If these sweeping proposals are enacted, they would overhaul the nation’s child care system to make it more accessible and affordable.
A California TK proposal would gradually open the program to all 4-year-olds amid evidence that early learning shapes the adult brain.
In the wake of the pandemic, child care providers have emerged as the backbone of the state’s economic recovery.
Child care is far more than just babysitting, advocates say, it’s building the architecture of the brain at a pivotal stage in construction.
California, with almost 3 million children under age 5, stands to receive about $3.8 billion in federal relief.
More than a third of parents surveyed said they have skipped meals or had to cut back on food for the children as a result of the pandemic.
Preschool teachers and child care workers earn 38% less than their colleagues in the K-8 system, the report says.
Among other measures, $25 billion is intended to stabilize the child care industry.
EdSource reporters and readers met Wednesday in a virtual town hall to discuss what education will look like this fall in California.
Some California students may find themselves in child care in the very classrooms they are barred from entering for in-person instruction.
Many providers are missing rent payments and racking up credit card debt, in addition to worrying they will be infected with the coronavirus.
In addition to advocating for higher pay per subsidized child, providers say they will call for more training and more access to subsidies.
Close to a fifth of the cases were among children, about a third were among staff and another third were among parents.
Some preschool and child care providers are finding creative ways to reduce health risks, while also meeting children’s developmental needs.
The budget still slashes investments to expand subsidized preschool, build more child care centers and train more early childhood teachers.
