Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
More preschool seats coming to LA in state budget plan
Listen
• 1:00
Is preschool unaffordable for low-income families? At Mother's Club in Pasadena, low-income families receive subsidized preschool. In a "fine-motor" activity, one table of children in the Mother's Club LAUP classroom take shapes and stick them on white paper, then they select tiny glittery beads and paste those on top.
(
Deepa Fernandes/KPCC
)
The state budget that lawmakers sent to Governor Jerry Brown this week could open up scores of new preschool seats in the Los Angeles area and prompt the re-opening of an early education center – but the gains still represent just a fraction of the high need that remains as many parents scramble to find seats for their children.
The state budget plan passed by the Legislature last week includes $100 million in Proposition 98 funding for 8,877 new preschool slots statewide over the next four years.
When the first phase opens on March 1, 2017, the Los Angeles Unified School District hopes to apply for 150 to 200 of those slots, said Dean Tagawa, executive director of Early Childhood Education at LAUSD.
"This is a step in the right direction," said Tagawa. He said the funding "sends a good message" to the district that it "can continue to expand [its] programs."
Support for LAist comes from
Additional funding could also support re-opening one of the early education centers that have closed in recent years. The District has closed about nine centers in the past several years, said Tagawa. There are currently 87 centers listed on the LAUSD website.
Kagawa said the district is still determining what center would re-open, but that it would be a place with the "greatest need," such as the Bell / Cudahy area or northeast San Fernando Valley.
But while the state preschool expansion is welcome, said Robert Oakes with the California Department of Education, but the boost in the proposed budget would still fall short of filling the decline in seats the state has seen since 2008.
There are currently 32,000 slots for toddlers, zero to three in age, a drop of more than a third from eight years ago, according to the Department of Education.
And last year's spending on subsidized childcare and preschool was more than 20 percent below what it was in 2008, according to the California Budget and Policy Center. That's in contrast with K-12 funding, which has largely bounced back.
Locally, LAUSD currently serves about 10,000 students in full-day early education programs, but close to 33,000 eligible preschoolers throughout L.A. County are not enrolled, said Tagawa. Advocates have highlighted the lack of access to preschool as an ongoing problem for families for the past several years.
"We need to do more," said Celia Ayala, the CEO of Los Angeles Universal Preschool, or LAUP. Ayala said she generally supports the plan, calling it a "landmark budget package" that preserves transitional kindergarten and raises critical reimbursement rates for providers. But she said a long-term solution is needed.
Support for LAist comes from
"To maintain a quality program, you can't continue to band-aid things together," said Ayala. "You need a solid foundation and, therefore, constant funding that will support that infastructure."
Governor Brown has until the end of the month to approve the budget. The new fiscal year begins on July 1.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance. -
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
Best of LAist