California Wins Federal "Race to the Top" Early Learning Challenge Grant
SACRAMENTO—Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that California has been awarded a $52.6 million federal Race to the Top—Early Learning Challenge Grant (Outside Source).
"Local education leaders have developed solid proposals for improving early childhood education, which have now been recognized by the Obama administration," said Governor Brown.
"This grant will help more California children get good care and a good start at learning, which we know is key to their long-term success, at school and beyond," Torlakson said. "I'm proud of the teamwork that led to this win for California, and I'm grateful to President Obama for recognizing the potential of regional partnerships to improve child care programs across our state."
California was among 35 states, plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, to submit an application for the Race to the Top—Early Learning Challenge, a $500 million state-level competitive grant program to improve early learning and development.
The California grant will primarily fund local Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) being developed by Regional Leadership Consortia — voluntary groups of local First 5 commissions, county offices of education, and county governments. These Consortia will work with licensed child care programs, school districts, and child care partners.
The local QRIS are meant to make information about the quality of child-care programs readily available to parents and policymakers though simple, independent, and publicly available ratings. Using the QRIS, each participating child development agency would receive a rating score based on common standards regarding the learning environment, teacher effectiveness, and parent engagement.
Over time, the QRIS are expected to help improve the availability of high-quality, linguistically and culturally appropriate service to children with high needs. These include infants and toddlers, dual-language learners, and children with disabilities and other special needs.
"In these challenging fiscal times, winning this grant will help parents find and use the best programs possible — without additional costs to parents or taxpayers," Torlakson said.
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Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
State Superintendent Tom Torlakson Announces New Directors
to Lead Two Key California Department of Education Divisions
SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that two new directors have been chosen to head the California Department of Education's (CDE) Charter Schools Division and its After School Division.
Julie I. Baltazar, who most recently was an Education Administrator in CDE's Improvement and Accountability Division, has been selected to serve as Director of the Charter Schools Division.
Michael R. Funk, a practitioner and policy advocate for after-school programs in California, will head the newly established After School Division, which until the recent CDE realignment had been a unit of another division.
"Both Julie and Michael will be responsible for two important areas of education in our state," said Torlakson. "Julie is an experienced leader who has guided the development of several high-quality state and federal education programs benefiting California's children. Michael is a strong advocate for providing children with high-quality programs that offer a safe and secure place to learn and play."
Baltazar, who has more than 30 years of professional and project management experience with the State of California, including a total of nearly 10 years with the CDE, received Bachelor and Master degrees in Education from California State University, Sacramento.
Funk has been a founder and director for 16 years of Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center in San Francisco, a program of Aspiranet, a human services and after-school provider. He is also director of Aspiranet's After School, Youth, and Community Development Division.
Funk received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa, Idaho.# # # #
Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100