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Lawmakers told preschool quality grant buying power has fallen; registry funding and QRIS redesign flagged as priorities
Summary
CDE and CDSS told a legislative hearing that the State Preschool QRS block grant has not increased since 2014 and the workforce registry funding is expiring. Agencies proposed extensions of local grants, continued investment in coaching and CLASS assessments, and technical investments to support implementation of broader reforms.
Assembly members pressed state education and social services officials about sustaining preschool quality and strengthening the early childhood workforce as the state expands transitional kindergarten and revises childcare reimbursement.
Stephen Propheter of the California Department of Education described the California State Preschool Program Quality Rating and Improvement System (CSPP QRS) block grant: $50 million annually in Proposition 98 funding that has not been increased since 2014. "With funding remaining at $50,000,000 annually since 2014, the purchasing power for local grantees has decreased," Propheter said, and the department is reimagining how to target those dollars from an equity lens.
Officials described several practical priorities. CDE said it has required use of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) in a growing share of CSPP classrooms (15% this year, rising to 30% next year) and provides coaching and training supports tied to that tool. CDSS outlined investments that support multilingual learners and inclusive practices, such as early mental‑health consultation and a teaching‑pyramid social‑emotional toolkit. The agencies said those initiatives are tied to the state Master Plan and federal Child Care and Development Fund requirements.
A separate, urgent infrastructure concern is the statewide early childhood workforce registry, created with First 5 funding. First 5 funding is expiring and the registry currently supports educator records for more than 81,000 teachers, county data‑sharing agreements and stipend administration. CDE and CDSS warned that loss of registry funding could fragment workforce data and complicate statewide professional development, stipend disbursement and program evaluation.
Workforce and provider testimony at the hearing underscored the link between pay and program stability. Providers asked lawmakers to protect recent health and retirement benefits and to extend any "held harmless" protections while the state moves to a new rate model. Commenters also urged enrollment‑based contract funding so providers can cover fixed costs during absences.
The agencies offered an initial estimate that CDE would need about $3.5 million and roughly two dozen positions to begin the data‑system work required for rate reform implementation and related workforce data alignment, though both CDE and CDSS said those figures could change depending on final bargaining outcomes and the final rate design.
Ending: Lawmakers said they will follow up in the May revision and in future hearings; officials recommended extending existing grants and supporting county UPK coordinators and other local infrastructure to preserve the gains the state has made in workforce development and program quality.
