(a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall, subject to an appropriation for this purpose in the annual Budget Act, administer the Early Learning and Care Workforce Development Grants Program to expand the number of qualified early learning and care professionals and increase the educational credentials of existing early learning and care professionals across the state, pursuant to this section.

(b) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall, subject to an appropriation for this purpose in the annual Budget Act, award and administer the workforce development grants to local, regional, or local and regional quality improvement partnerships, as defined by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, consistent with the Quality Rating and Improvement System local consortia, as defined in § 8203.1 of the Education Code, representing all counties of the state. A local, regional, or local and regional quality improvement partnership may form a consortia with one or more regional partners. All local, regional, or local and regional quality improvement partnerships shall submit a plan to the State Department of Education that describes how they will allocate funds and increase the number, qualifications, and competencies of early learning and care professionals in their county or region. The plan shall also describe how local partnerships will engage in collaborative partnerships with their members, local governmental agencies, businesses, nonprofit organizations, or other interested partners to improve the educational attainment of early learning and care professionals in their county or region, including those working in centers, family child care homes, and license-exempt settings that serve a majority of children who receive subsidized early learning and care services or are eligible to received subsidized early learning and care services, pursuant to this part.

(c) Workforce development grant award amounts shall be determined based on the following criteria:

(1) Demonstrated need for early learning and care professionals in each county or region.

(2) The cost of living in each county or region.

(3) The number of children under 13 years of age in each county or region who are in a family whose income is up to 85 percent of the state median income.

(d) Workforce development grants may be used for costs associated with the educational expenses of current and future early learning and care professionals that move those professionals along the early learning and care career lattice and support their attainment of increased education or English language proficiency, as well as professional development in early childhood instruction or child development, including developing competencies in serving children with exceptional needs and dual language learners. Allowable uses of funds include:

(1) Tuition, supplies, and other related educational expenses.

(2) Transportation and child care costs incurred as a result of attending classes.

(3) Substitute teacher pay for early learning and care professionals that are currently working in a subsidized early learning and care setting.

(4) Stipends and professional development expenses, aligned to the Quality Counts California professional development system in that area, as determined by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

(5) Career, course, and professional development coaching, counseling, and navigation services.

(6) Other educational expenses as determined by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

(e) Local, regional, or local and regional quality improvement partnerships awarded funding pursuant to this section may partner with local or online accredited higher education institutions, local agencies that provide high-quality, credit-bearing trainings, or apprenticeship programs that integrate and embed higher education coursework with on-the-job training of professionals.

(f) The Superintendent of Public Instruction may set aside no more than 1 percent of the total funding appropriated for the Early Learning and Care Workforce Development Grants Program to provide technical assistance and support for grantees and potential grantees on developing proposals for and implementing workforce development grants.

(g) Local, regional, or local and regional quality improvement partnerships receiving grants shall commit to providing program data to the State Department of Education, as specified by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, including, but not limited to, recipient information, educational progress, and employment status, and participate in overall program evaluation.

(h) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall provide a report to the Governor as well as the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by October 1 of any year in which grants are awarded pursuant to this section on the expenditure of funds as well as relevant outcome data in order to evaluate the impact of the program.

(i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with the concurrence of the executive director of the State Board of Education, shall recommend to the Department of Finance and the budget committees of the Legislature by January 1, 2021, any changes to the funding methodology in this section related to the recommendations and priorities provided pursuant to former § 8207 of the Education Code.

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