#bayarea families spend a significant chunk of their income on #childcare, and the financial strain can lead them to make tough choices to make the math work. Tell us: how have #childcarecosts affected your family? Have you found an arrangement that works for you? Any advice for first-time parents?

@kqednews.kqed.org would love to hear your story when it comes to child care in the Bay Area. How much do you pay? How have the costs affected your spending or family-planning decisions? How do make the math work? Our survey is at the bottom of the story ⬆️

Child care costs in the Bay Area are among the highest in the US. Alameda is the latest county to use funds from a dedicated tax to increase the availability of child care. Their success has a spillover effect to neighboring counties looking to make child care more affordable.

And here’s San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie reading “Llama Llama Red Pajama.”

San Francisco kids under 5 years old can get a free book mailed to them every month under a new partnership between the city and county, and the @realdollyparton.bsky.social Imagination Library. Sign up at the library or online. #earlychildhood #literacy

As for the project in Napa: the lawsuit was settled, but it cost the owner of Le Petit Elephant $500K in legal fees and interests to replace a pre-approved small business loan. She’s working on getting permits approved to get the project off the ground.

@scottwiener.bsky.social said the bills will make it easier and faster to build “housing, child care centers, transportation, water infrastructure, broadband, and all of the things that make life better and more affordable for people.”

The case was cited as an example for the need to overhaul the law. Yesterday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 2 bills that will allow certain development projects (including child care centers) avoid rigorous environmental review.

Last year, I wrote about an attempt to block the development of a child care center in a Napa neighborhood. Opponents of the plan sued under California’s environmental review law (CEQA), delaying the project for a year.

The Santa Clara County Office of Education cited federal funding uncertainties as the reason for issuing layoff notices. Its Head Start staffers were ready to clean out desks and collect their last paychecks today when news came that funding came through at the 11th hour.

The Trump administration didn’t eliminate Head Start funding as feared, but job cuts are having real impacts on a local program in the California town of Hollister, where parents and teachers are going into summer break not knowing if they’ll have a classroom to return to. www.kqed.org/news/12044082

Congress now has 45 days to pass by a simple majority, or let expire a White House proposal to claw back $1B in already-approved funding for public media. The cuts would hit smaller, rural PBS and NPR member stations the hardest. They rely on federal funding for larger portions of their budgets.

On the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, @kqednews is focusing on the Vietnamese disapora. It’s honor to tell one family’s remarkable story of courage, sacrifice and resilience, and the memorable meal they shared after reuniting at a refugee camp. www.kqed.org/news/12037893

Thanks for highlighting the importance of Head Start to millions of American families @minakimes.bsky.social The radio version of this story will air Monday morning on @kqednews.kqed.org

Head Start, an early childhood education program for low income families, is on the chopping block. Growing up, my own mom was an aide with the program; it’s helped countless young mothers, including the one who tells her story here.

www.kqed.org/news/1203596...

For 60 years, Head Start has provided care, a preschool education and support to America’s poorest families. The federal program has never been more in danger of being eliminated. My interview with a laid-off worker whose life was changed by Head Start.
www.kqed.org/news/12035966

The early education ecosystem is fragile and any additional costs brought on by a disaster like the LA fires can further destabilize it. As child care providers figure out next steps, some of them are looking to Santa Rosa for lessons of recovery from the 2017 Tubbs Fire.

California is contending with a child care shortage, and you’d think the state is doing everything it can to increase options for families. But a bureaucratic entanglement is causing child care centers to turn away or delay enrolling thousands of infants and toddlers.

www.kqed.org/news/12017819

In response to Trump’s threats of mass deportations, a California lawmaker wants to make schools and child care centers safe havens from ICE raids. State leaders worry the fear of being deported or separated from a parent may affect students’ ability to learn.

Sources told me the results show voters support greater local investments in child care and other direct services for young people.

While it remains to be seen how a Trump presidency will affect early care and education, local voters are stepping up to provide more help to kids and families. In Sonoma County, Santa Cruz and Pomona ballot measures to increase local funding for early childhood and youth programs are winning.

Hello, and thank you for following my account! Local journalism is valuable, and here I’ll tell you what’s happening in early childhood education across the Bay Area and California.