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Early Childhood Education
Though childcare is often among the biggest expenses in a family’s monthly budget, economists say it's hard to know just how big of a problem it is.
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This fall at least 200,000 California students are expected to enroll in transitional kindergarten, which serves as a bridge between preschool and kindergarten.
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Family child care providers in the union will get $90 million in one-time payments to help stabilize the industry.
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The survey, done every month since 2021, found that the number of child care providers struggling economically is rising.
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A family shelter in Woodland Hills unveils a new Head Start center on site, one of only a few such shelters in the state.
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The estimated number of unsheltered children and teens under 18 in the county went up this year, and data suggests larger families especially are struggling.
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Childcare providers face high costs, low pay and a changing landscape as California adopts universal transitional kindergarten.
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In 2021, California launched an ambitious plan to make transitional kindergarten available by the 2025-26 school year, creating a brand new grade level.
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Starting in January, the state offered more-generous leave benefits. Claims in the first two quarters this year were up about 16%, compared to the same time period last year.
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Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that children without legal status cannot enroll in Head Start — effective immediately. But without implementation guidelines, providers say they're in a holding pattern.
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The ACLU and other groups have taken legal action to challenge the Trump administration's policy to bar children without legal status from Head Start programs.
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The state approved money in this year’s budget to help with startup costs for a 'childcare special district' in Riverside County.
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Officials say the change will affect an estimated 23,000 people in Los Angeles County.Listen 0:36
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The state has a program for self-employed workers and small business owners, but workers don’t always know to opt in.Listen 0:49
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Experts say play can be key in helping children through big feelings.Listen 3:57
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In 2025, the state increased payments for people who took time off to care for a child or a family member.Listen 4:16
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First 5 Orange County was recently awarded $75,000 from O.C. Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento.
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Experts say California isn't studying its own transitional kindergarten program, despite research that has shown a public preschool program doesn’t guarantee better outcomes.Listen 24:19
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California requires every school district to offer the preschool program to all 4-year-olds. But uptake has been uneven.
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Stanford economists estimate it would cost the state up to $21 billion to offer universal child care for kids 3 and under in California.Listen 0:46
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The U.S. Senate has until Friday night to approve a package of funding measures or else risk another government shutdown.Listen 0:43
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The Governor’s proposal uses cannabis tax revenues to support child care infrastructure affected by the January 2025 fires.Listen 0:38
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Last year, homelessness declined overall in the region, but not for families with children. And service providers say even that was an undercount.Listen 0:44
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Transitional kindergarten is forcing a change in the way elementary schools operate in California.Listen 4:00
