Universal PreK and the California’s ECE Mixed Delivery System

2024

Universal Preschool & Transitional Kindergarten is a statewide early care and education (ECE) initiative that aims to maximize opportunities for children ages 0-5. California’s ECE mixed delivery system consists of ECE providers, services, settings and program types—granting families the freedom to choose a program or combination of programs that best meets their unique needs.  

Funding for these programs exists in the form of public investments and private investment through tuition and fees paid by families or foundation/private donor funding.

While the California State Legislature has made significant investments in recent years, in funding subsidized ECE programs to serve children farthest from opportunity, gaps in the mixed delivery system remain. As California progresses towards full implementation of UPK it is integral for state leaders, policymakers, and administrators to engage in every opportunity possible to create a more cohesive, integrated, equitably funded, and highly accessible mixed delivery system that not only ensures providers are paid a living wage, but also maintains affordability for families. Below is a non-exhaustive list of general opportunities improvement within California’s UPK mixed delivery system.

  • Improve quality standards and quality supports across UPK programs and services
  • Improve and increase equitable access to UPK programs and services
  • Support the full implementation and funding of child care provider reimbursement rate reform to reflect the trust cost of care
  • Support appropriate updates and revisions of the Child Development Permit Matrix
  • Improve and expand collaboration and enhanced partnership building across all mixed delivery system stakeholders
  • Improve consumer education options for families and system stakeholders
  • Ensure system investments are evidence based and responsive to the needs of families
  • Improve compensation parity guidelines across all publicly subsidized ECE programs
  • Support utilization and possible institutionalization of the UPK Mixed Delivery Planning and Implementation Grant Program, which supports local UPK efforts and collaboration
  • Consider establishing a state-level initiative to support local collaboration efforts that includes state agencies, unions and associations that have a hand and influence in regulating different parts of the mixed delivery system

For further information on this topic or how to get involved please contact CCRC’s Government Relations Team, governmentrelations@ccrcca.org.