Amended
IN
Assembly
March 21, 2024 |
Introduced by Assembly Member Papan |
February 15, 2024 |
Existing law requires the Natural Resources Agency to update every 3 years the state’s climate adaptation strategy, known as the Safeguarding California Plan, and to coordinate with other state agencies to identify vulnerabilities to climate change by sectors, including, among others, transportation and public health.
Existing law, the California Child Day Care Facilities Act, administered by the State Department of Social Services, provides for the licensure and regulation of child daycare facilities, as defined. Existing law, the Child Care and Development Services Act, administered by the State Department of Social Services, establishes a system of childcare and development services for children up to 13 years of age.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to
ensure the state’s climate change and resiliency actions include and prioritize the childcare sector.
(a)The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1)The childcare sector is physically vulnerable to the stress of natural disasters and other extreme climate events, which puts childcare and development programs at an increased risk of permanent closure.
(2)The consequences are often most severe for communities of color where environmental injustices and racial injustices compound.
(3)Black and Latino children, families, and neighborhoods tend to have the least access to high-quality early care and education and are most likely to live in places with extreme weather made
worse by climate change.
(b)It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to ensure the state’s climate change and resiliency actions include and prioritize the childcare sector.