The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously on April 23 to approve Vice President Nick Melvoin’s resolution supporting legislation to benefit the district’s earliest learners.

The board supported three bills in the California legislature that would increase state funding to expand access to early childhood education. It also urges the governor to consider amending his proposed $750 million allocation for the expansion of full-day kindergarten so that districts that already provide full-day kindergarten, including LAUSD, can also benefit from an investment in early education.

Because so much of a child’s brain develops in the early years, access to high-quality early education is important because it closes opportunity gaps, increases student achievement and puts children on a lifelong path toward success. The board supported AB 123, which would expand preschool access for low-income families; SB 443, which would allow districts to receive funding for 4-year-old students in Early Transitional Kindergarten programs; and SB 174, which would establish a more efficient and fair state reimbursement program for districts and agencies providing early care and education services.

“Our children’s education begins when they start to learn and discover the world around them, long before they enroll in kindergarten,” Melvoin said. “We are advocating for these bills and this funding so that we can offer more families the opportunity to help their young learners thrive.”

“Our children’s journey to college and career begins in preschool,” LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner added. “This resolution underscores the truth in that notion and everything we aim to do in Los Angeles Unified, and the urgency of the need for more resources from Sacramento to support our youngest students.”