LOS ANGELES (KNX) — State senators voted 32-5 Wednesday to move forward with a bill that would require children across the state to attend kindergarten.
Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) introduced SB 70, which would require all students attending public schools to complete one year of kindergarten before attending the first grade for the 2022-23 school year, according to the bill text.
“As a public school teacher for 17 years, I have witnessed the detrimental impact on young students who miss out on fundamental early education,” Rubio said in an interview with EdSource.
“The voluntary participation for kindergarten leaves students unprepared for the educational environment they will encounter in elementary school. The pandemic has exacerbated this reality.”
Proponents of the bill argue that making kindergarten mandatory would help students excel in school, citing comparisons of students who did and did not attend
“In comparing the long-term outcomes of children born in states with mandatory kindergarten attendance to states with voluntary kindergarten attendance, children who attend kindergarten are more likely to go to college and earn higher wages and are less likely to experience poverty as adults,” bill writers wrote
They went on to write that the requirement would benefit children of low-income families, who in a recent study were said to be less likely to fall behind throughout their academic careers if they attended kindergarten.
Though about 95% of the state’s school-aged children enroll in kindergarten annually, according to Mercury News, the grade is not yet required.
The newspaper reported that the bill has been opposed by several home-school advocates.
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