October 14, 2025 | For Immediate Release
October 14, 2025
For Immediate Release
Sacramento, CA – Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 271 (Gómez Reyes), increasing campus collaboration and child care support for parenting students at California’s public higher education institutions. Beginning in January 2026, the California Community Colleges, the University of California, and the California State University campuses will provide parenting students with information and connections to local resource and referral agencies for assistance in securing child care, and ensure that parenting students are aware of all financial aid available to them.
This bill, authored by Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes (D–Colton), and passed with unanimous bipartisan support, was sponsored by Early Edge California, the University of California Student Association (UCSA), the Cal State Student Association (CSSA), and the Student Senate of the California Community Colleges (SSCCC). The bill was also part of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus 2025 priority bill package.
“This policy will help reimagine what it means to support student parents with young children on college campuses,” said Patricia Lozano, Executive Director of Early Edge California. “When campuses provide parents with information about local child care options and all available financial assistance, they remove barriers and ease the load for student parents, providing stability for their little ones, and creating opportunity through a two-generational approach. We thank Governor Newsom for reaffirming that child care is a basic need, and we are grateful to Senator Gómez Reyes for leading the charge on SB 271 to ensure student parents are able to achieve their academic goals while raising a family.”
“The Student Senate for California Community Colleges celebrates the signing of SB 271, a critical step toward a more inclusive and supportive higher education system. Student parents deserve to be seen, supported, and given every opportunity to succeed,” said Jerry Reyes, President of SSCCC. “This legislation affirms that commitment by helping connect students with the resources and financial aid they need to care for their families and stay on track to graduate. We thank the Governor for recognizing that true student success means meeting students where they are and ensuring support for students of all backgrounds.”
“The UC Student Association is humbled by the signing of SB 271 (Reyes) and extends our deepest gratitude to Early Edge for their diligence in getting this bill across the finish line to ensure that our campuses institutionalize parenting student resources,” said Aditi Hariharan, President of UCSA. “Thank you to Senator Reyes, her staff, the Governor and our student organization partners at CSSA and SSCCC – we look forward to the support this bill will bring for thousands of students with dependents once our institutions work to implement SB 271!”
“The Cal State Student Association is proud to be a co-sponsor of SB 271 because students with dependents deserve the same opportunity to succeed and continue their education like any other student,” said Tara Al-Rehani, President of CSSA. “Access to affordable, reliable childcare is a basic need. It’s a basic need that our student parents rely on to achieve their academic and career goals. This bill recognizes their reality by taking meaningful and intentional steps to ensure that students with dependents can stay enrolled, graduate, and build a better future for themselves and their families.”
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Early Edge California advocates for accessible, high-quality early learning and care, with a focus on the earliest years. Through targeted advocacy and policy development, we champion nurturing environments for children and promote the professional growth of teachers and trusted caregivers, establishing a foundation for community resilience and economic mobility.
The Student Senate of the California Community Colleges represents 2.1 million students across the state’s community colleges. SSCCC works to advance access, success, equity, and diversity by elevating student leadership and perspectives in systemwide governance and advocacy.
The University of California Student Association is a coalition of student governments from all ten UC campuses, representing over 240,000 students. UCSA empowers students to advocate for accessibility, affordability, and academic quality across the UC system, centering equity and student voice in higher education policy.
The Cal State Students Association is the voice for more than 480,000 students across the 23-campus California State University system. CSSA champions affordability, educational quality, and student representation across the system, and at both state and federal levels.