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 Than 500 LA Child Care Providers Have Shut Down For Good Since The Pandemic Started

Since last March, 536 Los Angeles County licensed child care centers and home-based facilities reported permanent shutdowns to the state’s Department of Social Services. Thousands more closed temporarily.
“I honestly don't think we'll realize or feel the real impact until we're safely out of the pandemic,” said Keisha Nzewi, public policy director for the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network.
Even programs that remain open are losing money. Take St. Mary’s Richard Tufenkian Preschool in Glendale, for example.
The non-profit program closed at the beginning of the pandemic, reopened, shut down again during the most recent surge of coronavirus cases and just this week re-opened for about 110 children.
It’s running at half-capacity to comply with public health guidelines that limit the number of kids in a classroom.
School director Arsine Aghazarian predicts thheir savings will last maybe another six months operating this way.
“There's no support for us,” Aghazarian said. “Everyone is on your own, basically, trying to survive as much as you can.”
READ THE FULL STORY:
- Child Care Spaces Have Been Disappearing For Years. The Pandemic Is Making It Even Harder To Survive
READ MORE ABOUT CHILD CARE DURING THE PANDEMIC:
- Thousands Of California Child Care Providers Have Closed. A New Child Care Union Aims To Save The Rest
- What LA Child Care Providers Need to Know About Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine
- Child Care Providers And Parent Anxiety Rises With Coronavirus Case Count
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
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.

-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
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.