Los Angeles, Calif., Jan 19, 2004 / 22:00 pm
A new bill that will force five-year-olds to attend school will receive a hearing tomorrow in the state Legislature.
AB 56, a bill sponsored by Democrat Darrell Steinberg, would lower the age of compulsory education from six to five.
The bill states that there is a “compelling need … to ensure that early childhood development programs and services are universally and continuously available for children so that children enter school in optimum health and are emotionally well developed and ready and able to learn.”
The bill would provide “universal preschool programs that offer group experiences, developmentally appropriate curricula, and allow for a seamless integration to K-12 education for all children three and four years of age.”