As a condition of receiving state aid pursuant to this part, a local educational agency that operated early education programs for individuals with exceptional needs younger than three years of age, as defined in Section 56026, and that received state or federal aid for special education for those programs in the 1980–81 fiscal year, shall continue to operate early education programs in the 1981–82 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter.
If a local educational agency offered those programs in the 1980–81 fiscal year but in a subsequent year transfers the programs to another local educational agency, the local educational agency shall be exempt from the provisions of this section in any year when the programs are offered by the local educational agency to which they were transferred.
A local educational agency that is required to offer a program pursuant to this section shall be eligible for funding pursuant to Section 56432.
This section shall become operative on July 1, 1998.
(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 56, Sec. 67. Effective January 1, 2008.)