With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
Amid preschool seats shortage, LAUSD has hundreds of openings
Listen
• 0:51
Ashley Vargas, who is enrolled in the transitional kindergarten (TK) program, plays tether ball during recess at the Martha Escutia Primary Center. TK is meant to bridge the academic gap between preschool and kindergarten.
(
Mae Ryan/KPCC
)
Even as nearly hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles County preschoolers miss out on formal early education because there are simply not enough licensed seats, Los Angeles Unified school officials said this week that its preschools are not at full capacity.
There are 400 unfilled Early Transitional Kindergarten (ETK) spots at district elementary schools, said Dean Tagawa, head of early education for LAUSD. And, Tagawa said, the district's other preschool programs also have spots that have gone unfilled this year.
The gaps exist because -- although not enough seats exist for all of L.A.'s young students -- even families who could access seats sometimes don't because they don't hear about the programs.
The ETK program is an extension of California’s newest grade, Transitional Kindergarten, and it allows for school districts to accept any 4-year-old into the program. The program at LAUSD launched last summer, when access to parents and families is much more limited.
Support for LAist comes from
“Because of the way ETK came about this year, we had very limited time to message [the availability of open seats]," Tagawa told a meeting of the district's Early Education subcommittee at a meeting Tuesday. "But we’ll do a much better job with that this upcoming year.”
For the current school year, LAUSD created 2,800 ETK seats, of which 400 remain open, Tagawa said. He told the district's early education subcommittee that the district’s other preschool programs also have unfilled slots.
“We’re at about 96.4 percent occupancy in our early education centers and about 95 percent in our state preschool programs, so there are seats available both in ETK but also in our early ed centers,” he said.
Unlike the newly created ETK seats, these preschool programs have existed for years, which Tagawa said means that the district needs to do a better job spreading the word about the programs to parents. “That message needs to go out [to] parents [that] it's ok to enroll your children and it's a good opportunity to get them started in school programs,” Tagawa said.
As KPCC has reported here and here, the huge gulf between the number of children under 5 in LA County and the number of licensed childcare seats means the majority miss out.
According to data from the Advancement Project, only 41 percent of all preschool aged children have access to a licensed early education seat countywide. This means about 230,000 children of preschool age don’t have access to a seat, said Chris Ringewald of the Advancement Project.
Yet according to the data, not all parts of the county have such a dearth of early education seats. The LAUSD school with the highest percentage of unfilled seats is in West Hollywood. In this area upwards of 70 percent of children under 5 can access childcare or preschool. Laurel Early Education Center is only at 62 percent capacity with room for 36 more children.
Support for LAist comes from
According to Monica Carazo, LAUSD spokesperson, parents can still enroll a child in one of the district’s preschools.
Here are the centers with the most openings:
Laurel Early Education Center
Dacotah Early Education Center
Westminster Early Education Center
Holmes Avenue Early Education Center
Logan Early Education Center
Gledhill Early Education Center
Lemay Early Education Center
Trinity Street Early Education Center
Pacoima Early Education Center
Sylvan Park Early Education Center
Wilmington Park Early Education Center
Glassell Park Early Education Center
Albion Early Education Center
Haddon Early Education Center
Normont Early Education Center
Pinewood Early Education Center
Murchison Early Education Center
Dayton Heights Early Education Center
Toluca Lake Early Education Center
Vaughn Street Early Education Center
Shenandoah Early Education Center
Marina Early Education Center
37th St. Early Education Center
28th St. Early Education Center
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The historic properties have been sitting vacant for decades and were put on the market as-is, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $1.75 million. -
Users of the century old Long Beach wooden boardwalk give these suggestions to safely enjoy it. -
The Newport Beach City Council approved a new artificial surf park that will replace part of an aging golf course. -
The utility, whose equipment is believed to have sparked the Eaton Fire, says payouts could come as quickly as four months after people submit a claim. But accepting the money means you'll have to forego any lawsuits. -
The City Council will vote Tuesday on a proposal to study raising the pay for construction workers on apartments with at least 10 units and up to 85 feet high. -
The study found recipients spent nearly all the money on basic needs like food and transportation, not drugs or alcohol.
Best of LAist