Early Childhood Education

California faces a growing deficit, but child care providers say they can't wait for more pay

Child care providers and their union want the state to up the rates it pays them to care for children from low-income families.

A woman with a medium skin tone wears a blue short-sleeved polo shirt. She sits at a low table on a child's chair, and looks at a sheet of paper. Beneath it is a notebook, her phone and some pens. Behind her there's what looks like a classroom: piles of children's chairs, cubbies with papers, bookshelves with white binders, and a small globe.

How to prepare if a parent or legal guardian is detained or deported

Experts say that preparing a plan with your family is essential in the event of an emergency. Here’s a guide to help coordinate childcare, support your child, find legal services and gather necessary documents.

Child with light medium skin tone holding a sign that says, "STOP SEPARATING FAMILIES" in the backdrop of a protest with multiple adults.

Her husband was picked up by ICE at a car wash. Where is he now?

A family with four kids was getting ready to celebrate their middle schooler's graduation. Then federal authorities came.

A close-up of a woman holding an I-Phone with a photo on it. The photo is of a man with a medium-light skin tone and short hair standing behind a gray sedan. Behind him a sign reads "Exclusive Detailing." A woman with a medium-light skin tone holds the phone. You can't see her face, just her torso. She wears a blue shirt and a dark grey open sweater. Her nails are painted pink.

LA invested millions in preschools. Less than four years later, it's offloading most. What happened?

Parents loved Los Angeles' licensed childcare centers. Now they're calling the program a "total failure."

A woman with a medium skin tone and gray hair pulled into a pony tail wears a black short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. She has a baby on her chest with short black hair and a medium skin tone. the baby's head rests on her chest. Behind her is some green grass and pavement, and a chain-link fence. Beyond that, cars are parked on a residential street.

Transitional kindergarten comes of age in California

Even as TK is set to become a real grade, just like any other K-12 grade, there are myriad challenges looming on the horizon, from finding qualified teachers amid a dire staffing shortage to how to ensure quality instruction and suitable facilities.

Two children, one with light skin tone and one with medium skin tone, are sitting on a mat listening to a person out of frame. There are other children out of focus in the background.

LAUSD preschool enrollment is up after changes to toilet training requirements

For the first time, some early education centers have waitlists. But the district still has many empty seats

A 3-year-old boy puts blue and green blocks into a plastic bag. There are also purple, yellow, orange, green, red and blue dinosaurs on the table.

Ruth Beaglehole, early childhood pioneer in LAUSD, dies

The advocate for nonviolent parenting and educator to decades of Angelenos was 81.

An older woman with light skin tone sits in front of a full bookcase. She holds up a piece of paper to the camera. The paper has a handwritten note that says "Mama/Papa understands, it's hard to not see friends."

San Francisco gave child care workers a massive raise. Is it a model for LA?

The city recently gave early childhood educators a huge salary boost. It's part of a strategy to attract and retain people in the job.

A small child with light skin and short brown hair partially pulled into a short pony tail on top of her head stands looking away from the camera. She wears a purple sweatshirt and black pants, and rests her arms on a small wooden table. To her right, a man with light skin and dark brown hair sits with his legs crossed, looking at the child. He wears a gray sweatshirt and black pants. He sits on a gray-blue rug. Behind him, there are a few small wooden chairs for children and windows that look out onto a brick wall. Colorful children's toys are under the table.

California is leading the country in public pre-K expansion, report finds

Enrollment in public preschool and transitional kindergarten increased by more than 35,000 children in the 2023-2024 school year. But potential elimination of Head Start threatens those gains

Preschoolers stand in a line at Field Elementary.

LA says it will no longer have money to run most of its free childcare centers

Los Angeles expanded childcare during the pandemic, but federal funding is running out. Parents are worried about what happens next.

A woman with a medium skin tone wearing a black shirt and blue pants stands in front of a glass door with ornate metal lining on either side. She rests her right arm on a gray stroller. A baby's feet and torso can be seen under the stroller. The woman wears black sunglasses on her head and has long dark brown hair.

California passed a law allowing new parents to apply early for paid leave. When will it take effect?

The state said the change from a 2024 law will be part of a larger overhaul of California's benefits system.

While parents participate in a movement class, postpartum doulas care for their newborn babies.

California needs transitional kindergarten teachers. Preschool teachers want in

California needs a lot more teachers and aides to fill transitional kindergarten classrooms, but advocates say early childhood educators who have the experience and desire to step into those jobs are deterred by the state’s credentialing system.

A woman with light brown skin stands between a series of bookshelves and holds up a children's book titled "How Rocket Learned to Read."

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