Karen D'Souza/EdSource

While California’s literacy crisis certainly predates the pandemic, with less than half of California children reading at grade level back in 2019, the fallout of the pandemic, the devastating impact of school closures and remote learning, has sent test scores plummeting further.

Should kindergarten be mandatory in California? Should it always be a full-day program like first grade? These questions are at the heart of two newly introduced bills that could significantly shift the early education landscape in California if they eventually become law.