Here in Los Angeles County, the extreme shortage of early learning opportunities for children, prenatal to age 5, is an urgent issue. According to the L.A. County Child Care Planning Committee's most recent State of Early Care and Education in Los Angeles County report, 59 percent of preschoolers lack access to state-subsidized early learning opportunities; and 87 percent of working parents with infants and toddlers lack access to a licensed child-care center seat of any kind.
The $183 billion California budget for fiscal year 2017-18 that Gov. Jerry Brown signed Tuesday, June 27, is a critical step forward in addressing the needs of our state's young children and their families. The budget honors a promise outlined last year to restore funding for almost 3,000 state-subsidized child-care and preschool slots, and includes multi-year funding that will help more families afford quality child care.
Quality child care between prenatal years and age 5 greatly increases a child's chances of earning a higher income, being healthy and avoiding prison later in life. Quality, affordable child care is a mechanism for breaking cycles of poverty and gives our youngest children the best possible start in life.
To read more of Kim Belshe's article, please click here.
Kim Belshe' is executive director of First 5 LA, an early childhood advocate organization created by California voters to invest Proposition 10 tobacco tax revenue.
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