\u201cWe know early learning is transformative and very beneficial for the students that we serve in Los Angeles,\u201d said board member Kelly Gonez, who introduced the resolution. \u201cWe know that there are still gaps in terms of access to programs and care for our families in Los Angeles, and that this is a really significant expense for families.\u201d<\/p>\n
One goal of the ambitious plan could bring some relief to Los Angeles families that often face a heavy financial burden paying for care before a child is eligible to enter the public school system.<\/p>\n
The median cost for full-time care for an infant in L.A. County was $1,209 a month at a family child-care home and $1,818 a month at a center in 2024, according to data from the California Budget & Policy Center<\/a>. For a preschooler, the cost was $1,121 at a home and $1,271 at a center.<\/p>\n \u201cEarly ed is a big need in our most vulnerable communities and a true opportunity for the district to boost enrollment,\u201d board member and resolution co-sponsor Karla Griego said during the board meeting. <\/p>\n Engage with our community-funded journalism <\/a>as we delve into child care, transitional kindergarten, health and other issues affecting children from birth through age 5.<\/p>\n The four remaining board members joined Griego and board member Nick Melvoin as co-sponsors of the resolution during Tuesday\u2019s discussion. District staff will now hash out the details and cost of the plan and present the results to the board for final approval within five months.<\/p>\n The plan has also garnered support from early childhood organizations Early Edge and First 5 as well as education nonprofit Families in Schools.<\/p>\n \u201cFamilies with infants and toddlers in Los Angeles are struggling with access to affordable, high-quality child care,\u201d Early Edge policy director Carolyn Crolette told board members. \u201cExpanding access gives working families the ability to enroll their child in a high-quality program where young children can thrive and experience lifelong benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n It is unclear how many new slots would be opened with this expansion, and costs have not yet been determined, Gonez said. The expansion is expected to be funded by an LAUSD bond passed in 2024 as well as by the district\u2019s child development fund. <\/p>\n The district has attempted to make its preschool programs accessible to more families in recent years, removing its potty-training requirement and opening up its state-funded programs to higher-income families when there are vacancies. Families pay fees based on a sliding scale, meaning that higher-income families would pay more than families that earn less.<\/p>\n The resolution calls for the district to open an infant center in each of LAUSD\u2019s seven board districts. Four currently operate in Reseda, South L.A. and Boyle Heights and prioritize teen parents who attend LAUSD schools, and open additional spaces to the community.<\/p>\n Due to enrollment declines,<\/a> there are many elementary school campuses with spare classroom space, which Gonez said opens up an opportunity for state-funded preschools to form an earlier pipeline for families on the same campus their child may eventually attend.<\/p>\n The resolution calls for reopening more of the 17 early education centers that were closed because of low enrollment, facility size and district budget cuts during the Great Recession. The Kentwood Early Education Center in Westchester reopened in 2024 and is now at full capacity, according to Melvoin. San Pedro and West Valley early education centers reopened in 2025 and are filling up as well. Gonez hopes a formalized plan will accelerate additional reopenings. <\/p>\n While additional day-care slots, especially for infants, would be helpful for parents, there is potential benefit for the district as well: new students. LAUSD faced a 4.5% decline this school year<\/a>, according to state data, correlating with declining birth and immigration rates, high housing costs and deportation crackdowns. <\/p>\n Expanding early education and child-care programs could draw families into the district, encouraging them to stay at neighborhood schools rather than turn to alternative options such as private and charter schools, said Bruce Fuller, education professor emeritus at UC Berkeley.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you get families of infants and toddlers onto LAUSD campuses, they\u2019re likely to stay on those campuses in the elementary schools,\u201d Fuller said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to nurture the loyalty of those parents to the district and the community. \u201c<\/p>\n Melvoin agreed on the need to create a consistent student pipeline. <\/p>\n \u201cI just think what is important as we\u2019re trying to serve more families also is our bottom line,\u201d Melvoin said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to capture more enrollment. If you start with L.A. Unified as early as 6 months or 6 weeks with some of the infant centers, then I think you\u2019re more likely to stay throughout.\u201d<\/p>\n The resolution calls for expanding dual-language preschool programs, to ensure that all elementary dual-language programs have a linked preschool that would enable families to start their children learning a second language earlier. Currently, LAUSD runs 37 dual-language programs at its early education centers, covering languages such as Spanish, Armenian and Mandarin. The plan would expand offerings to include French, Korean and Arabic to align with the options available in TK-12.<\/p>\n Gonez also aims to expand partnerships with home-based and community-based child-care providers to create a bridge between the district and the existing child-care system.<\/p>\n That effort might also diffuse some tension caused by the addition of transitional kindergarten, which took away many 4-year-olds<\/a> from an already struggling child-care industry, Fuller said.<\/p>\n Efforts would include creating shared professional development opportunities, community events, coordination on curriculum and collaboration on before- and after-school child care for TK and state preschool students, who may need full-day and year-round care.<\/p>\n \u201cPartnership is specifically called out as a priority for this expansion plan because we want to work hand in hand with both other center-based providers, but also with family home providers \u2026 to meet the diverse needs of our families,\u201d Gonez said.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/58\/63\/50ef761d4adfa8b451b6a006b800\/lat-early-childhood-initiative-logo-1.svg\"){kind=logo}
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