It’s our priority to ensure that families, educators, and child care providers have the resources they need to give our youngest learners supportive and enriching learning experiences.
California faces serious challenges in its delivery of quality Early Learning and care to California children, birth to age 8:
- Early Learning educators and child care providers do not receive professional and equitable compensation and benefits, and lack sufficient training and resources to support children’s developmental and learning needs.
- More than half of California children speak a language other than English in the home and fall behind because they’re not receiving the support they need to benefit from speaking more than one language.
- Most parents can’t access or afford quality Early Learning and care programs for their children.
Our work focuses on the following priorities:
Increasing Access to High-quality Early Learning and Care for Infants and Toddlers
Every infant and toddler should have access to high-quality, affordable child care that meets their needs and the needs of the families.
Supporting Successful Implementation of Universal Preschool
All California 4-year-olds will have the opportunity to attend Transitional Kindergarten, a free, high-quality preschool option by the 2025-26 school year and enter Kindergarten prepared to learn and thrive.
Helping Dual Language Learners Thrive
All California children should reap the benefits that come from speaking more than one language.
Increasing Compensation and Training for Early Learning and Care Teachers and Caregivers
All Early Learning educators and child care providers should have the compensation, training, and resources they need to meet the educational and developmental needs of the children in their care.
Increasing Availability of Quality Programs for Children from Birth Through Age 8
All parents should have access to high quality, affordable learning settings for their children.