Gains in school spending helped to lift achievement over the past half century. But California's ambitious effort--progressively distributing $23 billion in yearly funding to poorer districts--has yet to reduce disparities in learning. We theorize how administrators in districts and schools, given organizational habits and labor constraints, may…

We know that social competence contributes to young children's adaptation to, and cognitive learning within, classroom settings. Yet initial evidence is mixed on the social competencies that Latino children bring to kindergarten and the extent to which these skills advance cognitive growth. Building from ecocultural and developmental-risk theory,…

Young children in poor communities are spending more hours in nonparental care because of policy reforms and expansion of early childhood programs. Studies show positive effects of high-quality center-based care on children's cognitive growth. Yet, little is known about the effects of center care typically available in poor communities or the…

Attendance in preschool centers can yield short-term benefits for children from poor or middle-class families. Yet debate persists in Europe and the United States over whether centers yield gains of sufficient magnitude to sustain children's cognitive or social advantages as they move through primary school. We report on child care and home…

Data collected in Los Angeles indicate that additional financial aid may have a diminishing impact on increasing access. The California Legislature-authorized study revealed that low levels of academic achievement, inadequate information, and inflexible admission policies are greater barriers to college for the poor than financial need.…

This report details inequities in how preschool and child care opportunities are distributed among 4 California counties, across communities situated within these counties, and among the state's 200 localities with the most families receiving welfare benefits. Analysis of uniform data on the state's 8,831 licensed preschools and 30,730 family…

California continues to widen access to local child care and preschool programs--albeit in fits and starts--for a variety of families. About 65% of all four year-olds statewide now attend a preschool center. Government spends $3.6 billion on early care and education programs statewide, including a three-fold increase in state spending since 1996.…

Examines the socioeconomic, cultural, and familial factors that influenced 14 working-poor mothers' decisions regarding child care. Summarizes the paths the women followed over a three-year period, including sources that informed their choice of child care, reactions to their care providers, and reasons for withdrawing from the arrangements. (MJP)