(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) Providing children in California with a healthy start is one of the best investments the state can make. (2) Research links early childhood interventions and improved life outcomes, including higher education levels, better health, and stronger career opportunities. (3) All children, from birth through 12 years of age, should have access to culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate, nurturing, educational, and high-quality early learning and care opportunities. (4) All families should have access to a variety of early learning and care settings that meet their needs and are affordable. (5) Parents are more likely to be successful in school and work if they know that their children are safe and productively engaged throughout the day. (6) Children who are emotionally, developmentally, and academically supported in an early learning and care setting are more likely to start school ready to learn and continue to excel once they are enrolled in school. (7) High-quality early learning and care programs require a competent, effective, well-compensated, and professionally supported workforce that reflects the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity and needs of the children and families served, including children who are dual language learners and children with exceptional needs. (8) Early learning and care programs must be integrated with other supports and services for children, families, and the workforce. (9) Subsidized access to high-quality early learning and care programs requires funding sources that are adequate and sustainable to meet the costs of care, respond to the diverse needs of children and families, and adequately compensate and support the workforce. (b) To guide the implementation of a well-aligned, comprehensive state early learning and care system, the Secretary of California Health and Human Services, or the secretaryâs designee, in concurrence with the executive director of the State Board of Education, or the executive directorâs designee, and in consultation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, or the Superintendent of Public Instructionâs designee, shall enter into a contract with one or more nongovernmental research entities to review existing research and data and to conduct research on priority areas of study identified pursuant to subdivision (d). This work shall be compiled in a report, or series of reports, released on a continuing basis and shall be completed on or before October 1, 2020, and provided to the Governor, the chairpersons of the relevant legislative policy and budget committees, the Secretary of California Health and Human Services, the executive director of the State Board of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Director of Finance. (c) The report or series of reports prepared pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be designed to support and incorporate relevant components of the 2019 California Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education Final Report, and are intended to be used to develop a master plan to ensure comprehensive, quality, and affordable child care and universal preschool for children from birth to school age. To the extent necessary and appropriate, the entities conducting research pursuant to this section shall engage a diverse group of stakeholders and experts, including families and providers, to inform their recommendations. All reports shall take into account fiscal sustainability and include costs to implement the recommendations and strategies for prioritizing investments into the recommendations over a multiyear period. (d) The amount appropriated for purposes of this section in the Budget Act of 2019 shall be allocated for the following priority areas of study: (1) A fiscal framework that provides options for ongoing funding to significantly expand early learning and care in the state, including options to generate needed revenu
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