Early Edge Resources
Policy Brief
Early Edge California’s 2026 Policy Agenda
March 10, 2026
Early Edge’s 2026 policy agenda focuses on the most critical issues impacting young children, their families, and the workforce. This year, we will advance goals across the following key areas:
- Early Learning and Care (ELC) Systems Transformation: Create ELC systems change that meets the needs of children, families, and the ELC workforce.
- Birth-to-Three Child Care: Increase access to high-quality, affordable infant and toddler care by addressing the urgent shortage facing families across California.
- Universal Preschool (UPK) Implementation: Ensure high-quality implementation of universal preschool by incorporating developmentally appropriate practices across the mixed-delivery system and leveraging partnerships between school-based providers and community-based organizations to meet the needs of children and families.
- Workforce Compensation, Supports, and Pathways: Advance rate reform by adopting an alternative methodology that reflects the true cost of care and supports just, livable wages and essential benefits for the workforce. Provide supportive resources and professional development opportunities, while addressing barriers to licensure and access to subsidies, to ensure educators have the supports they need, enabling children across all settings from birth through age five to thrive.
- Dual Language Learners (DLLs): Ensure California’s future thrives by embracing the cultural and linguistic strengths of DLLs starting at birth.
