Teacher Diversity Is Key to California’s Expanding Public Early Education System

After years of political popularity, public investments in early education have mostly struggled to get traction in recent years. Federal momentum toward universal pre-K has stalled, and some successful local experiments from the 2000s and 2010s have struggled to deliver on the optimism that accompanied their launches. 

California is a notable, laudable exception to this trend. In 2021, under the leadership of Gov. Gavin Newsom, the state embarked on an ambitious effort to more than double its number of public pre-K and transitional kindergarten (or “TK”) seats for 4-year-old Californians from just over 147,000 to roughly 400,000. (TK began in 2008 as a program for children who just missed the state’s cutoff for kindergarten enrollment, but has significantly expanded to serve more 4-year-olds since 2021). 

This would be a major accomplishment for the state and for early education advocates. The key, of course, is to show how policymakers can dramatically grow pre-K and TK access while maintaining crucial quality elements that support children’s development. The best way to do that is to ensure that the state’s new early education classrooms have great teachers prepared to meet their students’ needs. 

Please help put parents in charge of their child’s education by forwarding this article to other parents, family, friends and voters.
diversity by Aarón Blanco Tejedor is licensed under Unsplash unsplash.com

Other Articles

California banned bilingual education for almost 20 years. It still hasn’t recovered
After banning bilingual education in 1998, California voters brought it back 8 years ago. Schools are still trying to rebuild their programs.
Read More
College Affordability Summit Invitation
The California Student Aid Commission in partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education, the Education Trust-West, and the California Department of Education invite high school teachers, counselors and other K-12 stakeholders to attend the the 4th Annual California College Affordability Summit.
Read More
63 CA Seniors Awarded STEM Grants From Amazon Future Engineers Program
Amazon Future Engineer awards hundreds of students with 4-year up to $40,000 scholarships and paid industry internships toward STEM degrees.
Read More
These are the 10 best public high schools in California, US News says. See rankings
The site ranked more than 1,600 high schools in California based on college readiness, curriculum and other factors.
Read More
California school district policy 'outing' trans pupils blocked by judge
A judge has blocked part of a policy in a California school district that would require teachers to 'out' trans students to their parents.
Read More
Should Voters Decide What Schools Teach?
Californians may vote to require a new high school finance course. Critics argue it sets a bad precedent.
Read More
Beyond crayons and circle time: What California transitional kindergarten needs to succeed
California is rolling out its transitional kindergarten program, with the goal of offering it for all 4-year-olds by 2025-26. While some schools have had programs in place for years, others are just starting to create teaching guidelines.
Read More
Fight for more parental leave for teachers intensifies
California is currently at the center of the debate, where educators are excluded from any fully paid parental leave.
Read More

Get latest news delivered daily!

We will send you breaking news right to your inbox

© 2025 educationopportunity.org, Privacy Policy | FPPC #1460602