Implement the UPK Planning and Implementation Grant

In Plain Language: Match UPK planning, TK access, allowable spending and reporting to the allocation the LEA actually receives.

Ownership and handoff

Early-learning lead works with fiscal staff and local partners; governing board/body considers the required plan in public. CDE receives prescribed program/evaluation data and may request the 2026–27 plan for review.

Program conditions for 2026–27 operations

• For 2026–27 recipients under subdivision (e), expenditures must align with the local plan. An LEA without the earlier required plan must develop one for public governing-board/body consideration, addressing full-day learning access before kindergarten and partnerships. It must make that plan available if CDE requests review. The section does not set a new fixed 2026–27 date for this initial missing-plan step.
• Recipients must supply CDE-specified program data and participate in evaluation, collaborate with the local planning council, tribes, CSPP and Head Start providers, and offer TK to eligible interested pupils in their attendance area.
• The 2026–27 recipient condition in EC 8281.5(e)(3)(E) requires offering full-day TK at kindergarten sites or developing a plan for public board/body consideration by June 30, 2028. This is a real conditional funding requirement, distinct from the broader legislative intent in (e)(6)–(7); preserve it as later allocation context, not a current-year filing deadline.
• Authorized 2026–27 uses include developmentally appropriate CSPP/TK expansion or provider partnerships, planning, recruitment/hiring, staff development, classroom materials/furnishings and supplies. Broader aspirational language on preschool/Head Start transitions and full-day kindergarten does not itself create a universal fixed deadline.
• Track allocations separately: subdivision (c)/(d) funds have June 30, 2028 expenditure limits; subdivision (e) 2026–27 funds have June 30, 2032 limits. Competitive workforce grants under (f) have their own conditions and must not be collapsed into these balances.
• Use the applicable CDE expenditure and data-collection instructions. A local plan, a fiscal expenditure report, a CDE-requested review and county capacity-building support are separate actions. Do not infer routine COE approval from county support or grant administration.

Operational workflow

1. Identify each allocation/subdivision and retain the current award.
2. Match the existing plan and public-meeting evidence; identify any missing-plan obligation.
3. Check TK access, partnerships, allowable costs and required data commitments.
4. Maintain the current-year ledger and implementation evidence, with later conditional milestones recorded as allocation context.
5. Complete current CDE collections using their actual form/window; retain the receipt and distinguish any plan review request.

Evidence to retain

• Allocation/subdivision ledger
• Plan and public-meeting record
• Partner collaboration and TK-access evidence
• Allowable-cost support
• Program/evaluation data and report receipts

Sources and authority

• EC 8281.5: current allocation-specific conditions
• CDE UPK Planning and Implementation resources

Annual Compliance Calendar · Authority and source versions

Reviewed October 21, 2026 for the 2026–27 calendar. Later grant milestones are allocation context, not a new fiscal-year calendar. Pending questions remain unverified. Preparation and monitoring steps do not create additional statewide submissions.