Libby Rainey
Reporter, Early Childhood (Temporary)
(She/Her)
Childcare is essential to our social fabric, but it's what experts call a "broken market." It's too expensive for parents and guardians, but the pay for the people providing it is often extremely low. I look at what this means for L.A. families, the workforce, and society. And I report on what federal, state and local solutions might look like.
I also cover early education, the rollout of transitional kindergarten in California, and maternal health — from the Black maternal mortality crisis to doula care to the impact of maternity ward closures across the state.
Before this, I produced LAist's local broadcast of All Things Considered, covered labor at More Perfect Union, and produced the daily global news hour Democracy Now!
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Drawing, playing and make-believe are tools children can use to comprehend the disruption of the past month. -
A choir sings on after losing its church in the Eaton Fire.
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Childcare providers say they know that their work is critical to allowing families to find new housing or return to work. But they're also trying to figure out how they themselves will recover, or stay afloat at all.
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Wildfire smoke causes particularly dangerous air quality, especially for sensitive groups including children and pregnant people.
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Sheriff's officials have door-to-door searches with cadaver dogs underway in daylight hours.
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The late Altadena resident Owen Brown was famed abolitionist John Brown's son. Like his father, he also participated in the Harpers Ferry raid. Later, the younger Brown settled in Los Angeles.
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After the devastating Woolsey Fire, residents and the fire department teamed up. Here's their story.
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Supervisors plan to try a procedural change.
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The LAPD called deputy mayor of public safety Brian Williams the "likely" source of the threat.
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The finding is among several in Orange County's "Conditions of Children" report identifying youth and maternal health disparities.
Stories by Libby Rainey
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