LA Partnership

We are here for the LA early childhood community

The devastating wildfires tore through our homes, communities, schools, and the child care centers so many depend on. We have created a resource page to highlight a few of the important programs for funders and families.

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A Great Beginning Changes Everything

No matter your focus as a funder – higher education, economic empowerment, or criminal justice – investing in early childhood is the foundation for making a difference.
“There is mounting evidence that early childhood is a crucial period when the brain is most malleable, when interventions are most cost-effective for at-risk kids. — Nicholas Kristof, NEW YORK TIMES”
“Early investment in the lives of disadvantaged children will help reduce inequality, in both the short and the long run. — Dr. James Heckman, Nobel Laureate Economist”

When we invest in the health, educationand development of children in low income communities from birth to age five, we reap the biggest returns in preventing problems later in life.

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For every $1 we invest in the most vulnerable children in the early years of life

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We gain $7 IN RETURN

Thousands of LA County’s low income children are behind the day they are born:

200,000

children birth to age 5 in LA County live at or below poverty line
55% Medi-Cal

Over 130,000 births in LA County each year, 55% are Medi-Cal births
50,000

children under 5 in LA do not have health insurance
4 OUT OF 5

children do not have access to early care and programs.
30 MILLION

By age 4, the average low income child has heard 30 million fewer words.
60% BEHIND

LA’s low income kids start kindergarten on avg. 60% behind their middle & upper income peers

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MAKING a DIFFERENCE — TOGETHER

Each foundation has its own theory of change, funding guidelines, and areas of support.
The Partnership’s ability to coordinate the resources of many individual foundations provides a platform to magnify the impact of a single individual member’s giving.

we act as a catalyst

To make sure the lowest income children in Los Angeles County succeed from birth,
we act as a catalyst by working with leaders across multiple sectors who have the power
to create change, at the scale it needs to happen.

WE
EDUCATE

We educate private and public sector leaders and funders on the value of investing in high-need communities — in a space where stakeholders can freely exchange ideas and learn from each other
SEE HOW >

Early Childhood Hits the Airwaves

When an issue makes the news, people — including decision-makers — pay attention.

Rather than knock on newsroom doors, we decided to make change from within: we helped create a dedicated beat to the topic at KPCC with a three-year, $131,250 grant.

Veteran radio journalist, Deepa Fernandes, has done major investigations and analyses on bilingual education, the plight of pregnant women in prison, and how the absence of free summer preschools in Los Angeles contributes to a reading gap for low-income students.

Among the stories she has covered, Deepa profiled an innovative program at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles that tries to head off mental health issues in older children by addressing toxic stress in babies.
WE
INVEST

We invest with an eye to social returns that last. Rather than fund individual programs, we look for opportunities to blend, braid and align funding to achieve broad-scale change.
SEE HOW >

A New Funding Stream
for LA County’s Youngest Learners

In July 2013 Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation granting school districts greater decision-making authority over funding. The LA Unified School District stood to gain $837 million.

The LA Partnership knew it needed to act swiftly to make sure some of that funding went to quality early childhood education.

We made $100,000 in grants to the Advancement Project and Children Now to educate members of LAUSD’s board about the benefits of investing in early learning programs for children most likely to show up in Kindergarten already behind: English language learners, foster children, and children with early signs of developmental delays.

Our efforts paid off. In August 2014, LAUSD’s Board of Education authorized $34 million to expand and improve early learning over the next two years, reaching an estimated 2,000 of the most vulnerable children entering the system.
WE
LEAD

We lead through our influence, relationships and networks, using all our assets to support and advance comprehensive improvements to the systems that support children and their families.
SEE HOW >

Help for New Parents and Their Babies

When new and expectant parents receive home visits from perinatal nurses, births are healthier and babies are less likely to be abused and neglected. For every dollar invested in effective home visitation programs, society reaps five times in return from children who grow up buoyed by good health and skilled parenting.

Yet in LA County, demand for quality home visiting programs far outpaces supply. To meet these challenges, the LA County Department of Public Health and LA Best Babies Network joined forces in 2014 to create the Los Angeles Home Visitation Consortium.

The LA Partnership quickly zeroed in on the Consortium’s game-changing potential. Since 2012, the Baby Futures Fund has invested over $300,000 in support of a coordinated system of high-quality home visitation programs to serve all low income, pregnant, and new mothers in Los Angeles County.