California Education Code Section 8971

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (a) Child development program means a full-day or part-day comprehensive developmental program for children ages 0 to 14 years that is administered by the State Department of Education. (b) Early primary program, means an integrated, experiential, and developmentally appropriate educational program for children in preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 3, inclusive, that incorporates various instructional strategies and authentic assessment practices, including educationally appropriate curricula, heterogeneous groupings, active learning activities, oral language development, small-group instruction, peer interaction, use of concrete manipulative materials in the classroom, planned articulation among preschool, kindergarten and primary grades, and parent involvement and education. (c) Integrated, experiential, and developmentally appropriate educational program means a program that is designed around the abilities and interests of the children in the program and one in which children learn about the various subjects simultaneously, as opposed to segmented courses, and through hands-on or active learning teaching methods that are more appropriate for young children than the academic textbook approach. (d) Preschool program means a comprehensive developmental program for children who are too young to enroll in kindergarten. (e) Portfolio material means a selection of representative samples of the child`s performance within the program setting that may include, but not be limited to, teacher observations, work samples, developmental profiles, photographs, and audio or video tapes that present a picture of the child`s progress over time. (f) School district includes county offices of education. (g) State preschool program, means a part-day comprehensive developmental program for children three to five years of age from low-income families, administered by the State Department of Education.