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Impact of the Governor's Proposed Child Care and Development Realignment

March 24, 2003

TO: Senator Jack Scott and members of the Senate Budget and
Fiscal Review Subcommittee #1 on Education

FROM: Dr. Jim Middleton, President/Superintendent, College of Marin
Dr. Martha Kanter, President, De Anza College; and
Dr. Mark Drummond, Chancellor, Los Angeles Community College District

SUBJECT: Impact of the Governor's Proposed Child Care and
Development Realignment on California Community Colleges

We are writing to express our concern about the dire impact that the Governor's proposed Child Care and Development Realignment will have on the students and children served by the California Community Colleges. We estimate that statewide 281,000 families and 443,000 children would be denied access to early child care and education programs. Twenty-five community college districts receive Campus Tax Bailout funds ($5.78M), including our two districts. Sixty community college districts use General Child Care funds ($38M) provided by the California Department of Education's Child Development Division (CDD). These funds subsidize the cost of child care for low-income students and their families. The Governor's proposal would defund the Campus Tax Bailout and General Child Care funds, move them into the county realignment package making child care and education services contingent on new funding. Our community colleges would be forced to end child care services on our campuses.

• Since the voters mandated tax bailout funds be provided to mitigate the effect of Proposition 13 in 1978, 25 community college districts have provided child care and education services for 25 years with these funds. Their elimination will decimate the infrastructure we have built over these 25 years that guarantees quality training and care in the state.
  
  
• One hundred and six (106) community colleges Early Childhood Education programs will be negatively impacted, since the laboratories used to train early childhood education teachers would be eliminated.
  
  
• Many community colleges, including our two districts, have issued faculty and staff lay-off notices this spring to curtail child care and development effective July 1, 2003 unless fiscal relief is provided.
  
  
• Without these programs, community colleges will not be able to train Early Care and Education teachers under the Child Development Permit system. Without qualified teachers, access and quality will be eroded.
  
  
• The Governor's proposal would also eliminate the infrastructure (Child Development Training Consortium) that supports tuition/fee reimbursements for over 8,000 college students, in addition to dismantling the California mentor Teacher Program that supports over 1500 practicum students each year.

We are available at any time to testify at a future hearing or provide additional information to you.

Dr. James E. Middleton
Superintendent/President
Marin Community College District
835 College Avenue
Kentfield, CA 94904
415-485-9500
middj@marin.cc.ca.us

Dr. Martha J. Kanter
President, De Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Cupertino, CA 95014
408-864-8705
kantermartha@deanza.edu

Dr. Mark Drummond
Chancellor, Los Angeles CC District
770 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213-891-2201
mdrummond@laccd.cc.ca.us

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