10492.1. (Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 699, Sec. 2.)

(a) The State Department of Social Services, in consultation with the State Department of Education, and with input from early childhood stakeholders, shall develop the Whole Child Equity Framework (the Framework) and Whole Child Community Equity Screening Tool (the Equity Tool). The Framework shall outline categories that are essential to supporting children 0 to 13 years of age, inclusive, through a whole child approach, including, but not limited to, access to childcare, physical and mental health services, education, childhood adversity and community safety, economic well-being, and built environments. “Built environments” means all of the physical parts of where families live and work such as homes, buildings, streets, open spaces, and infrastructure. The Framework shall guide the development of the Equity Tool that will consist of indicators aligned with each of the Framework’s categories. The Equity Tool will examine community-level data for the indicators and classify communities based on higher or lower values for these indicators. This approach will identify highest-need communities across the state with significant disparities across indicators that are essential to supporting the whole child. It will provide the data needed to support the equitable distribution of resources and monitor progress on addressing racial and economic inequities.