock (D) and Jon Ossof (D) won two Senate seats in the Georgia runoff elections this week. These wins give Senate democrats control of that chamber. The impact these wins will have for the Biden-Harris Administration’s policy priorities moving forward remains to be seen, but it does potentially create a window of opportunity to boldly secure relief and forge ahead with getting the funding and structural changes needed at the federal level to create a more equitable future for child care. The new Senate majority also creates more opportunities to confirm Biden-Harris Administration nominees including California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who the Administration nominated to lead Health and Human Services (HHS).

117^th Congress Rules Package – Key Wins

On Monday, January 4^th the House adopted the 117^th Congress rules package. The package makes several positive changes to address economic inequality, promote ethics and oversight, and makes the House more inclusive. The package includes the following updates to House procedure:

Eliminating the motion to recommit (MTR) with instructions: The new rules package ends the MTR with instructions, which historically has been used to target disadvantaged communities. The new rules change the MTR to be a non-debatable motion to send a bill back to committee. For more information, see the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center’s (CPCC) resource here.
Reforming the pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rule: The new rules package makes sure that the House PAYGO point of order can’t be used against investments that address the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. For more information, see CPCC’s resource here.

Most reviewed federal bills:

1.S.3548 [116th]CARES Act

2.H.R.133 [116th]United States-Mexico Economic Partnership Act

3.H.R.748 [116th]CARES Act

4.H.R.6395 [116th]National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021

5.H.J.Res.110 [116th]Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021

6.H.R.6800 [116th]The Heroes Act

7.H.R.1044 [116th]Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2020

8.S.2736 [115th]Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018

9.H.Res.1271 [116th]Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 133) to promote economic partnership and cooperation between the United States and Mexico; providing for disposition of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1520) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the publication of a list of licensed biological products, and for other purposes; and for other purposes.

10.H.R.6201 [116th]Families First Coronavirus Response Act

The Weekly Good

An uplifting way to start the week, for those of us who need a break from the chaos that is our lives.

During this time where we are all stressed, it would be great to celebrate the positive. Each week we will celebrate everyday heroes, inspiring movements and great things happening in our field.

The Economic Vitality Corporation (EVC) of San Luis Obispo County, in collaboration with First 5 SLO County, Child Care Planning Council SLO County, and the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County (CAPSLO), is establishing a COVID-19 relief supply drive that will commence with immediate effect and run through January 27, 2021. This supply drive is intended to and will benefit more than 290 local child care programs, licensed to serve over 6000 children, that are experiencing devastating losses and mounting costs due to the pandemic.

The EVC’s goal for the supply drive is to provide each of our local child care programs, regardless of size, with critical resources they need to effectively and safely run their child care operations during the pandemic.

Learn more here.

Congratulations to Dr. Michael Olenick, President and CEO of the Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) for being named as one of the most dynamic business leaders of the year by The CEO Publication.

Providing Support, Development, & Education to Those in Need

A definite ‘NO’ to the question if struggling families had child care asked by a group of committed volunteers in the San Fernando Valley in 1974, urged the volunteers to look for a way to support families struggling to find quality child care, development, and education services for their families. That year, the San Fernando Valley Child Care Consortium and the Mayor’s Child Care and Junior Task Force proposed the first child care resource center in the San Fernando Valley. Doris McLain was elected chairperson as Mayor Bradley accepted the proposal and gave the newly founded Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) space in Van Nuys City Hall Center. CCRC began 45 years to help working moms find child care. Click here to read full article.

THANK YOU VP-Elect @KamalaHarris! BANANAS was selected as her Bay Area organization of choice to donate leftover campaign funds to! We at BANANAS are extremely thankful for this incredible donation!

Click here to read full article.

Field Happenings and Resources

Valley Oak Children's Services January Agency Calendar

Del Norte Children's Council January Newsletter

Upcoming Family & Provider Workshops

Children's Council San Francisco

Let us know what your organization is doing, we would love to feature you in the coming weeks!

Upcoming Partner Events

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January –

Evidence Says Webinar Series – Program Leadership – January 21, 2:00 pm PST

Click here to learn more

February –

The Leadership Challenge Workshop – February 2 & 3, 9 & 10, 2021

Click here to learn more.

Interesting Reads

Gavin Newsom wants to send $600 to millions of Californians, extend renter protections

Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking state lawmakers to approve an additional $600 in cash for low-income families and an extension of California’s eviction moratorium to help people through the coronavirus pandemic, Newsom announced Wednesday morning.

The proposal, which he’s calling the “Golden State Stimulus” would provide help on top of the national stimulus package passed by federal lawmakers late last year. The federal stimulus package provides $600 to people making less than $75,000.

Newsom’s proposal would give money to people who receive the California Earned Income Tax Credit, a credit for families earning less than $30,000 that includes some undocumented and mixed-status families. About 3.9 million households applied for the tax credit last year, according to Newsom’s office.