On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 450 passionate early educators filled Luminarias in Monterey Park for the third quarterly Universal PreKindergarten Institute, “Shaping Young Minds: Igniting Curiosity and Inspiring Innovation.” 

Educators and administrators from across L.A. County’s mixed-delivery landscape—including transitional kindergarten, Head Start and preschool providers—gathered for another engaging day focused on building and strengthening skills to nurture and engage young learners.

These quarterly institutes constitute one strategy in LACOE’s ongoing support of local educational agencies as they plan and implement transitional kindergarten for all four-year-olds by 2025-26, joining K–12 and early childhood education together in the same ecosystem. The third institute of 2024-25 kicked off with a riveting panel of teachers and administrators from Downey USD’s Rio Hondo Elementary sharing how their new demonstration TK classroom, provided by LACOE, has transformed play-based education at their school.

Keynote speaker Dr. Denisha Jones engaged the audience on reclaiming the early years by centering joy and liberation through play. Participants briefly interacted with innovative and interactive centerpieces by Kodo Kids before attending breakout sessions on self-regulation, inquiry science, classroom environment and harnessing children's creativity.

“It was gratifying to see so many educators and administrators at the UPK Institute today,” said Dr. Maricela Ramirez, LACOE Chief Education Officer. “Developmentally appropriate, play-based learning builds the skills that are critical to our children’s long-term success. Opportunities for play and experimentation help children develop collaboration, creativity and problem-solving skills, which serve as the foundation for their educational journey ahead.”

Due to popular demand, the event, originally planned for 350, expanded to include the first 100 on the waitlist. Workshops employed open-ended materials like water, rocks, cardboard and yarn for participants to practice learning through play. Between sessions, participants were invited to explore an on-site model classroom intentionally designed with various elements and nature-inspired features.

“Play-based environments inspire children to take risks, explore, investigate, experiment, communicate, create and learn,” added LACOE Head Start and Early Learning Executive Director Luis Bautista. “Our UPK team collaborates with teachers and administrators to create supportive, inclusive learning communities where all children have the opportunity to succeed and thrive. I’m thrilled to see so many of them here engaging in this work.”

More information on LACOE’s Universal PreKindergarten is available on the LACOE website. You can register for the next UPK Institute on June 3 here or request support from LACOE’s UPK team here.