In the 2025-26 California state budget, Governor Newsom proposed $3.9 billion to meet the goal of full implementation of universal transitional kindergarten and pre-kindergarten for all students. To achieve this goal, schools and providers will need to blend, braid, and layer pre-K and expanded learning programs to create full-day, full-year programs. ELO-P plays a vital role in California’s mixed delivery system—where schools, community-based providers, and expanded learning programs work together—to ensure families have access to full-day, full-year pre-K options.

Partnership for Children & Youth is working alongside our early learning partners to support the successful implementation of UTK by supporting the workforce, providing technical assistance, and advocating for policy shifts that enable this collaboration. We identify models and provide resources for expanded learning providers to better serve their youngest learners.

Why Early Learning?

Unequal access to early learning opportunities is a major driver of long-term inequities, and California’s push toward Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK) is designed to close that gap. Children who attend preschool gain about 1,395 more hours of structured learning before kindergarten than their peers, and in California, TK enrollment has already doubled since 2021–22 to serve over 151,000 four-year-olds—about 70% of those eligible. Combined with state preschool and Head Start, more than 250,000 children (nearly half of all four-year-olds) are now in publicly funded programs. Research from California districts shows TK students enter kindergarten with stronger literacy, math, and social-emotional skills and maintain those gains through 1st grade. With nearly $4 billion in annual investment, per-child funding above $11,000, and a newly implemented 1:10 teacher-student ratio, Universal TK is a critical step toward ensuring every child in California starts school on an equal footing.

Expanded learning and early learning share goals and core values that encourage blending programs (see diagram below). To fully utilize public investments, school districts and community-based organizations need to find new ways to work together.

Our impact

PCY has advanced early learning in California by supporting leadership, alignment, and access across schools and community programs. Through initiatives like the DIALEE Fellowship, the UPK Mixed-Delivery Workgroup, and the UPK Guidebook, PCY has helped educators and organizations implement high-quality, full-day, full-year pre-K and transitional kindergarten programs. Our work also includes updating the Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations and sharing resources statewide to promote equitable, inclusive early learning for all children.

• In partnership with DialEE, PCY supported the LEA Fellowship cohort of 16 LEA fellows from 9 school districts and 2 CBOs. The Fellowship equips early education leaders to integrate initiatives like PreK–3rd alignment, inclusion, expanded learning, and community partnerships. Over two years, fellows deepen their leadership, innovate local solutions, and strengthen connections between early learning and K–12 systems.

• PCY participated in updating the California Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations (PTKLF) in partnership with WestEd and the California Department of Education. The foundations provide early childhood educators, parents, and the public with a clear understanding of the wide range of knowledge and skills preschool children typically attain when given access to a high-quality preschool program.

• PCY has played a significant role in UPK Mixed-Delivery Quality and Access Workgroup, providing guidance on systems alignment, building partnerships between LEAs and CBOs, and working to support the implementation of full-day, full-year inclusive universal TK and pre-kindergarten programs for all of California’s early learners. Additionally, PCY has developed multiple resources to aid LEA’s and program providers’ best practices in UTK/UPK.

• In 2024, PCY presented at 14 conferences and webinars with over 2,000 attendees to spread awareness and resources for early learning initiatives.

• TheUPK Guidebook was co-created with other whole-child-focused organizations, including Partnership for Children and Youth, Every Child California,Child Care Resource Center,First 5 California,District Innovation and Leadership in Early Education,Santa Clara County Office of Education, andHeising-Simons Foundation. It provides critical information and resources to family-serving organizations, LEAs, and CBOs.

Resources

For more information on increased coordination between early childhood education and expanded learning, check out these resources:

• Universal Pre-kindergarten Expansion Resources page, created by Santa Clara County Office of Education

• An Inclusive Framework: Designing and Implementing Universal Prekindergarten in California, created by the YMCA of San Diego County

• Overview of Child Care and Expanded Learning Programs for School-Age Children, Legislative Analyst’s Office