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State Profiles
California
In September 2006, three months after California voters defeated the Preschool for All Act which would have established high-quality, voluntary pre-k for all four year olds, the California Legislature approved  Assembly Bill 172, thereby allocating an additional $50 million to increase enrollment in state pre-k programs located in neighborhoods surrounding California’s lowest performing elementary schools. With this new investment, the State Preschool Program was projected to serve an additional 12,000 children. A small portion of the new money will also be used to fund a new family literacy component to help parents better support their children. In addition to the $50 million in pre-k program expansion, the 2006-07 budget included $50 million in one-time funds for pre-k facilities.
While AB 172 represents a notable legislative victory for targeted pre-k expansion in California, the state still has a long way to go before every child has access to high-quality pre-k.
Key Milestones
| 1998 |
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The Universal Preschool Task Force, convened by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin, calls for "publicly funded universal preschool within ten years for all three- and four-year-old children in California." Specifically, it recommends:
- expanding the supply and quality of the preschool workforce;
- increasing the number of facilities;
- ensuring access in a range of settings; and
- combining local, state, federal, and private funds to finance the program.
The task force report, “Ready to Learn” (available for a fee from the California Department of Education, (800) 995-4099; ask for item #1399), elevates preschool in policy debates and becomes a basis for future work on preschool opportunity for all.
California voters approve Proposition 10, a ballot initiative that institutes a tobacco tax to establish the First 5 California Children and Families Program and Commission , and authorizes the establishment of county commissions. The mission of these county commissions is to provide every child prenatal to age five with a comprehensive, integrated system of early childhood development services. Many counties choose to invest a portion of local funds in pre-k. |
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| 2002 |
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The Master Plan for Education, a comprehensive policy document, is delivered to the state legislature for approval. The document lays out a blueprint for strategic planning of pre-k through university education policy and finance. The plan includes access to voluntary pre-k for all children in the two years leading up to kindergarten as one of its key school-readiness recommendations.
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| 2003 |
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The David and Lucile Packard Foundation announces a multi-year, multi-million-dollar commitment to achieve and implement pre-k opportunity for all three and four year olds in California within ten years. As part of this campaign, Preschool California, a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization is formed to assume a leadership role in the campaign for pre-k for all in California.
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| 2004 |
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A coalition of California’s early childhood advocacy organizations works together in support of comprehensive legislation to enact the Master Plan for Education recommendations and create a pre-k-for-all program. The legislature ultimately passes Assembly Bill 712—a much-reduced version of the Master Plan for Education—that would create a comprehensive workforce development plan and initiate a study of the cost of providing voluntary pre-k to all California four year olds, but Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes the bill.
Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) is created and funded by First 5 Los Angeles to offer high-quality pre-k for every four year old, regardless of family income, by 2014. First 5 LA will provide $600 million over five years to begin pre-k-for-all implementation. Other First 5 County Commissions working on implementing pre-k-for-all plans include San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Diego. |
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| 2005 |
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Authored by Assemblymember Wilma Chan (D-Oakland) and co-sponsored by Preschool California and Children Now, Assembly Bill 172 declares the legislature’s support for publicly funded, quality pre-k for all four year olds in California. The bill is intended to be the vehicle for implementing legislation following passage of the ballot initiative.
Economists at the RAND Corporation project that California will reap a nearly three-fold return on investment in a high-quality pre-k-for-all program.
On June 17, Rob Reiner files the Preschool for All ballot initiative that would give every California child the opportunity to attend high-quality pre-k. Members of the exploratory committee who worked with Rob Reiner to draft the Preschool for All Act included prominent leaders from the fields of business, labor, K-12 public schools, and early childhood education. The initiative would:
- establish free, part-day pre-k for all California children whose parents choose to enroll them in the year prior to kindergarten
- expand the supply and quality of the pre-k workforce;
- increase the number of facilities;
- ensure access in a range of settings; and
- combine local, state, federal, and private funds to finance the program.
The petition drive collects more than 1 million signatures in support of the Preschool for All initiative, qualifying it for the June 2006 ballot.
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| 2006 |
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California voters reject Proposition 82 at the ballot box on June 6. An exit poll shows that while 73% of voters are in favor of a pre-k-for-all system in California, they did not like this particular ballot measure. Despite its defeat, Prop. 82 placed the issue of pre-k high on the California radar. The day after it failed at the polls, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his own proposal to invest an additional $100 million dollars in a targeted pre-k program. On September 7, the governor signed a scaled down version of Assemblywoman Chan's AB 172 (originally written in 2005) to implement his pre-k proposal. The bill increased pre-k enrollment for an estimated 12,000 4 year olds living within the attendance areas of low-performing elementary schools. It also incorporated a new family literacy component to engage parents in their children's education. In addition to the $50 million in pre-k program expansion, the 2006-07 budget included $50 million in one-time funds for preschool facilities. |
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| 2007 |
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The RAND Corporation begins the California Preschool Study to examine the extent to which expanding access to high-quality pre-k in the state will help more students meet the state's K-3 standards and close the achievement gap. The study will also provide details about the achievement gap, analyze the host of agencies and programs that serve young children, and document the type and quality of early care and education arrangement that California's children experience before entering kindergarten.
The governor proposed a $50 million increase for pre-k in his supplemental budget recommendations, although the proposal was later rescinded due to amended revenue estimates. |
Pre-K Champions
Preschool California works with a broad base of stakeholders, the governor, and the legislature to increase access to quality pre-k for all California children. This diverse coalition includes individuals and organizations from the K-12, business, law enforcement, ethnic, faith-based, and early care and education communities as well as parents, organized labor, children’s advocates, communities of color, women, seniors, and philanthropic organizations.
The tobacco-tax-funded FIRST 5 California Children and Families Commission, along with county-level FIRST 5 commissions and philanthropic entities such as the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, are supporting local pre-k-for-all planning and implementation efforts. Among other activities, the Packard Foundation funded the Plan4Preschool website, which provides counties and districts resources to guide their implemention of high-qualitiy pre-k.
In 2004, the late Lew Platt, former chairman of Boeing, and developer/philanthropist Eli Broad appeared in California television public service ads highlighting the education and economic benefits of pre-k.
Film director and children’s advocate Rob Reiner spearheaded both Proposition 10, the ballot initiative that eventually led to the creation of FIRST 5 California, and Proposition 82, the Preschool for All Act. Though Prop. 82 failed at the ballot box, it succeeded in elevating the issue of pre-k on California’s list of priorities.
Prop. 82 was endorsed by a broad and deep coalition that included Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, 42 state legislators, the chambers of commerce of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland, the state sheriffs and police chiefs associations, the American Academy of Pediatrics – California, the California Teachers Association, the California Congress of Seniors, the California Kindergarten Association, and major labor groups including SEIU, CSEA, AFL-CIO, and AFSCME. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appeared in two “Yes on Prop. 82” television ads, one in English and one in Spanish. Shortly afterwards, actor Martin Sheen lent his voice to the effort in other Yes on 82 television ads. Additionally, Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca helped spread the positive word on preschool for all and the ballot measure at various press events and via email.
Next Steps for California
Pre-k advocates will continue to work at the state level with the governor and legislature and at the local level to improve the quality of the state’s pre-k program and incrementally increase access, starting with the children who need it most. Building upon the recent new investment in pre-k, further efforts are needed to expand pre-k opportunities for children living near California’s lowest performing schools. Additionally, more work must be done to educate state-level policymakersabout the benefits of quality pre-k and to encourage them to become pre-k champions. The future of all these efforts on behalf of high-quality pre-k in California depends in large part on effectively working with and expanding upon a diverse coalition of supporters.
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"Redefining ESEA" Webinar
Looking for resources from our Webinar, "Redefining ESEA: The Critical Role of Pre-K and the Early Grades in School Reform Efforts”?
Access our PowerPoint presentation from the March 17 call here.
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Recovery Round-up
You've got questions? We've got answers -- and when it comes to pre-k and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we've got lots of them. Courtesy of Pre-K Now's federal team, here is our great collection of resources to help you navigate and apply ARRA funding.
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Meeting the Challenge of Rural Pre-K
Families everywhere struggle to find high-quality pre-k programs for their children, but the problem is even more acute in rural areas. Pre-K Now has come out with recommendations for federal policymakers to help states meet the unique challenges of rural pre-k.
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Find High-Quality Pre-K
With Our Checklist
Quality is key to unlocking pre-k's many benefits. Learn what to ask about and look for when choosing a pre-k program for your child.
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Tour a Pre-K Classroom
Through our virtual classroom tour and our short video following real children through their pre-k year, we will help you recognize high quality, understand why it makes a difference, and show you how children benefit.
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The Case for Pre-K in the ESEA
