Section § 8264

Explanation

This law recognizes that California invests heavily in preschool programs and aims to ensure that important information about children's development and learning is communicated when they move from preschool to elementary school. It requires preschool programs to give relevant information to parents, which can then be shared with the child's future school, with the parent's permission. This includes details on development, social skills, and health. The goal is to support the child's educational journey by allowing seamless information sharing between early childhood and elementary education settings.

(a)CA Education Code § 8264(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the state makes a substantial, annual investment in preschool programs for eligible families. It is in the best interests of children and their families, and the taxpayers of California, to have information about the development and learning abilities of children developed in these settings, health and other information transferred to, or otherwise available to, the pupil’s elementary school.
(b)CA Education Code § 8264(b) When a child in a state-funded preschool program will be transferring to a local public school, the preschool program shall provide the parent or guardian with information from the previous year deemed beneficial to the pupil and the public school teacher, including, but not limited to, development issues, social interaction abilities, health background, and diagnostic assessments, if any. The preschool program may, with the permission of the parent or guardian, transfer this information to the pupil’s elementary school.
(c)CA Education Code § 8264(c) Any child who has participated in a state subsidized preschool that maintains results-based standards, including the desired results accountability system, may have the performance information transferred to any subsequent or concurrent public school setting. Any transferred information shall be in summary form and only accomplished with the permission of the parent or guardian.