California’s Essential Infrastructure: Early Childhood Education

The smartest foundational investment may be in the education and brain development of young children before they enter school.

A child's future begins to take shape long before they set foot in their first classroom. From the prenatal period through age five, neural connections form at a remarkable pace, relationships take root and the foundations of language, learning and social understanding are established, setting the course for years to come.

During those earliest years, when exhausted parents are typically focused on car seats, stuffed animals and bedtime stories, something grander is also falling into place. The foundations of the state's future workforce and civic life are also being built.

In 1998, California voters made a bold bet on early childhood. By approving Proposition 10, they directed a portion of the state's tobacco tax revenue toward one of the nation's most ambitious early childhood initiatives. The move created the California Children and Families Commission, known as First 5 California, the only government program of its size focused exclusively on families and children from prenatal to age five.

The premise was simple: Invest early, and the returns would compound across generations, showing up in educational achievement, workforce readiness, public health outcomes and civic participation.

From promoting early literacy and child care to strengthening parenting resources and shaping public policy, First 5 California is working to turn that ambition into reality and help ensure that California's children have the strongest possible start in life.

From the start, the organization has evolved from a conventional grantmaking body into a systems-level leader, bringing together educators, pediatricians, researchers, families, community organizations and policymakers in advancing some of the state's most significant early childhood programs, including the push toward Universal Transitional Kindergarten. The effort has invested more than $12 billion in programs, services, research and policy initiatives reaching more than 30 million California children.

First 5 California has long championed early childhood education as critical infrastructure essential to California's future as roads, ports and power grids. That argument has never been more urgent, or more precarious. The tobacco tax revenue funding First 5 California declined as smoking rates fell. Meanwhile, California faces mounting budget pressures and fierce competition for every public dollar.

POLITICO Focus recently spoke with Jorge De La Cruz, First 5 California's Deputy Director of External and Governmental Affairs, who is helping policymakers understand that investing in young children remains one of the most effective ways to strengthen California's future.

Childhood does not wait. Every year represents a unique window of development that cannot be recreated later.

Jorge De La Cruz

Deputy Director of External and Governmental Affairs at First 5 California

How would you describe the impact and legacy of First 5 California in driving change for young children and families?

When you step back and look at more than 25 years of work, what stands out is how fundamentally First 5 California changed the conversation in this state about early childhood. Voters created this organization through Proposition 10 because they believed, and science has confirmed, that those earliest years are absolutely foundational to a child's lifelong health, learning and well-being.

But I think what makes the legacy so significant is that it goes beyond any individual program. First 5 California helped shift a statewide mindset. We moved from treating early childhood as simply a family issue to recognizing it as an economic priority, educational priority and public health priority. That's a profound shift. And through investments in developmental screenings, family support services, early learning initiatives and public awareness campaigns, we've been able to help millions of California families access the kinds of resources that actually move the needle for kids.

What I'm also proud of is the role First 5 California has played as a catalyst for systems change. We've brought together educators, health care providers, community organizations, researchers and policymakers, all around a shared goal of giving every child the opportunity to thrive. A lot of what is now considered standard practice in early childhood support was first advanced, tested or strengthened through this work.

First 5 California helped California stop debating whether early childhood matters and start focusing on how we can better support children and families during the years that matter most. That's the shift I'm most proud of.

How does sustained public investment in early childhood fuel long-term, foundational benefits for California’s economy, workforce, public health and education system?

Investing in early childhood is one of the smartest long-term investments the government can make. This isn't just my opinion. Decades of research back it up. Children who have strong foundations in their earliest years are more likely to succeed in school, maintain better health and participate fully in the workforce as adults.

Those benefits ripple far beyond individual families. When children receive developmental support, quality early learning opportunities and access to health services, schools are better positioned to meet students where they are. Early intervention reduces the need for more costly services down the road. At the same time, it improves educational achievement and opens doors to long-term economic mobility. That's a real return on investment.

There's also something I don't think we talk about enough, which is the impact on California's current workforce. When families have access to reliable early childhood services, parents can actually show up in the labor market. That means greater economic productivity and greater stability. Employers benefit too, both from parents who can stay engaged in their careers and from future generations entering adulthood prepared to compete in a rapidly changing economy.

When I hear people suggest that these investments are a luxury, I push back. At a time when California is facing workforce shortages, educational challenges and rising health care costs, sustained investment in young children is not a nice-to-have. It is a strategic necessity for our economic competitiveness, for public health and for educational success. The question isn't whether we can afford to invest. It's whether we can afford not to.

First 5 California emphasizes how evidence-based policy and cross-sector collaboration lead to improved outcomes for young children. How is First 5 California enabling policy and collaboration to drive positive change?

We must remember that children and families don't experience life through government silos. Their needs span health care, education, family support, housing and community services, often all at once. So, collaboration is essential.

What we try to do is bring together leaders across sectors and align them around shared goals and evidence-based solutions. We invest in research, data and community-informed strategies so that policymakers and practitioners can identify what actually works and then scale those approaches to improve outcomes for kids. That collaborative model has been especially important in areas like developmental screening, family engagement, access to early learning and building the kinds of systems that catch challenges early, before they become much harder and more costly to address. We also serve as a bridge between state policy and local implementation, because the best solutions must be grounded in the realities of families actually living in communities across California.

Our fundamental goal is to build stronger systems. When you connect partners who might otherwise be operating independently, you create opportunities for support that is more coordinated, more effective and more equitable. That's what drives lasting change at scale.

You describe early childhood investment as a bipartisan opportunity. In this heated political climate, how has First 5 California successfully brought together people who may be ideologically opposed?

Political leaders disagree on a lot right now, but there is wide recognition that children deserve a strong start and that families need real, practical support during those most formative years. That's an ideological foundation you can build on.

Part of what has made First 5 California successful is that we focus on outcomes rather than ideology. It doesn't matter whether someone comes to this issue through the lens of economic growth, educational achievement, public health, family stability or fiscal responsibility. The evidence points in the same direction. Early childhood investments produce lasting benefits. That's not a partisan argument. That's just what the data shows.

And I think that matters, because conversations about young children tend to get a lot less political when you anchor them in measurable outcomes and the real experiences families are living. Parents in urban communities, suburban communities and rural communities all want their kids to be healthy, safe and prepared to succeed.

So, our approach has been to lean into those shared values, stay grounded in research and community needs, and keep the focus on practical solutions with a long-term vision. When you do that, you build common ground that holds regardless of where someone falls politically.

Early childhood has been a priority in California for decades. What is different and urgent about this moment?

A few things, and I think they're converging in a way that really demands our attention.

The science has never been clearer. Advances in neuroscience and child development research have deepened our understanding of just how critical the first five years of life truly are. We know more than we have ever known about how early experiences shape lifelong outcomes. That's the opportunity in front of us.

At the same time, the challenges facing California families have rarely been more complex: rising costs, workforce pressures, mental health challenges and persistent inequities that can affect children from their very earliest years. These are real, and they're hitting families hard. So, the gap between what we know and what families are actually experiencing is something we can't ignore.

There's also a growing recognition that improving early childhood is connected to some of the biggest challenges facing this state: educational achievement, workforce development, health outcomes and economic mobility. All of this begins long before a child walks through a kindergarten door.

So when people ask why now, my answer is simple: Childhood does not wait. Every year represents a unique window of development that cannot be recreated later. The decisions we make today aren't just about individual children. They will shape California's workforce, its economy and its communities for decades to come.

What is your vision for the future of First 5 California, and what should policymakers and regulators prioritize to help deliver on this vision?

We dream of a California where every child — regardless of ZIP code, income or background — has the support and opportunities needed to thrive during those critical first 5 years of life.

Getting there will require continued investment, stronger coordination across systems and a genuine commitment to putting children and families at the center of policymaking. This must come not as an afterthought, but as the starting point. Practically speaking, that means prioritizing approaches that strengthen family well-being, expand access to high-quality early childhood services, improve developmental screening and intervention and give communities the flexibility to meet their own local needs.

Too often, our public systems are designed to respond to problems after they've already become severe and expensive. Supporting children and families early is not just more effective. It is more cost-efficient. That's a message that should resonate across the political spectrum.

I see First 5 California continuing to serve as a trusted convener, an innovator and a strong advocate for evidence-based solutions. We want to keep bringing partners together across sectors, translating research into action and driving real progress for California's youngest children.

Because the ultimate goal isn't just stronger programs. It's stronger systems that help every child enter school healthy, supported and ready to succeed. That's the future we're building toward, and I believe we can get there.

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California’s Essential Infrastructure: Early Childhood Education