DIG Childhood Center in Mar Vista once had no problem filling all 36 of its slots with eager young learners, who romped barefoot in a play yard filled with vegetables, monarch butterflies and a small stream. Before the pandemic, there was even a wait list. But after a pandemic student exodus in 2020, the once-popular preschool has yet to recover. Enrollment is down to 22 students, with no signs of a rebound.
Even with the influx of new vouchers, there are still waiting lists of parents seeking the flexible option. But some children enrolled in new voucher slots or TK may have left a preschool or child-care center. 'Is the Newsom administration really widening access for families, or are we just shuffling 4-year-olds among programs?' Fuller said. 'This report suggests that enrollment rates are the same; it’s just that the same kids are going to different programs.