First 5 California’s Executive Director Hails Proposed ESEA Rewrite

SACRAMENTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–First 5 California’s Executive Director Camille Maben released the
following statement on a proposed compromise by Congress regarding the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA):

“First 5 California is delighted to see that early learning remains a
key point in the ESEA framework. Assuming California can compete for
these new funds, ESEA could help us piece together the means to achieve
our preschool promise—the promise made by Governor Brown and echoed by
the Legislature to provide all low-income 4-year-old children with
access to a high-quality pre-kindergarten experience.

“The early childhood education community is pleased with President Obama
and Senator Murray’s strong commitments in providing federal leadership
on preschool access and quality. ESEA should contain support for
high-quality preschool programs that will help California and other
states in continuing to build necessary bridges between our early
learning and K-12 learning systems. A strong start, along with a unified
system, can better prepare teachers to serve all students more
effectively.”

About First 5 California

First 5 California, also known as the California Children and
Families Commission, was established after voters passed Proposition 10
in November 1998, which added a tax on tobacco products to fund
education, health, childcare, and other services for children ages 0 to
5 and their families. Its programs and resources are designed to educate
teachers, parents, grandparents, and caregivers about the critical role
they play during a child’s first five years – with the overarching goal
of helping more California kids grow up healthy and ready to succeed in
school and in life. For more information, please visit www.first5california.com.

Contacts

First 5 California
Erin Gabel, 916-708-8895