Policy Pick: Advancement Project Helps Bring Preschool to Southeast L.A. County*

*UPDATED

More than 175 new preschool slots will come to a Los Angeles County community that is most in need, thanks to a $10.4 million grant the Advancement Project and a coalition of agencies worked to secure received from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The coalition, which secured elicited the funds with the help of a First 5 LA Community Opportunity Fund Policy and Advocacy grant, learned on June 21 that it would get the money will be used to build a new Early Care and Education (ECE) center in southeast L.A. County. This $10.4 million comes from a $40 million allocation the LAUSD Board approved in January.

The center will serve the highest need community in the school district - the cities of Bell and Cudahy, though a site location is not finalized. Bell and Cudahy are part of First 5 LA's Southeast Los Angeles Best Start community.

"The Board took an essential step in closing the atrocious gap that exists between early education needs and early education services in the Bell/Cudahy region of the District," said LAUSD Board Member Yolie Flores. "I want to be clear that our work in this area is far from complete. We are, however, moving in the right direction."

The Advancement Project spent almost a year doing data analysis and mapping to pinpoint the most underserved populations for early education. They identified Bell/Cudahy, which has more than 3,000 young children without early learning opportunities in just one zip code.

Advancement Project Director of Education Kim Pattillo Brownson said: "Basic fairness demands that the gates of opportunity be open to all children, regardless of where they live. The Board's unanimous decision makes clear that the District is committing to invest in those neighborhoods that need it the most and to ensure that the most at-risk young children have a real opportunity to learn and prepare to succeed in the K-12 system."

The $10 million allocation will support the construction of a state-of-the-art early education center for children 0-5. The center will house seven classrooms, a family engagement and professional development space, as well as a new playground. The project is anticipated to begin construction in 2013 and will open to serve students in 2015.

The Advancement Project worked in coalition with Preschool California, the California Community Foundation, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Universal Preschool and Alliance for a Better Community.

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