As school begins, California launches universal Transitional Kindergarten, free meals for EVERY student and historic supports for kids

HAYWARD – Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom today marked the beginning of the new school year with a celebration of the ongoing full  implementation of Universal Transitional Kindergarten across California, a historic expansion that makes free TK available to every 4-year-old in the state and saves families an average of nearly $14,000 per child. The expansion is part of California’s broader investment in kids and families — including free school meals, expanded before- and after-school programs, school-based mental health services, literacy support, and more resources for students with disabilities. The milestone comes as millions of California students head back to school — and test results and student outcomes continue to improve thanks to investments.

“California has made remarkable progress in building the conditions that allow students to learn and succeed,” said State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond. “Our responsibility now is to make sure these investments translate into meaningful opportunities and stronger outcomes for every student – in every community. That means creative leadership and community engagement, high-quality teaching and learning, strong relationships, and attention to student well-being and the supports that enable young people to fully participate in their education.”

A stronger start: Universal TK for every 4-year-old 

California is giving children a head start by bringing them into the education system earlier. 

In 2021, while visiting students and educators at Shearer Elementary, a diverse K–5 school in the Napa Valley Unified School District, Governor Newsom signed California’s historic education package to begin phasing in a new grade for the state’s 4-year-olds. Research shows that children who attend preschool benefit from stronger brain development and improved learning outcomes as they begin their academic journeys. Today, Universal TK is in the second year of full implementation statewide, making California home to the largest pre-K system in the nation – and saving California families nearly $14,000 for EVERY child.

• Every 4-year-old in California is eligible for transitional kindergarten.

• California TK students entered kindergarten approximately six months ahead in letter-word skills and three months ahead in applied mathematics.

• California enrolled 213,313 children in transitional kindergarten during the 2024–25 school year.

• Since 2019, California has invested $12.5 billion under Governor Newsom to fully implement transitional kindergarten.

Universal TK isn’t just an education investment. It is a family investment — giving children an earlier start while helping parents save on the cost of early care and education. 

More support for working families 

The school day doesn’t begin when the bell rings — and for working parents, it doesn’t end when classes are dismissed. 

California has expanded before- and after-school and summer programs, helping families with the cost and logistics of child care while giving students more time for academic support, enrichment, nutritious meals and safe places to learn.

• Through the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, California provides before- and after-school and summer programming for TK–6 students, backed by $4.6 billion in ongoing funding in 2025–26.

• California has also expanded access to subsidized child care and invested in child care infrastructure, including 3,800 grants to providers to improve facilities and increase capacity.

The whole child, not just the classroom

A student’s ability to learn depends on more than what happens during a lesson. 

That’s why California has embraced a whole-child approach that helps schools connect students and families with the comprehensive support they need to succeed. At the center of this effort are California’s community schools, which bring together education, county, and nonprofit partners to provide high-quality instruction and wraparound services, including healthcare, mental healthcare, counseling, nutrition programs, and other social assistance. The model places students, families, and communities at the center of school planning and engagement.

• California has invested more than $4 billion to help one in four public schools adopt the community school model.

• The 2026 Budget Act provides $1 billion in ongoing funding to support existing community schools and expand the model to 3,700 additional campuses serving high concentrations of students from low-income families, English learners, and youth in foster care.

Recent research shows that participating schools demonstrate greater gains in English language arts and mathematics, along with lower chronic absenteeism and suspension rates, compared with similar schools without these comprehensive supports.

Healthy bodies, healthy minds

As championed by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Governor Newsom, California is leading the nation in making healthy, minimally processed meals part of every child’s school day. These efforts are helping students learn, grow, and thrive while reducing their risk of diet-related chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Research shows that students participating in school meal programs consume more nutritious foods, experience fewer nutrient deficiencies, attend school more consistently, perform better academically, and report fewer behavioral challenges and symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Actions taken by the Newsom administration include:

• Enacting a first-in-the-nation law to ban ultra-processed foods from school meals and remove dangerous food dyes and chemicals that can harm children and interfere with their ability to learn.

• Making California the first state to guarantee every public school student two free school meals each day, regardless of income.

• Largest-in-the-nation zero-emission school bus fleet. Helping protect kids who are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts from diesel exhaust.

• Securing permanent funding for California’s nation-leading Farm to School Program so schools can continue serving healthy meals made with California-grown ingredients.

• Supporting 375 projects through the Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, benefiting 49% of California public school students.

• Providing $120 in SUN Bucks food benefits for each eligible child to combat food insecurity during summer break.

• Investing in school kitchens and food-service workers to expand scratch cooking and help schools serve more fresh, minimally processed, California-grown food.

• Releasing a roadmap to expand farm-to-school programs, strengthen connections with local food producers, and incorporate food education, school gardens, and hands-on cooking into students’ learning.

• Serving nearly 3.5 billion free school meals through California’s Universal Meals Program.

Mental health support for every child

In 2022, under Governor Newsom’s leadership, California took urgent action to confront this crisis of mental health among young people. While other states cut resources for children’s mental health, California launched the largest transformation of its mental health system in state history—investing in children and families, expanding school-based services, and strengthening the behavioral health workforce so young people can access care where and when they need it.

Actions taken by the Newsom administration include:

• Unveiling the Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, backed by $4.7 billion in investments, to reimagine mental health and substance use services.

• Placing more than 4,000 trained professionals in schools and community organizations to provide wellness education, early intervention, support, and referrals.

• Adding 40,000 new mental health workers to strengthen California’s behavioral health workforce.

• Supporting the professional development of nearly 60,000 individuals along their behavioral health career paths from 2021 through July 2024.

• Supporting more than 500,000 children, youth, and families through free mental health services, including Soluna and BrightLife Kids.

• Increasing behavioral health services by 94% during the first two months of 2026 by expanding Medi-Cal reimbursements for services delivered on school and college campuses. More than 500 local educational agencies and higher education institutions now participate, expanding access to care where children and young people learn.

California students are making academic gains

These investments are helping create the conditions for students to succeed — and the latest results show continued progress. The trends leading into the statewide results being released this fall are positive across the board: gains have been seen across every tested subject and grade level, with particularly strong gains among Black and Latino students and continued improvement among socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

There is more work to do. But California is moving in the right direction — and continuing to invest in the students, educators and communities that make those gains possible.

Building strong readers and brighter futures

Governor Newsom’s commitment to literacy is deeply personal. Growing up with dyslexia, the Governor experienced firsthand the frustration of struggling to read the same way as many of his classmates. That experience continues to shape his commitment to ensuring every child—regardless of background, income, or learning differences—receives the early identification, individualized support, and high-quality instruction needed to become a strong reader and succeed in school and beyond.

For Governor Newsom, literacy can shape a child’s confidence, sense of possibility, and access to opportunity throughout life. In 2025, alongside students and educators in Compton, the Governor announced a comprehensive strategy to improve literacy and provide students with stronger, more personalized support:

• Establishing a statewide strategy: Governor Newsom announced the Golden State Literacy Plan, a comprehensive plan to improve literacy outcomes for students across California.

• Expanding literacy support statewide: California’s literacy efforts are reaching 2.6 million TK–5 students, with more than 800 high-need elementary schools now supported by literacy coaches and reading specialists.

• Identifying reading difficulties earlier: California invested more than $100 million to develop and implement universal screening for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, among K–2 students. Screening began during the 2025–26 school year, helping educators identify challenges sooner and connect students with the support they need for long-term success.

Helping every learner succeed

Governor Newsom’s commitment to educational success means ensuring every student has the resources and opportunities needed to reach their full potential. Building on California’s investments in early learning, community schools, nutritious meals, mental healthcare, literacy, and college and career pathways, the state is tailoring support to meet students’ different needs—particularly students with disabilities and young men and boys who continue to face disparities in educational attainment and well-being.

For students with disabilities, success begins with early identification, individualized instruction, high-quality services, and strong partnerships with families. For young men and boys, it means addressing barriers to achievement by strengthening mental health support, mentorship, belonging, classroom engagement, and pathways to good-paying careers. Together, these efforts advance California’s whole-child approach and help ensure that a student’s background, income, disability, or circumstances do not determine their future.

Actions taken under Governor Newsom’s leadership include:

• Increasing K–12 special education funding by $2.4 billion, representing a 43% increase and strengthening instruction and services for students with disabilities.

• Launching the Path and Purpose executive order focused on young men and boys to address mental health challenges and improve educational and employment outcomes through mentorship, community connection, and efforts to reduce social isolation.

• Expanding school-based behavioral health services and strengthening the statewide behavioral health workforce, helping students access care and support where they learn.

• Working to recruit more men into education careers, helping students see more diverse role models in their classrooms. Men account for only 23% of public school teachers nationwide, down from 33% in 1980.

• Highlighting financial support for aspiring educators through a statewide recruitment campaign, including:

  • Up to $10,000 in student-teaching stipends.

  • Up to $10,000 through Golden State Teacher Grants.

  • More than $20,000 in support through teacher residency programs.

• Investing $5 million in paid service opportunities, calling on 10,000 young men to serve as mentors, coaches, and tutors while developing leadership and career skills.

• Awarding nearly $47 million to 57 community-based and Tribal organizations to prevent youth substance use and expand mentorship, leadership, and civic engagement.

• Directing state agencies to address suicide and mental health disparities among young men, reduce stigma, and improve access to behavioral healthcare.