Select Committee on School Readiness; Recent Statewide Report; & AB 2741

I applaud the authors of the Master Plan for addressing school readiness as one of the major areas of concern.  As chair of the Assembly Select Committee on California's School Readiness and Health, I held several hearings last year in Sacramento, Oakland, Los Angeles and Salinas to look at how a child's health status affects his/her ability to do well in school.  As a result of those hearings, I released a legislative report calling for changes in early education and health services.  The report calls for change to ensure that children succeed in school, as study shows that, without action, many students will fail California's new standards.  The full report can be found at: http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a16/selectcom/default.html. 

One of the most frequently offered suggestions during these hearings is the desperate need for statewide coordination of services related to school readiness.  Thus, I am authoring A.B. 2741, a bill that would establish the Children's School Readiness and Health Council, an interdepartmental and interagency group, to, among several things, coordinate school-readiness related programs.  The Council would also presumably examine many of the issues identified in the Master Plan, including governance and alignment of early education and K-12.  

I look forward to reading your responses online.  If you have any comments or suggestions that you would like to address to me specifically, please feel free to contact me at Assemblymember.Chan@assembly.ca.gov or (510) 286-1670 / (916) 319-2016.