Education

Our communities badly need:

Universal and affordable early childcare - which unlocks massive economic opportunity and return on investment.
Robust and high-quality preschool and kindergarten programs, which provide a solid social and academic foundation for later learning.
Excellent public schools at all levels, which are not dependent on local property taxes for their budgets. School funding needs to be equalized.
Supplemental academic opportunities - such as summer camps - designed to strengthen STEM learning and other key skills, particularly in underserved communities.
Strong options for before- and after-school care for working families.
Extended library hours to provide free, safe, educational places for children and adults.
Free and tuition-supported higher education, including basic financial (and housing, and food) support for students in need.
Vibrant English-learning programs for immigrant and refugee families, which facilitate job opportunities, education, legal access, social integration, and more.
Robust options for alternative education programs, including language-, religion-, and culture-specific schools; nature-based preschools and education programs; and homeschooling or community-schooling.
Vocational training as a vibrant and meaningful alternative to college. Our communities badly need skilled tradespeople, and the trades can provide stable and lucrative careers to many.

All of our education programs need to support language justice for local communities in every possible way. For instance, we need to recruit, train, and hire teachers from immigrant communities to teach in both English and their languages, honoring cultural diversity and making education available to all.