The report sets a long-term goal of preschool for all children, regardless of income, but focuses on expanding access first to children in low-income families.
California was ranked 14th in access to preschool for 4-year-olds, behind Oklahoma, Vermont, Florida, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Georgia and South Carolina, among other states.
Giannina Pérez previously worked for Early Edge California and Children Now, both well-known children’s advocacy organizations. As an advocate, she worked to expand training for early childhood educators to better support children who speak languages other than English at home.
The state will use a $10.6 million grant to identify gaps in early learning services for children from birth to age 5 and decide on steps to meet those needs.
A transition team document says Newsom's proposed budget for the next fiscal year will call for $1.8 billion for kindergarten, child care and child development programs, although more details are expected when he releases his proposed budget later this week.
Some states have successfully expanded both access and the quality of their preschool programs. Here’s what some early learning advocates and researchers say California could learn from them.
Assemblyman Kevin McCarty introduced three bills this week, one to expand spaces for public preschool for low-income 4-year-olds, one to improve preschool facilities and one to increase reimbursement for preschool programs.
This school year the Lindsay Unified School District, in a small farming community in Tulare County, implemented universal preschool, meaning every child from birth to 4 years old, regardless of family income, can attend a program in the district for free.
