Early Edge Blog
Early Edge Policy Corner: Takeaways from the Early Edge and Learning Policy Institute UPK Legislative Briefing
May 21, 2026
Last October, I had the opportunity to work on Early Edge California’s Early Learning Tour, which brought a delegation of California legislators and leaders to Colorado to learn firsthand about the state’s approach to early childhood governance and universal preschool implementation.
Building on that experience, we partnered with the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) in March to host a legislative briefing in Sacramento on the latest research around universal preschool implementation in California. The briefing brought together legislators, district and city leaders, researchers, and practitioners to take stock of where the state stands and where it still needs to go as Universal Transitional Kindergarten concludes its first year of full implementation.
What we learned during the briefing:
Hanna Melnick, Senior Policy Advisor and Director of Early Learning Policy at LPI, presented findings on enrollment trends in publicly funded preschool programs, giving insight to where California has made meaningful progress and where opportunities for progress remain.
- TK enrollment more than doubled since 2019-20, reaching nearly 178,000 children in 2024-25.
- Across all publicly funded programs, about 62% of California’s 4-year-olds were enrolled in 2024-25, up from 42% in 2019-20.
- Progress among 3-year-olds has been much slower, with only 25% enrolled in publicly funded programs in 2024-25, up from 21% in 2019-20.
- Even among low-income 3-year-olds, 56% were still not enrolled in any state-funded program in 2024-25, leaving substantial room for improvement.
Following the research presentation, I facilitated a conversation with local practitioners on what UPK implementation looks like on the ground. Leaders from San Francisco’s Department of Early Childhood, Long Beach’s Department of Health and Human Services, and Lindsay Unified School District shared how their communities are working to align early learning programs. The conversation highlighted promising and innovative strategies as well as real challenges, and offered important insights into where policy and additional support could make the biggest difference.
We then turned to Colorado for a statewide perspective. Early Edge’s Executive Director Patricia Lozano facilitated a conversation with Dr. Lisa Roy, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. Dr. Roy shared how Colorado approached its own expansion of universal preschool alongside the establishment of its new Department of Early Childhood. We explored what has made that governance structure effective, where Colorado encountered challenges along the way, and what lessons California might draw on as we continue working to strengthen our early childhood system.
Where Do We Go From Here: Recommendations from LPI
Drawing on their research in California, LPI put forward a set of recommendations to guide the state’s path forward:
- Consolidate or coordinate the administrative agencies overseeing California’s various preschool programs at the state and county levels.
- Develop a universal application and enrollment system for families enrolling in publicly funded ECE programs.
- Develop district leaders’ ability to support early childhood development.
- Align preparation requirements for state-funded preschool teachers.
- Increase educator compensation.
- Support sustained, job-embedded professional development across the mixed-delivery system.
- To sustain the mixed-delivery system, help community-based providers make the shift to serving younger children as 4-year-olds move into TK.
Key Takeaways:
Implementing the largest universal preschool program in the country has been a monumental undertaking for California. We have made great progress in expanding access to every 4-year-old and are working to reach more 3-year-olds as well. But there is always more work to do. Navigating a complex system places real burdens on families, districts, and child care providers. Stronger, more cohesive governance can help ease that administrative load. We must continue asking how we can make access to universal preschool and all early learning and care programs as simple and straightforward as possible so that every family can find and enroll in the programs they need.
Thank you to all who participated in the briefing, including early childhood champions Asm. Al Muratsuchi and Asm. Mia Bonta, who provided remarks, and to our incredible speakers who joined us to share their valuable perspectives within this important conversation:
- Cheri Doria, Director of Early Childhood Education, Lindsay Unified School District
- Mirel Herrera, Senior Policy Analyst, Early Edge California
- Patricia Lozano, Executive Director, Early Edge California
- Hanna Melnick, Senior Policy Advisor and Director of Early Learning Policy, Learning Policy Institute
- Ingrid X. Mezquita, Executive Director, San Francisco Department of Early Childhood
- Alejandra S. Albarran Moses, Early Childhood Strategic Initiatives Program Manager, Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services
- Lisa R. Roy, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Early Childhood
- Victoria Wang, Researcher and Policy Advisor, Learning Policy Institute
