On June 5, 2024, the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), in collaboration with the LA County Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education, the Child Care Alliance of LA and the LA County Child Care Planning Committee, organized the Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) Leadership Bridge Building Breakfast. The event aimed to forge connections between public school systems and community-based early childhood education programs.

UPK integrates various education platforms, including Transitional Kindergarten (TK), California State Preschool Program (CSPP), Head Start (HS), private preschools, childcare and before and after-school programs. This collaboration ensures families have access to a comprehensive preschool experience and full-day extended learning and care tailored to their needs. Schools are evolving to accommodate three- and four-year-old students entering the UPK system. 

This breakfast provided a platform for leadership from local educational agencies (LEAs) and early care and education systems to establish relationships, enhance mutual understanding and strategize for successful UPK implementation. Attendees included school district superintendents, charter leaders and directors from early care and education Resource and Referral (R&R) centers.

LACOE is actively advancing the development and expansion of early learning programs with the goal of offering this opportunity to all four-year-old children by the 2025-26 academic year. For more information, please visit LACOE’s UPK webpage.