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California school districts facing falling student enrollment are converting some underused campuses and classrooms into infant, toddler and preschool programs. Leaders say the programs can meet demand for affordable care and build relationships with families, but there is no guarantee those children will later enroll in district schools.
California school districts losing K-12 students are turning some underused school buildings into infant, toddler and preschool centers, seeking both to meet demand for affordable childcare and to build ties with families before their children reach school age. The strategy is underway at Berryessa Union School District near San Jose and is being considered by Los Angeles Unified, but it is not yet clear whether early-care enrollment will lead to more kindergarten and transitional kindergarten students later.
Berryessa opened the Toyon Early Learning Center in a former elementary school, adding child-sized sinks and toilets at the campus to serve about 150 infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The move came less than a year after declining enrollment led the district to close three elementary schools. The district leased the Toyon campus to Kidango, a nonprofit childcare provider serving about 4,000 children in the East Bay region.
Superintendent Roxane Fuentes said the district wanted to reach families before their children turn four. Toyon’s operator also holds parenting education events at the campus, and district leaders plan to use the site to share information about transitional kindergarten and kindergarten during spring open enrollment. Berryessa has not established an admissions rule giving children in the childcare program priority for district schools.
In Los Angeles, the school board voted earlier this year to expand early education. The plan includes using empty elementary classrooms for preschool, reopening previously closed childcare centers and doubling the district’s infant-care programs. Board members said the district is still working out where demand is greatest. Any use of facilities freed up by school consolidations would be considered as Los Angeles Unified addresses a reported $3.6 billion deficit.
Childcare Meets Enrollment Pressure
The plans connect two pressures facing districts: declining school enrollment and a shortage of affordable early care. Reusing classrooms can give families access to services while putting otherwise underused public facilities to work. For districts, bringing families into school buildings earlier may also create a pathway to future enrollment, though that outcome is a goal rather than a demonstrated result in the examples described.
The need is substantial in Los Angeles County. Research cited in the report found that only 11% of children eligible for subsidized childcare were enrolled in a program. Expanding access could help families who struggle to find or afford care. The report also notes that rising housing costs may influence whether families remain in areas and enroll in local schools; affordable childcare could help, but it cannot by itself offset broader demographic and economic pressures.
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State Funding Opens School Space
Districts have limited control over factors behind enrollment declines, including lower birth and immigration rates and the rising cost of raising a family, according to the report. At the same time, California has invested in subsidized childcare. In 2021, the state added 200,000 childcare slots and increased the hourly reimbursement rate for caregivers, changes Kidango CEO Scott Moore said enabled the nonprofit to expand its services.
Converting a school for younger children can require significant work. The report says licensing rules require small sinks and toilets in classrooms, and some sites may need separate entrances and exits. Kidango has often leased empty school classrooms over the past two decades as district enrollment fell, Moore said; converting a whole campus can provide a larger childcare site but carries added costs.
Experiences in Washington, D.C., Boston and Tulsa offer examples, not a guarantee for California districts. Erica Greenberg, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, said outreach to families with young children helped those cities boost enrollment. She pointed to cost and convenience, along with clearer enrollment processes, as factors that made public programs easier for families to use.
“It was really about trying to find another avenue of getting to families before age four.”
— Roxane Fuentes, Berryessa Union School District superintendent
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Future Enrollment Is Not Assured
It remains unclear whether children who attend district-based childcare will later enroll in the same district’s transitional kindergarten or kindergarten. Greenberg cautioned that attracting families with young children does not necessarily produce more later school enrollment. Berryessa has no stated priority-admission guideline for Toyon families, and the report does not provide enrollment results showing whether the center has changed the district’s trajectory.
Los Angeles Unified is still identifying where childcare demand is highest, while its potential use of facilities affected by school consolidations remains under consideration. The report also does not give a full conversion cost for either district or specify how many additional families each expansion could serve beyond the plans described.
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Districts Weigh Sites and Access
Berryessa plans to use spring open enrollment to present its transitional kindergarten and kindergarten programs to families at Toyon. Los Angeles Unified must continue identifying areas with the greatest childcare need and decide how its expansion fits alongside its budget pressures and possible school consolidations. The next evidence to watch is whether districts can fund and operate the new capacity—and whether families who use it later enroll their children in local schools.
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Key Questions
Why are California districts opening childcare centers?
Districts are responding to demand for affordable early care and using some underused school space. Some leaders also hope earlier contact with families will support future enrollment, though that is not guaranteed.
How many children does Berryessa’s Toyon center serve?
The center was set up to serve about 150 infants, toddlers and preschoolers at a former elementary school campus.
What is Los Angeles Unified planning?
The district voted earlier this year to expand early education by using empty classrooms for preschool, reopening some previously closed childcare centers and doubling its infant-care programs. It is still determining where demand is highest.
Will children in these programs automatically enter district schools?
No such guarantee is described. Berryessa has not set a priority-admission guideline for Toyon families, and experts caution that early-care participation does not necessarily lead to later district enrollment.
What could make these conversions difficult?
School buildings may need child-sized sinks and toilets to meet licensing requirements, and some sites may require separate entrances and exits. Those changes can add to the cost of converting school space.
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