What Will our Next Governor Do for California’s Young Children and their Families?

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You are invited to join us for a timely and important discussion: What Will our Next Governor Do for California’s Young Children and their Families?

During the campaign’s final days, Governor-elect Gavin Newsom turned his focus squarely on our state’s youngest children, vowing to expand high-quality early education programs, establish universal preschool and improve child care programs for the youngest children. “Our role begins when babies are still in the womb and doesn’t end until we’ve done all we can to prepare them for a quality job and successful career,” he said during the campaign.

Among his first actions, Newsom appointed Ann O’Leary as his Chief of Staff – one of the most powerful and influential positions in the state. O’Leary is one of the nation’s top early childhood policy experts. A longtime advisor to Hillary Clinton with a focus on children and family policy, O’Leary served as Senior Vice President at Next Generation where she led the national Too Small To Fail Initiative; she worked on both the Children’s Health Insurance Program and has focused on family leave policies.

Expectations for the next Administration are high, with California’s economy still strong and the state likely to enjoy a record budget surplus next year. But the Governor-elect faces many competing interests who are asking for new spending to address the state’s housing, poverty and healthcare challenges.

Join us for a discussion of what Governor-elect Newsom might do – and how, and when. Can California again be the nation’s leader in early childhood education? Can the next Governor establish the country’s leading family leave policies? And what role can philanthropy play at this incredibly pivotal moment?