Early Care & Education
UNIVERSAL PREKINDERGARTEN
Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) is an umbrella term for all California early care and education programs that serve three- and four-year-old children. UPK serves as a bridge between early childhood and TK-12 systems and aims to make sure every child, no matter their background, where they live, immigration status, or income, can have a healthy learning experience before kindergarten. UPK also prioritizes offering a variety of early care and education options so families can choose the programs that best meet their children’s needs.
Helpful UPK Resources
Find Early Care & Education Programs at mychildcareplan.org
Are you eligible for child care payment assistance? Find your Resource & Referral agency to find out, at CCALA.net
What is the Role of the Child Care Planning Committee in Universal PreKindergarten?
The California Department of Education has directed the Local Child Care and Development Planning Councils, also known as the Child Care Planning Committee in Los Angeles County, to implement the Universal PreKindergarten Mixed Delivery Planning Grant (UPKMDPG). The primary goal of the grant is to fortify partnerships and lead a community-level engagement process aimed at coordinating and developing an efficient and effective preschool mixed-delivery system in Los Angeles County. In this role, the Planning Committee will collaborate with the Los Angeles County Office of Education, local education agencies, family child care homes, center-based child care providers, resource and referral agencies, and parents. Locally, these efforts will be referred to as the Universal PreKindergarten Los Angeles (UPKLA). The goals of this efforts are:
- Goal 1: Increase parent’s knowledge about early care and education choices
- Goal 2: Strengthen partnerships between local education agencies (school districts) and the early care and education mixed delivery system
- Goal 3: Enhance partnerships to support children with special needs
- Goal 4: Increase supports for the early care and education workforce
The Planning Committee accomplishes much of its work through group work, forums, and Ad hoc groups. Some of the UPKLA efforts will be actualized by the Planning Committee Ad hoc’s. Please visit the Ad hoc tab to see how their work is aligned with UPKLA.
What is Transitional Kindergarten?
2021 California legislation requires any local educational agency operating a Kindergarten to also provide a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program for all 4-year-old children. TK is the first year of a two-year kindergarten program.
What is the Difference between Transitional Kindergarten and Universal PreKindergarten?
UPK brings together Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and all existing state preschools and federal early education (including California State Preschools [CSPP] and Head Start), private child care, and expanded learning opportunities, including before and after school programs into the same system. TK is one program that is a part of UPK.