Overview
California is home to more than 10 percent of the nation’s children and 25 percent of the nation’s Latinx children. Over 450,000 children born each year in the Golden State and more than $5 billion in federal and state funds are invested annually in over a dozen early childhood services and programs and across a diverse range of settings. Governor Gavin Newsom has been a champion for early childhood support throughout his career and has put forth a comprehensive state agenda for children and families. During the first year of his administration there have been over $2 billion in new investments including a commitment to develop a Master Plan for Early Learning and Care in the coming year.
The following funding annual breakout, map, and program and service descriptions are not exhaustive of all early childhood expenditure but are intended to be a primer on the state’s complex early childhood system.
Annual Early Childhood Funding Breakout
*Budget data represents total allocation for children 12 and under.
**Budget data for children 0-5 is not available.

Map of California’s Early Childhood Funding

Click each service/program name to view the funding stream
Types of Program & Service Descriptions
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Head Start
Head Start (HS), Early Head Start (EHS), Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships, Migrant Head Start, Tribal Head Start
- What is the program/service?
Head Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children from birth to age 5 and their families. Many Head Start programs also provide Early Head Start (EHS), which is a comprehensive child development program for low-income pregnant women, infants, and toddlers (from birth through 2), including young children with disabilities. California also has Tribal and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start as well as Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships. - Who is the provider?
K–12 schools, operators of community-based early childhood centers, some family childcare homes, and child and family support entities. - How much funding is there and what is it for?
$1.1 billion (FY17)Head Start funds are awarded directly to eligible program operators at the local level. Operators can use contract funds for a wide range of program expenses including operations, professional development, quality improvement, and investments in technology. Additional funds for professional development are also included in grants and may be used for technology as well. Regional technical assistance centers receive separate funding and may choose to leverage technology.
- Who benefits?
A total of 104,585 children are served in Head Start (81,932), Early Head Start, including Child Care Partnerships (15,583), Migrant Head Start (6,574), and American Indian Alaskan Native Head Start and Early Head Start (496) (FY17).