LAUSD is seeking to double its child care centers and expand early education programs for children, a plan aimed at pushing the district deeper into the child care industry, providing affordable day care and ultimately boosting declining district enrollment.
The proposal calls for reopening many closed early learning centers, installing more preschool classrooms on elementary campuses, and expanding the district’s relationships with local child care providers.
“We know that early education is transformative and so beneficial to the students we serve in Los Angeles,” said board member Kelly Gonz, who introduced the resolution. “We know there are still gaps in terms of access to programs and care for our families in Los Angeles, and this is a really significant expense for families.”
ResolutionThe measure, which is expected to be approved by the Board of Education on Tuesday, could provide some relief to Los Angeles families who often face a heavy financial burden for child care before they are eligible to enter the public school system.
According to data from the , the average cost of full-time care for an infant in L.A. County in 2024 was $1,209 per month in a family child-care home and $1,818 per month in a center. California Budget and Policy Center. For a preschooler, the cost was $1,121 at home and $1,271 at the center.
“Many of our families struggle with the cost of child care or finding the right place for their family that has a quality program that will meet the social, emotional, academic and health needs of their students,” Gonez said. “I think there will be a lot of interest in expanded options for families.”
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It’s unclear how many new slots will be opened with this expansion, Gonez said, and the cost has not yet been determined. The expansion is expected to be funded by a LAUSD bond passed in 2024, as well as the district’s Child Development Fund. He said the initial learning team is expected to return to the board within five months with a detailed plan.
The district has attempted in recent years to make its preschool programs accessible to more families, removing its potty-training requirement and opening its state-funded programs to higher-income families when there are vacancies.
The proposal calls for the district to open an infant center in each of LAUSD’s seven board districts. Four currently operate in Reseda, South LA and Boyle Heights and prioritize teen parents who attend LAUSD schools, opening additional locations to the community.
Due to declining enrollment, there are many elementary school campuses with additional classroom space, which Gonz said opens the opportunity for state-funded preschools to create an earlier pipeline for families to the same campus that their child can eventually attend.
While the additional day-care slots, especially for infants, will be helpful for parents, there is also a potential benefit for the district: new students. LAUSD suffered a 4.5% decline this school year, related to declining birth rates and immigration rates, higher housing costs and deportation actions, according to state data.
Expanding early learning and child care programs could attract families to the district, encouraging them to stay in neighborhood schools rather than turning to alternative options such as private and charter schools, said Bruce Fuller, education professor emeritus at UC Berkeley.
“If you find families with infants and toddlers on LAUSD campuses, they are likely to be on those campuses throughout their elementary schools,” Fuller said. “You’re going to nurture those parents’ loyalty to the district and the community.”
School board member Nick Melvoin, who is a co-sponsor of the proposal, agreed with the need to create a consistent student pipeline.
“I think what’s important is trying to serve more families, as well as our bottom line,” Melvoin said. “We’re trying to get more enrollment. If you start as early as 6 months or 6 weeks with some of the infant centers in LA Unified, I think you’re more likely to stay the whole time.”
The proposal calls for expanding dual language preschool programs to ensure that all early dual language programs have a linked preschool that will enable families to teach their children a second language earlier.
Gonz 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.
Fuller said the effort could also ease some of the stress caused by the addition of transitional kindergarten, which has snatched many 4-year-olds from the already struggling child-care industry.
Efforts will include shared professional development opportunities, community events, coordination on curriculum, and collaboration on vaccines and before- and after-school child care for state preschool students who may need care throughout the day and year-round.
“Partnerships are especially a priority for this expansion plan as we look to work hand-in-hand with other centre-based providers as well as family home providers to meet the diverse needs of our families,” Gonez said.
This article is part of The Times’s Early Childhood Education initiative, which focuses on the education and development of California children from birth to age 5. For more information about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, visit latimes.com/earlyed.
