Current Issue: Helping Military Families Get Their Children BACK into California Preschools
FACT SHEET - Assembly Bill AB 170
AB 170 Background
Assembly Member Lori Saldaņa
Preschool Eligibility
Summary
AB 170 would exclude Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) in the definition of income for active duty military personnel for the purposes of determining eligibility for state preschool.
Background
Access to a quality preschool education can have a considerable and lasting impact on any child's academic career. Military children move an average of seven times between kindergarten and high school graduation. Fortunately, preschool programs can provide the foundation they need to succeed in school despite having transitional lives.
Qualification for state preschool is based on income level. However, a large number of military families with preschool-age children who would qualify for state preschool services are being excluded due to the way BAH is reported on their Leave and Earning Statement (LES). This BAH is interpreted by the California Department of Education as income. As a result, it disqualifies many military families from the state preschool services regardless if their base pay satisfies the required income limit.
Proposal
California is home to about 20,000 preschool-age children of active duty military personnel. AB 170 would help resolve the preschool eligibility problem for military families by excluding BAH from being reported as income.
The federal government has already taken this step by creating an exception which prohibits including BAH as income in determining eligibility for free and reduced priced student meals.
America's military relies heavily on not only its service members but also on their family members, who experience many of the hardships of the military as well. Providing preschool service for those who are in need is the least we can do to help them build the foundation for their mobile lives.
