$2.4 Million in Local Grants Awarded to Attract and Nurture Next Generation of Early Care and Education Professionals.

The Three-Year Initiative by Los Angeles Universal Preschool Will Support Programs That Recruit, Guide and Support Students and Professionals through the Maze of Educational Requirements and Other Barriers that Cause Professional Staff Turnover, Reduce Graduation Rates and Often Drive Away Interested Students

LOS ANGELES -- Responding to the need for a larger, better trained and more diverse workforce, Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) awarded $2.4 million to six grantees in Los Angeles County as part of a three-year initiative to promote entry and encourage retention in the early childhood field. The grantees include Cal Poly Pomona, Santa Monica College, East Los Angeles College, Pierce College, Long Beach City College and Los Angeles Valley College.

"Students confront a maze of education and licensing requirements, and the reality of low pay and benefits when considering a career in early care and education," said Gary Mangiofico, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Los Angeles Universal Preschool. "For a profession that offers the personal reward of teaching and nurturing our youngest children, the path to becoming an ECE professional is filled with potholes and detours."

The LAUP grants address several key issues that affect recruitment and professional development of the ECE workforce: the need for better educated professionals, attrition among students pursuing early childhood degrees, and turnover of professional staff in ECE facilities.

At Long Beach City College, Project RISE (Recruit Inspire Support and Educate) will, among other things, focus on guiding students through the often-confusing maze of requirements that are necessary to become an early childhood educator.

"Students who come to us are overwhelmed in understanding the next step they need to take. They're confronting a fairly complicated set of requirements for graduation and certification," said Donna Rafenello, professor of child development. "This grant enables us to play a critical role in helping students navigate the system."

One of the goals of the project is to ease and improve the transition of students from high schools to community colleges and from community colleges to four-year colleges or universities. The LAUP grant requires that grantees collaborate with local high schools and with other colleges and universities as part of their plans.

"Finally, we can address the gaps affecting our community," said Julie Benavides, co-collaborator of the Early Care & Education Workforce Partnership (ECE-WP) at East Los Angeles College, which is partnering with California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles City College, and Roosevelt High School.

"But it requires more than encouraging students to pursue an education in child development. It means supporting and guiding them, and keeping them on the path to a four-year university and a college degree. And you can't do it unless you have committed partners every step of the way."

Randi Wolfe, Ph.D., director of workforce development at LAUP, noted that one of the goals all participants hope to achieve is increasing the number of professionals who reflect the diversity of Los Angeles County and can meet the unique language and cultural needs of preschool children.

Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) is an independent, public benefit corporation dedicated to making voluntary, high-quality preschool available to every 4-year old in Los Angeles County. Created in 2004 and funded predominantly by First 5 LA, LAUP is already supporting the operations or development of preschool classrooms that will serve more than 12,000 children. By combining innovative business practices with a deep understanding of early childhood education, LAUP seeks to serve as a model for universal preschool systems across the state and around the country.

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