REL#11-11	CONTACT: Pam Slater
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	PHONE: 916-319-0818
January 24, 2011	E-MAIL: pslater@cde.ca.gov

 

State Schools Chief Torlakson Announces Deadline

Extension for Heritage School Registration

 

            SACRAMENTO – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that the California Department of Education (CDE) has extended the registration period for heritage schools through February 28 to assure ample time for institutions to participate in the new process.

             Legislation by state Senators Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) and Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) requires heritage schools to register annually online with the California Department of Education in order to exempt them from licensure by the State Department of Social Services as a child day care center.

             The law defines heritage schools as programs that serve public and private school children aged between 4 years, 9 months and 18 years old by providing out-of-school time activities focused on the language, culture, and traditions of a foreign country.

While the registration process, which began January 1, does not constitute an evaluation or approval process, it does impose health, safety, operational, and parent notification requirements that heritage schools agree to follow by registering.

            For information on heritage schools and the registration process, please visit

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/pf/he/hsreginfo.asp.

 

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The California Department of Education (CDE) is a state agency led by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. For more information, please visit http://www.cde.ca.gov or by mobile device at http://m.cde.ca.gov/. You may also follow Superintendent Torlakson on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorlaksonSSPI.