Over 725,000 California K-12 students received special education services in 2018-19, but the system is not always equipped to serve them. Early screening, identification, and intervention, as well as better transitions, educator support, and mental/physical health services, need improvement. A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework in schools could address SWDs' needs, but it requires additional resources and policy support to improve educator capacity and collaboration between agencies while systematizing data on SWDs.

Governor Newsom’s first Budget Proposal increases funding for education in California. There are areas of substantive overlap in the Budget Proposal and research findings from the Getting Down to Facts II (GDTFII) research project, released in September 2018, which built an evidence base on the current status of California education and implications for paths forward. As the Budget moves from proposal to reality, it is critical that the evidence from GDTFII continues to inform the policy process.

The early care and education (ECE) profession faces staffing problems due to understaffed centers, high turnover rates, and an educationally bifurcated workforce. To mitigate this issue, programs like the California Childcare Retention Incentive (CRI) provide monetary stipends to ECE professionals who meet tenure and education requirements. This policy brief summarizes findings from a two-year evaluation of CRI programs in Alameda and San Francisco counties, focusing on themes relevant to Year 2 implementation.

The First 5 California Children and Families Commission has funded the Childcare Retention Incentive (CRI) to improve the quality of early care and education (ECE) staff training and retention. An evaluation funded by First 5 California assesses the efficacy of CRI programs in San Francisco and Alameda counties. This report summarizes the preliminary findings from the first year of the Alameda Child Development Corps and San Francisco CARES programs, which examine whether CRI recipients are more likely to participate in training and be retained compared to non-participating ECE staff.

The policy brief discusses the reasons behind California's increase in public investment in early care and education programs, including the rising demand for childcare, recognition of the potential benefits for child development and school readiness, and the implementation of welfare-to-work programs with results and insights from both San Francisco and Alameda Counties.

California is experiencing a shortage of quality childcare options for families, despite increased funding from the government and parents. Local policymakers in Los Angeles County are conducting research to determine where childcare supply falls short of demand and how to allocate resources to address the issue. Two recent studies provide options for policymakers to consider.

Governments are expanding the availability of portable child-care vouchers to boost working parents' purchasing power, rather than simply building more child-care facilities. Despite this, parents in poor communities still have limited choices due to cost and supply. Many eligible parents are not using subsidies, resulting in high out-of-pocket expenses for child care. Low-income working mothers make tough choices, working more hours or relying on informal providers, resulting in several transitions for children throughout the week, which experts suggest is not good for young children.