As used in this chapter:

(a) “Applicant or contracting agency” means a school district, community college district, college or university, county superintendent of schools, county, city, public agency, private nontax-exempt agency, private tax-exempt agency, or other entity that is authorized to establish, maintain, or operate services pursuant to this chapter. Private agencies and parent cooperatives, duly licensed by law, shall receive the same consideration as any other authorized entity with no loss of parental decisionmaking prerogatives as consistent with the provisions of this chapter.

(b) “Assigned reimbursement rate” is that rate established by the contract with the agency in accordance with Section 8242.

(c) “Attendance” means the number of children present at a preschool facility. “Attendance,” for purposes of reimbursement, includes excused absences by children because of illness, quarantine, illness or quarantine of their parent, family emergency, or to spend time with a parent or other relative as required by a court of law or that is clearly in the best interest of the child.

(d) “Capital outlay” means the amount paid for the renovation and repair of childcare and development and preschool facilities to comply with state and local health and safety standards, and the amount paid for the state purchase of relocatable childcare and development and preschool facilities for lease to qualifying contracting agencies.

(e) “Preschool facility” means a residence or building or part thereof in which preschool services are provided.

(f) “Early childhood programs” means those programs that offer a full range of services for children from infancy to 13 years of age, for any part of a day, by a public, private, or proprietary agency, in centers and family childcare homes.

(g) “Children at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation” means children who are so identified in a written referral from a legal, medical, or social service agency, or emergency shelter.

(h) “Children with exceptional needs” means either of the following:

(1) Children under three years of age who have been determined to be eligible for early intervention services pursuant to the California Early Intervention Services Act (Title 14 (commencing with Section 95000) of the Government Code) and its implementing regulations. These children include an infant or toddler with a developmental delay or established risk condition, or who is at high risk of having a substantial developmental disability, as defined in subdivision (a) of § 95014 of the Government Code. These children shall have active individualized family service plans and shall be receiving early intervention services.

(2) Children 3 to 21 years of age, inclusive, who have been determined to be eligible for special education and related services by an individualized education program team according to the special education requirements contained in Part 30 (commencing with Section 56000) of Division 4 of Title 2, and who meet eligibility criteria described in Section 56026 and, Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 56333) of Chapter 4 of Part 30 of Division 4 of Title 2, and Sections 3030 and 3031 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. These children shall have an active individualized education program and shall be receiving early intervention services or appropriate special education.

(i) “Cost” includes, but is not limited to, expenditures that are related to the operation of preschool programs. “Cost” may include a reasonable amount for state and local contributions to employee benefits, including approved retirement programs, agency administration, and any other reasonable program operational costs. “Cost” may also include amounts for licensable facilities in the community served by the program, including lease payments or depreciation, downpayments, and payments of principal and interest on loans incurred to acquire, rehabilitate, or construct licensable facilities, but these costs shall not exceed fair market rents existing in the community in which the facility is located. “Reasonable and necessary costs” are costs that, in nature and amount, do not exceed what an ordinary prudent person would incur in the conduct of a competitive business.

(j) “Elementary school,” as contained in former Section 425 of Title 20 of the United States Code (the National Defense Education Act of 1958, Public Law 85-864, as amended), includes early childhood education programs and all child development programs, for the purpose of the cancellation provisions of loans to students in institutions of higher learning.

(k) “Family childcare home education network” means an entity organized under law that contracts with the department to make payments to licensed family childcare home providers and to provide educational and support services to those providers and to children and families eligible for California state preschool program services.

(l) “Health services” include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

(1) Referral, whenever possible, to appropriate health care providers able to provide continuity of medical care.

(2) Health screening and health treatment, including a full range of immunization recorded on the appropriate state immunization form to the extent provided by the Medi-Cal Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code) and the Child Health and Disability Prevention Program (Article 6 (commencing with Section 124025) of Chapter 3 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code), but only to the extent that ongoing care cannot be obtained utilizing community resources.

(3) Health education and training for children, parents, staff, and providers.

(4) Followup treatment through referral to appropriate health care agencies or individual health care professionals.

(m) “Higher educational institutions” means the Regents of the University of California, the Trustees of the California State University, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and the governing bodies of any accredited private nonprofit institution of postsecondary education.

(n) “Intergenerational staff” means persons of various generations.

(o) “Dual language learner children” means children whose first language is a language other than English or children who are developing two or more languages, one of which may be English.

(p) “Parent” means a biological parent, stepparent, adoptive parent, foster parent, caretaker relative, or any other adult living with a child who has responsibility for the care and welfare of the child.

(q) “Program director” means a person who, pursuant to Section 8298, is qualified to serve as a program director.

(r) “Proprietary agency” means an organization or facility providing preschool, which is operated for profit.

(s) “Children with severe disabilities” are children with exceptional needs from birth to 21 years of age, inclusive, who require intensive instruction and training in programs serving pupils with the following profound disabilities: autism, blindness, deafness, severe orthopedic impairments, serious emotional disturbances, or severe intellectual disabilities. “Children with severe disabilities” also include those individuals who would have been eligible for enrollment in a developmental center for handicapped pupils under Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 56800) of Part 30 of Division 4 of Title 2 as it read on January 1, 1980.

(t) (1) “Site supervisor” means a person who, regardless of their title, has operational program responsibility for an early childhood program at a single site.

(2) A site supervisor shall satisfy one of the following:

(A) Hold a permit issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing that authorizes supervision of a childcare and development program operating in a single site.

(B) Hold an administrative credential or an administrative services credential issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

(C) Meet the qualifications of a program director under Section 8298.

(3) The Superintendent may waive the requirements of this subdivision if the Superintendent determines that the existence of compelling need is appropriately documented.

(u) “Standard reimbursement rate” means the reimbursement rate applicable to California state preschool programs pursuant to Section 8242.

(v) “Startup costs” means those expenses an agency incurs in the process of opening a new or additional facility before the full enrollment of children.

(w) “California state preschool program” means those programs that offer part-day or full-day, or both, educational programs for eligible three- and four-year-old children. These programs may be offered by a public, private, or proprietary agency, and operated in childcare centers or family childcare homes operating through a family childcare home education network.

(x) “Support services” means those services that, when combined with preschool services, help promote the healthy physical, mental, social, and emotional growth of children. Support services may include, but are not limited to: protective services, parent training, provider and staff training, transportation, parent and child counseling, child development resource and referral services, and child placement counseling.

(y) “Teacher” means a person with the appropriate permit issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing who provides program supervision and instruction that includes supervision of a number of aides, volunteers, and groups of children.

(z) “Underserved area” means a county or subcounty area, including, but not limited to, school districts, census tracts, or ZIP Code areas, where the ratio of publicly subsidized preschool program services to the need for these services is low, as determined by the Superintendent.

(aa) “Three-year-old children” means children who will have their third birthday on or before December 1 of the fiscal year in which they are enrolled in a California state preschool program. Children who have their third birthday on or after December 2 of the fiscal year, may be enrolled in a California state preschool program on or after their third birthday. Any child under four years of age shall be served in a California state preschool program facility, licensed in accordance with Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations.

(ab) “Four-year-old children” means children who will have their fourth birthday on or before December 1 of the fiscal year in which they are enrolled in a California state preschool program, or a child whose fifth birthday occurs after September 1 of the fiscal year in which they are enrolled in a California state preschool and whose parent or guardian has opted to retain or enroll them in a California state preschool program.

(ac) “Homeless children and youth” has the same meaning as defined in Section 11434a(2) of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. § 11301 et seq.).

(ad) “Local educational agency” means a school district, a county office of education, a community college district, or a school district acting on behalf of one or more schools within the school district.

(ae) “Funded enrollment” means the number of subsidized children funded to be enrolled, based on the maximum reimbursable amount, contract rate, inclusive of any adjustment factors, and approved program calendar, by a California state preschool program contractor.

(af) (1) Effective no later than March 1, 2024, “part-time” means preschool services certified for a child for fewer than 25 hours per week.

(2) Effective no later than March 1, 2024, “full-time” means preschool services certified for a child for 25 or more hours per week.

(3) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) and Section 33308.5, until regulations are filed with the Secretary of State to implement this subdivision, the department may implement this subdivision through management bulletins or similar letters of instruction on or before December 31, 2023.

(4) The department shall initiate a rulemaking action to adopt regulations to implement this subdivision no later than July 1, 2026.

(5) If the provisions of this subdivision are in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to § 10426 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if such provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provisions shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 193, Sec. 1. (SB 140) Effective September 13, 2023.)