Newsom boosted transitional kindergarten and put preschool out of reach for many California families

Gov. Gavin Newsom once aspired to ease the sky-high cost of childcare as a key to making families economically feasible again. But as the affordability issue dominates nationwide, the governor’s momentum seems to be fading.

The Republican promise to buoy families rings hollow. Gas prices and healthcare premiums are climbing for cash-stretched parents, as President Donald Trump seeks a 42% jump in military spending. Trump told his budget director last month, “Don’t send any money for day care … We are fighting wars.” 

In bright contrast, Newsom emerged from the COVID pandemic with plans to extend transitional kindergarten to 96,000 additional children each year. Now half of all 4-year-olds are in this new school grade. 

He also boosted the count of childcare vouchers available to help parents pay for child minders. And he raised per pupil spending for public schools by nearly two-thirds.

But this year, Newsom has dampened his dreams. 

His final state budget emphasizes fiscal caution and big gains for local schools. But surprisingly, Newsom seeks a 2% cut in public childcare and preschool programs after adjusting for California’s accelerating inflation.

It’s safer to sit on one’s laurels and declare victory than to acknowledge an unanticipated harm of one’s otherwise progressive policies. 

Transitional kindergarten eliminated massive childcare bills for thousands of parents raising 4-year-olds. But now options are shrinking for California’s 1.6 million children, ages zero to 3.

Newsom’s well intentioned growth of transitional kindergarten is eroding community-rooted preschools that long served 4-year-olds — the kids now migrating to transitional kindergarten programs, which are hosted by public schools. 

Since Newsom’s bullish support for transitional kindergarten arose in 2021 — urged on by Democratic lawmakers — nearly 1,200 nonprofit preschools have closed across California, says a new analysis from UC Berkeley. Los Angeles County alone has lost 12,000 slots in nonprofit preschools. In mid-size counties like Santa Clara more than 4,000 child places have disappeared.

The loss of nonprofit childcares requires parents to fetch their kids from transitional kindergarten in the early afternoons, which is impossible for many moms and dads laboring full time. 

In contrast, community preschools have long run from early morning to evening and throughout the summer. Less than a third of California parents of 3-year-olds have been able to find preschool slots in a neighborhood hub, church or YWCA.

Thankfully Democratic lawmakers, Assemblymember David Alvarez from Chula Vista and state Senator Sasha René Pérez from Pasadena, have supported incentives to help nonprofits pivot to serve younger children, by raising per-child allocations for children under 4 and extending eligibility for public preschool to families earning up to about $120,000 yearly.

Lawmakers are weighing a $123 million request from state schools chief Tony Thurman to reach more children under age 4 and bolster nonprofit preschools. It’s affordable, given that tax revenue flowing into the Proposition 98 education set-aside grows, thanks to a stock market stoked by artificial intelligence stocks. Newsom’s budget would add another $8.3 billion to support local schools.

Newsom’s waning interest in universal preschool may stem from a union’s push for additional childcare vouchers to be awarded to parents opting for home-based providers, many of whom are organized by the Service Employees International Union, a contributor to Newsom’s campaigns.

Long term, nonprofits and schools can avoid competing for young children. Inventive nonprofits already collaborate with educators to serve toddlers on school campuses, along with after-school programs for transitional kindergarten youngsters. Lawmakers could incentivize districts to convert vacated campuses into early-childhood centers, as pursued by Vallejo and L.A. school boards. 

The governor and lawmakers can regain momentum this budget season by ratcheting-up  investments in children. Economically stretched families can’t live on promises alone.