CA Coalition Pushes Cradle to Career Strategy
(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Newly sworn into his third term of service, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D – Coachella) is keen to pick up an early childhood education agenda with his colleague Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D – Sacramento). These two lawmakers head a unified coalition who has introduced a series of three bills that would make high-quality preschool programs universally accessible for California children.
This legislative package puts forward a comprehensive three-pronged approach to this issue 1) AB 123: Pre-K for All: Targeted Universal Access, implementing targeted universal preschool; 2) AB 124: Preschool Facilities, creating new preschool facilities; and 3) AB 125: Reimbursement Rate Reform, addressing reimbursement rate reform across early childhood education (ECE) programs.
“Prioritizing investments in early education establishes the necessary foundation for building a robust economy and an overall thriving California,” stated Assemblymember Garcia. “Universal preschool will help ensure our children can enter elementary on an equal footing and empower our communities with the means to curb poverty cycles.”
Garcia, who has been a longtime proponent of universal preschool, also expressed his gratitude to Assemblymember McCarty for his diligent efforts on this issue as well as for visiting his district on multiple occasions to meet with local stakeholders.
“Preschool is a proven difference maker—breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty, addressing our education achievement gap and keeping kids out of our juvenile justice system,” said Assemblymember McCarty.
These measures have already received support from the California Federation of Teachers as well as Early Edge California, and they are expected to run complementary with Governor-elect Newsom’s own early education platform.
During his first week back in session, Assemblymember Garcia has already rolled up his sleeves and set straight to work introducing and adding his name onto a handful of bills geared to support his district including:
AB 55, (E. Garcia): Department of Veterans Affairs: veterans’ services
AB 56, (E. Garcia): Central Procurement
AB 11, (Chiu/E. Garcia): Affordable Housing and Infrastructure Financing Agency
AB 10, (Chiu/ E. Garcia): Low Income Housing Tax Credit
AB 17, (Salas/E. Garcia): Vote by Mail
AB 39, (Muratsuchi/ E. Garcia): Local Control Funding Formula
ACA 1, (Aguiar-Curry/ E. Garcia): Local Government Financing
