September 28, 2026 | CalMatters
Early Edge’s Executive Director Patricia Lozano speaks with Carolyn Jones at CalMatters about how the high cost of child care in California negatively impacts families and the workforce. Some states offer free child care to all children and numerous other cities including New York are developing free child care programs. But while there have been some recent bills in California regarding parental leave and child care subsidies, there aren’t currently any for universal child care.

“Why is this not a priority in California?” said Patricia Lozano, executive director of Early Edge California, an advocacy group. “The demand is so high. … This could have an enormous positive impact on California’s families and the economy.”