News and Events

SACRAMENTO, CA – During these difficult times for Southern California’s residents due to the ongoing wildfires, Early Edge is thankful for Governor Newsom’s continued support of families and providers through the protection of key investments in Early Learning and Care in his proposed 2025-26 state budget. We celebrate the proposed $3.9 billion he has committed to realizing the nation’s largest universal preschool program through the multiyear implementation of Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK), of which $1.5 billion will fund classroom ratio reduction from 12:1 to 10:1 students-to-adults. Governor Newsom has been a champion for young learners and the adults who support them from the beginning of his time in office, and his proposal represents a historic moment for California by ensuring that all 4-year-old children have access to high-quality preschool programs in the 2025-26 school year. 

“We celebrate the realization of UTK’s expansion and thank the Governor and his administration for maintaining the commitment to offer all 4-year-olds the option to experience this high-quality preschool program. California is about to achieve a major Early Learning milestone by creating the nation’s largest preschool program. Within his investment, we appreciate the Governor’s commitment to quality in TK programs by decreasing student-to-adult ratios. We look forward to continuing to work with state leaders and partners to ensure successful implementation of UTK within the mixed-delivery system, focusing on creating quality preschool options for families,” said Patricia Lozano, Executive Director of Early Edge California.

The Governor’s budget proposal which projects a modest reserve, also makes the following investments to support children, families, teachers, and caregivers and California’s Early Learning and Care mixed-delivery system: 

• $10M for the statewide use of English language proficiency screeners to support Multilingual Learners in Transitional Kindergarten. 
• Expanded Learning Opportunities Programs:
  • $435M to fully fund universal before, after, and summer school instruction and enrichment for all TK – 6 students, with a focus on schools with the highest concentrations of low-income students, English learners, and youth in foster care. 
• $106.3M to fully fund the universal school meals program in 2025-26. 
• $7.1B to maintain California Department of Social Services-administered child care and development programs. 
• Supporting Early Language and Literacy:
  • $1.8B for a discretionary block grant to provide LEAs with additional fiscal support to address rising costs, as well as fund statewide priorities including professional development for teachers on the ELA/ELD Framework and the Literacy Roadmap, with a focus on strategies to support literacy for English learners. 
  • $500M for TK-12 Literacy and Mathematics Coaches, which builds upon and expands the existing Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Grant Program and includes a new opportunity to support mathematics coaches in addition to literacy coaches.
• Up to $7.4M General Fund in 2025-26 and $12.5M General Fund in 2026-27 for the Department of Health Care Access and Information to contract for the provision of a three-month supply of diapers at no cost to California families with newborn babies via hospital systems to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.

We appreciate the Governor’s inclusion of these key investments. We will continue to raise the need for investment across the mixed-delivery system, including the implementation and funding of a reimbursement single rate structure based on the true cost of care. We also need to protect and expand access to the 200,000 subsidized child care slots that were included in the state budget in 2024. It is critical for California to stabilize and expand the child care industry, so it can provide robust Early Learning and Care options for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and their families. We will continue to work with Governor Newsom, his Administration, the Legislature, and Child Care Providers United (CCPU) on these efforts.

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Early Edge California is a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to improving access to high-quality Early Learning experiences for all California children so they can have a strong foundation for future success.