(a) The department shall disburse augmentations to the base allocation for the expansion of child care and development programs to promote equal access to child development services across the state.

(b) The department shall use the formula developed pursuant to subdivision (c) and the priorities identified by local child care and development planning councils, unless those priorities do not meet the requirements of state or federal law, as a guide in disbursing augmentations pursuant to subdivision (a).

(c) The department shall develop a formula for prioritizing the disbursement of augmentations pursuant to this section. The formula shall give priority to allocating funds to underserved areas. The formula shall use the definition of “underserved area” in Section 10213.5 and direct impact indicators of need for child care and development services in the county or subcounty areas. For purposes of this section, “subcounty areas” include, but are not limited to, school districts, census tracts, or ZIP Code areas that are deemed by the department to be most appropriate to the type of program receiving an augmentation. Direct impact indicators of need may include, but are not limited to, the teenage pregnancy rate, the unemployment rate, area household income, or the number or percentage of families receiving public assistance, eligible for Medi-Cal, or eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, and any unique characteristics of the population served by the type of program receiving an augmentation.

(d) To promote equal access to services, the department shall include in guidelines developed for use by local planning councils pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 10486 guidance on identifying underserved areas and populations within counties. This guidance shall include reference to the direct impact indicators of need described in subdivision (c).

(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 116, Sec. 260. (AB 131) Effective July 23, 2021.)