Petition to Protect Parent Choice and Support California’s Private Preschools

For decades, private preschools throughout California have been a cornerstone of our communities. They provide nurturing environments, personalized education, and trusted care for young children while giving families the freedom to choose the educational setting that best meets their children’s needs.

Today, these valued institutions are facing unprecedented challenges.

The Impact of Universal Preschool Kindergarten
California’s Universal Preschool Kindergarten (UPK) initiative was created with an important goal: expanding access to high-quality early childhood education for every child. We support that goal.

However, the implementation of UPK has created unintended consequences for many private preschools. Publicly funded programs receive substantial government support, while private preschools often must continue operating with significantly fewer resources. As a result, schools that have served California families for generations are experiencing declining enrollment, financial hardship, and, in some cases, the threat of closure.

This is not simply a business issue. It is an issue of parent choice, educational diversity, and access to quality early childhood education.

Why Private Preschools Matter
Families have different children, different circumstances, and different educational preferences. Some families choose private preschools because they value smaller class sizes, individualized attention, specific educational philosophies, faith-based programs, specialized services, or the continuity and community these schools provide.

Parents—not government programs alone—should have a meaningful voice in deciding where their children receive early education.

When private preschools disappear, families lose options. Reduced choice can also limit competition and innovation across the early childhood education system.

A Call for Fairness and Compromise
We respectfully ask California policymakers to recognize the important role private preschools play and to develop policies that allow public and private providers to coexist and thrive.

We propose:

Equitable Funding and Parent Choice
Explore vouchers, subsidies, scholarships, or other funding mechanisms that allow families to use public early-education resources at qualified private preschools of their choice. Public investment should support children and families while preserving meaningful educational choice.

A Level Playing Field
Evaluate the financial and enrollment effects of UPK policies on private preschools and consider reasonable measures to prevent the unintended displacement of long-standing, high-quality providers.

Preserve Educational Diversity
Ensure that California’s early childhood education system includes a diverse range of providers so families can select programs that best meet their children’s individual needs.

Our Request:

We believe California can expand access to universal preschool without sacrificing parent choice or forcing private preschools out of the communities they have served for generations.

We ask California policymakers to listen to parents, educators, preschool owners, and communities affected by these changes and to pursue a balanced approach that supports all qualified early childhood education providers.

Every child deserves access to a high-quality early learning experience. Every parent deserves meaningful choice. And every community deserves a strong, diverse early childhood education system.

Please sign this petition and show your support for California’s private preschools, parent choice, and a balanced approach to universal preschool.

Together, we can advocate for policies that benefit children, families, educators, and the entire early childhood education community.