Public postsecondary education: students with dependent children: childcare services, resources, and programs.

Senator Reyes frames a proposal that broadens public postsecondary support for students with dependent children by explicitly weaving childcare services and resources into the campus basic needs framework, alongside existing housing, food, and health assistance. The measure centers a campus Basic Needs Center and a dedicated Basic Needs Coordinator to serve as the primary link to on- and off-campus services, with the objective of coordinating access to childcare, financial aid, and related supports for students with dependent children.

Key mechanisms establish parallel structures across the three public higher education segments. Campuses would appoint a Basic Needs Coordinator who leads a central Basic Needs Center, creating a single point of contact for students facing basic needs insecurity. The Center would endeavor to locate and connect students to on- and off-campus services, including childcare information and connections to state and federal subsidies; it would coordinate with the campus financial aid office to ensure access to all available aid, including supplemental awards for students with dependent children, while avoiding forced co-location with financial aid offices. The measure also requires that if a campus already houses a parenting student support office, the Center may direct students there when appropriate. In addition to these structural changes, campuses must streamline applications for basic needs services, develop a plan for outreach to students with nontraditional circumstances, and create a centralized, user-friendly document listing all services, locations, contact persons, eligibility, and relevant benefits links, to be distributed during orientations and maintained online and in student accounts.

The bill adds several implementation details and reporting requirements to support accountability and information flow. The financial aid offices on CCC and CSU campuses would provide students with dependent children information about childcare options and offerings, referral to Basic Needs Center or equivalent supports, and information about supplemental awards for students with dependent children. Child development centers and preschools affiliated with the campuses would refer parenting students to the Basic Needs Center and to the financial aid office for access to subsidies and related programs. Campuses would produce annual, disaggregated data on the range of basic needs services offered, the number of students served, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics where available, and retention outcomes. They would report on CalFresh uptake and data-sharing arrangements with county agencies to help identify eligible students, with the expectation that annual reports to the executive offices would summarize progress and use of funds. The bill also authorizes a targeted use of funds to provide food pantry access for classified employees in certain fiscal years and contemplates aligning with related budget and statutory changes proposed by other measures, subject to operative conditions.

Together, the provisions situate childcare more clearly within the campus safety-net ecosystem, requiring referrals from childcare programs and explicit information-sharing about campus childcare offerings and related subsidies. The framework builds on existing basic needs infrastructure by codifying childcare as a defined component, clarifying referral pathways, and increasing visibility of services through campus websites, faculty communications, and student accounts. The legislation’s structure acknowledges potential state-mandated local costs and provides for reimbursement procedures if mandated, while keeping a pathway for additional program staff and collaborations to evolve as campuses implement the new requirements. In sum, the measure aims to create a more integrated set of supports for students with dependent children, linking childcare access and subsidies with broader basic needs services and financial aid within California’s public postsecondary system.