Early Edge California Urges Governor Newsom to Uphold Early Learning Investments in May Revision
SACRAMENTO, CA – Early Learning advocacy organization Early Edge California acknowledges the difficult decisions Governor Gavin Newsom has had to make in the May Revision of his 2024-2025 state budget proposal, given California’s current deficit of $27.6 billion.
We appreciate that the Governor has protected investments to support Transitional Kindergarten (TK) expansion to ensure all 4-year-olds have access to a free preschool option. As the state continues to implement TK, we need to make sure that investments are also being made to our entire Early Learning and Care system to ensure that the workforce, child care spaces, and facilities critical to the infrastructure and success of our system can truly support the comprehensive needs of children and families.
We understand the challenges that the Administration and Legislature are facing with the budget deficit, and as they make difficult decisions in the coming weeks, we want to stress the critical importance of prioritizing our most vulnerable and under-resourced populations, including Black and Brown children, families, and providers.
Accordingly, we are concerned about the proposal to pause the continued expansion of child care spaces to 200,000 new spaces and urge the Administration and Legislature to develop a plan and timeline for funding and dispersing the remaining 81,000 spaces.
We also urge the Legislature to fund the facilities needed to support successful universal preschool expansion in our state by including dedicated funding for TK facilities within the school facilities bond as it contemplates bond proposals.
Lastly, we look forward to working with the Governor, Legislature, and Child Care Providers United to continue building a cost of care model.
This is a critical time for children: we hope that the Administration will make decisions that continue to strengthen essential support for our youngest learners, their families, and the educators supporting their learning and care.
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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.
Early Edge’s more in-depth overview of the May Revise’s Early Learning and Care investments will be released in the coming weeks.