As California expands Universal PreKindergarten, many child care centers are struggling to keep up and may even be on the brink of closure. Child care centers provide care to preschool-aged (3 to 5) children while Transitional Kindergarten (TK) only accepts 4-year-olds. In 2021, the California state legislature passed AB130, a bill expanding access to TK for all 4-year-olds, but has introduced signicant challenges for center-based programs (those operating privately, through community-based organizations, and school districts) that provide child care for 4-year-olds. The impacts have reverberated across California to such an extent that we nd another Perfect Storm brewing, undermining the sustainability of the early care and education field.
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