California State Budget, Legislature & The Capitol

Advocacy Day Registration is Live!

Click here to register your virtual or in-person attendance.

February 4, 2026 7th Annual Hybrid "Lifting Up Families" Advocacy Day

Join us and our partners in family services, advocacy, business, and government on February 4, 2026 for the 7th annual "Lifting Up Families" Advocacy Day at the State Capitol and online! Click here to be directed to the 2026 advocacy day webpage for more information.

Interested in joining the advocacy day as a participant or sponsor? Email mckenzie@thrivingfamilies-ca.org.

Important Dates, Deadlines,

Hearings, and Bills

Dates & Deadlines:

• December 23-25, 2025 - Winter Holiday
• January 1, 2026 - Statutes take effect.
• January 5, 2026 - Legislature reconvenes.

The Legislature is on recess until January 5, 2026. This is a great time to schedule in-district meetings and site visits. Please let TFC staff know if you would like assistance with reaching out to your representative.

Legislative Resources:

• See the tentative 2026-27 Legislative Calendar here.
• Visit TFC's Legislation Page to find a comprehensive list of bills of interest.
• Visit TFC's Budget Page for full budget bill details, as well as budget hearing video archive links.
• Click here to view all the bills that the Assembly and Senate introduced this legislative year.
• Click here to view legislative committee information, rules, and position letter deadlines.

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Economic Well-Being

Read the state survey brief here. These are among the key findings of the Californians and Their Economic Well-Being survey that was conducted from October 16 to October 30:

• Californians have mixed opinions about the overall direction of the state, while most expect bad times financially for California during the next 12 months.
• Three in ten Californians, and half of lower-income residents, say that they or someone in their household has reduced meals or cut back on food to save money.
• About half of employed adults use artificial intelligence (AI) for work tasks, with use varying by age, education, income, and region. 
• Most employed residents are very or somewhat satisfied with their job and report having stable hours, predictable pay at work, and at least a fair amount of job security. 
• Overwhelming majorities and majorities across partisan groups favor increasing government funding for job training programs so that workers have the skills needed for today’s jobs. 

PPIC Blog: Key Takeaways from the Proposition 50 Election

Read the blog post here.

• PPIC frames Prop 50’s win as driven by national politics, not a rejection of California’s redistricting commission.
• High support came from revived Democratic-leaning groups, especially young and Latino voters.
• Voter turnout was solid for a special election but far below a presidential year.
• Anti-Trump voters were a major source of “yes” support.
• Californians still favor independent redistricting, which reinforces the temporary nature of Prop 50.
• PPIC expects the new map to likely expand Democratic seats in 2026, with potential national implications.

Did You Know?

Child Care Q&A's

NOTE: If you have a question you would like answered or researched, please email.

Question: How does California define "non-traditional hours" in the context of child care reimbursements?

Answer: Title 5, Section 18075.1 defines non-traditional hours as 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. weekdays, or any time from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Monday.

Federal Update

Children's Funding Project: Database on Federal Funding Streams for Children and Youth Services

This year’s federal funding cuts have significantly impacted programs and services for kids across the country. Children’s Funding Project has updated its Federal Funding Streams for Children and Youth Services database to incorporate new details about how these cuts and policy changes affect the programs kids need. This new page offers additional analyses about federal money for kids and provides deeper insights for local leaders and advocates to better inform their funding strategies for children and youth during these turbulent economic times.

• Explore the Database
• Communications Toolkit

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - Public Charge Proposal

From Protecting Immigration Families (PIF) and the Children Thrive Network (CTAN):

On November 17, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) released a proposed rule change that would significantly expand how the government decides whether someone is likely to become a “public charge” (i.e. likely to depend primarily on the government for subsistence). 

While the Trump Administration has proposed to rescind the Biden administration’s public charge regulations, that proposal has not yet been finalized. The Biden-era policy is still in place. Comments on the proposed rulemaking are open until December 19, and no further action will be taken before then.

Under the current regulations, most immigrants who are subject to public charge are not eligible for the benefits that can be considered under the test. Healthcare, food, and housing assistance are not considered in the public charge assessment. The only benefits that may be considered are “public cash assistance for income maintenance” and long-term institutionalization paid for by the government.

The public charge inadmissibility test applies when a person applies for a green card or for a visa. Many immigrants are exempt from public charge by laws that cannot be changed by regulations.

Click here to read the most recent weekly federal update from the National Women's Law Center.

Federal Government Update 

NEW: The Trump administration announced Tuesday it's taking steps to close the US Department of Education by moving critical functions to other federal agencies. A majority of the U.S. Department of Education’s funding for K-12 schools—more than $20 billion a year—will be administered instead by the U.S. Department of Labor under an interagency agreement the two agencies have signed, the Trump administration announced Tuesday in one of its broadest efforts yet to downsize a Cabinet-level agency the president has pledged to eliminate.

It’s one of several moves the Education Department is taking to offload its vast portfolio and adhere to President Donald Trump’s March executive order directing Education Secretary McMahon to “facilitate” the closure of her own department. And all of the interagency moves are happening without congressional approval.

Alongside transferring oversight of most of the Education Department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the programs it oversees to Labor, five other interagency agreements will move programs that support Native American students, child care for parents who attend college, low-income college students, and other functions to different agencies. The agreements were all dated Sept. 30, the day before the federal government shutdown began and the Education Department furloughed most of its staff. 

The interagency transfers are likely just the start for the department, which is also considering moves for its divisions that oversee services for students with disabilities, civil rights enforcement, and student loans.

A senior Education Department official on Tuesday framed the announcement as part of a decades-long conservative goal to shrink and ultimately eliminate the Education Department—also a goal referenced in the conservative policy document Project 2025. More: Most K-12 Programs Will Leave Education Department in Latest Downsizing

Additional Resources:

• Tracking the Harm of DOGE Cuts | CLASP
• Executive Action Watch | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• EducationCounsel - Executive Actions Chart - Google Docs
• Executive Action Spotlight - Protecting Immigrant Families

Protect Head Start & Early Head Start 

Head Start Litigation

Federal Court Halts Trump Administration’s Unlawful Attacks on Head Start Families: In a win for working families, a federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction effectively blocking an exclusionary directive of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS), which sought to shut out immigrant families from participating in Head Start based on their immigration status for the first time in the program’s history since it was created in 1965. The ruling prevents the HHS directive from going into effect and enjoins the government from implementing or enforcing it against any Head Start agencies, program providers, student or family participants, or other similar persons. More: Federal Court Halts Trump Administration’s Unlawful Attacks on Head Start Families | American Civil Liberties Union 

Importantly, this emergency injunction applies to every state across the country.

We are still awaiting a ruling on the anti-DEIA executive order and RIFs/regional office closures.

• Head Start Funding: Supporting Early Education | Start Early
• Together for Head Start | Linktree
• Encourage your members to share their Head Start stories:
• A new confidential story portal is officially live:childcareforeveryfamily.org/HeadStart.
• You can find graphics to share HERE or share our posts from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,and BlueSky. 

Executive Actions

• Tracking the Harm of DOGE Cuts | CLASP
• Executive Action Watch | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• EducationCounsel - Executive Actions Chart.docx - Google Docs
• Executive Action Spotlight - Protecting Immigrant Families

Take Action

• Tell Congress: Reopen the Government AND Protect People’s Health Care (NWLC)
• Child Care Messaging Post-Reconciliation (c3/c4) (Child Care for Every Family Network)
• Find in-person and online events here: CHN/partner events joint calendar
• SRA+SiX TOOLKIT: State Response to Federal Tax Bill
• Tell Congress: Save Head Start for Families (NWLC)
• Messaging Guide for Child Care (c3 version) (c4 version) (Child Care for Every Family Network)
• Interactive Data Dashboard (Center for American Progress)
• Click the link below for a full list of actions under "Federal Update"

Most Viewed Bills of the Week:

1.H.R.4405 [119th] Epstein Files Transparency Act

2.H.R.4818 [118th] Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2023

3.H.R.1 [119th] One Big Beautiful Bill Act

4.H.Con.Res.58 [119th] Denouncing the horrors of socialism

.5.H.R.5371 [119th] Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026

6.H.Res.353 [119th] Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

7.H.Con.Res.9 [118th] Denouncing the horrors of socialism.

8.S.3078 [119th] Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act

9.S.2296 [119th] National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

10.H.Res.878 [119th] Disapproving the behavior of Representative Jesus G. “Chuy” Garcia of Illinois.

CDSS & CDE Upcoming Events

SAVE THE DATE: Equity-Centered Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) Advisory Panel

The California Department of Social Services is pleased to announce the eighth convening of the Equity-Centered QRIS Advisory Panel. This final Panel meeting will be December 17, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The meeting will be ​a​ hybrid meeting – participants can choose to attend virtually using the Zoom registration link below, ​or in person at the WestEd office in Sacramento, CA​.

WestEd

1000 G Street

Suite 500

Sacramento, CA 95814

All meetings are open to the public so that community members can participate and share advice and ideas. The meetings will include interpretation and translation in Spanish, Chinese and American Sign Language, and additional interpretation support will be added to later meetings if needed.

Meeting Details:

• December 17, 2025
• 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Zoom Registration

CDSS & CDE Information & Updates

RELEASED November 26, 2025: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-30: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Overview

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently published the following document: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-30: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Overview

The purpose of this Child Care Bulletin (CCB) is to provide an overview of the newly ratified Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and Child Care Providers United (CCPU).

If you have any questions or need additional guidance regarding the information in this letter, contact the Child Care Development Division at CCPB@dss.ca.gov.

RELEASED November 25, 2025: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-29: Cost of Care Plus Rate Payments to Child Care Providers Pursuant to Senate Bill 151

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently published the following document: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-29: Cost of Care Plus Rate Payments to Child Care Providers Pursuant to Senate Bill 151

The purpose of this CCB is to provide guidance to counties and child care and development contractors regarding the distribution of cost of care plus payments to child care providers pursuant to SB 151.

For questions regarding the information in this letter, contact the Child Care and Policy Development Bureau at (916) 657-2144, or at CCPB@dss.ca.gov.

RELEASED November 24, 2025: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-31: Clarification on the Business Relationship between the State and Family Child Care Providers

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently published the following document: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-31: Clarification on the Business Relationship between the State and Family Child Care Providers

The purpose of this Child Care Bulletin (CCB) is to provide information to clarify the business relationship between Family Child Care Providers and the State.

If you have any questions or need additional guidance regarding the information in this letter, contact the Child Care and Development Division at CCPB@dss.ca.gov.

RELEASED November 24, 2025: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-32: New MOU Provisions: Technology and System Improvements and Provider Information Packet Requirements

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently published the following document: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-32: New MOU Provisions: Technology and System Improvements and Provider Information Packet Requirements

The purpose of this Child Care Bulletin (CCB) is to provide guidance to counties and contractors regarding noticing requirements for technological and systems changes, and requirements to distribute provider information packets provided by Child Care Providers United (CCPU).

If you have any questions or need additional guidance regarding the information in this letter, contact the Child Care and Development Division at CCPB@dss.ca.gov.

DSS Family Engagement and Empowerment Division & DSS Research, Automation, and Data Division Document Posted

The Department of Social Services (CDSS) has recently posted the following document(s) on its Internet website:


ACL 25-82 (November 20, 2025)

Resolution Of The Federal Government Shutdown: November CalFresh Benefit Issuances And Beyond

For reference or other information visit the CDSS Letters-and-Notices website.

RELEASED November 19, 2025: CCB 25-24E: ERRATA FOR CONTINUATION OF REIMBURSEMENT BASED ON ENROLLMENT AND MAXIMUM NEED

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently published the following document: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-24E: ERRATA FOR CONTINUATION OF REIMBURSEMENT BASED ON ENROLLMENT AND MAXIMUM NEED

The purpose of this errata Child Care Bulletin (CCB) is to notify counties and child care and development contractors of an update to original CCB related to the continuation of reimbursement based on enrollment and maximum authorized need provisions.

RELEASED November 18, 2035: CCB 25-28: One-Time Per-Child Stabilization Payments to Care Providers Pursuant to Senate Bill 151(Chapter 108 Statutes of 2025)

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently published the following document: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-28: One-Time Per-Child Stabilization Payments to Care Providers Pursuant to Senate Bill (Sb) 151 (Chapter 108, Statutes of 2025)

The purpose of this CCB is to provide guidance to counties and child care and development contractors regarding the distribution of one-time per-child stabilization payments to child care providers pursuant to SB 151 (Chapter 108, Statutes of 2025).

For questions regarding the information in this letter, contact the Child Care and Policy Development Bureau at (916) 657-2144, or at CCPB@dss.ca.gov.

RELEASED November 18, 2025: Management Bulletin 25-10: Support to California State Preschool Program Contractors on the Set Aside and Serving Children with Disabilities

Attention: Executive Directors and Program Directors of all California State Preschool Programs

The California Department of Education (CDE), Early Education Division (EED) has released Management Bulletin (MB) 25-10 Support to California State Preschool (CSPP) Contractors on the Set Aside and Serving Children with Disabilities. This MB reminds CSPP contractors of:

• The enrollment requirement set aside for children with disabilities;  
• Requirement that children with disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment;
• Annual data reporting for children with disabilities; and 
• Allowances for spending CSPP contract funds for children with disabilities. 

MB 25-10 can be accessed on the MB 25-10 web page.

If you have programmatic questions regarding the information in this MB, please contact your assigned EED Program Quality Implementation Office Regional Consultant. The CDE, EED Consultant Regional Assignments directory web page can be accessed at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/assignments.asp.

California Workforce Registry Sunset: Contact the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles by December 15, 2025

The California Early Care & Education Workforce Registry (Registry) has begun a ramp-down and is expected to sunset in March 2026. As part of the ramp-down, users will lose access to their documents, education, and training reports currently stored on the Registry prior to March 2026. Once the Registry sunsets, users will lose access to host their documents, education, and training reports for individuals and staff within the online platform.

Users should consider downloading documents stored on the Registry by December 15, 2025. Users should contact the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles by visiting the ‘Early Care & Education Workforce Registry’ website as soon as possible but no later than December 15, 2025, if they would like access to or to download documents from the Registry. Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles can assist with Registry profile and information regarding account access. 

Social Media Spotlight

Follow TFC on social media!

We would love for you to tag us in your posts and use the hashtag #TFC2025

On Our Reading List

Information & Updates

Happening This Week, December 1 - 5, 2025: 


Tuesday, December 2nd:

• TFC Data Workgroup Meeting @ 11:00am
• TFC Foundation Weekly Member Connections Meeting @ 1:00 p.m. Email to register.

Wednesday, December 3rd:

• TFC Public Policy Committee Meeting @ 2:00pm

Thriving Families CA Foundation is committed to supporting our field with a coordinated calendar. Click here to see our current calendar of events. If you have an event to add, email us and it will be added.

The Weekly Good

An uplifting way to start the week, for those of us who need a break from the chaos that is our lives.

During this time where we are all stressed, it would be great to celebrate the positive. Each week we will celebrate everyday heroes, inspiring movements and great things happening in our field.