If your group chat has been buzzing about another local preschool closing you're not imagining it.

A new UC Berkeley study found that 167 community preschools shut down across L.A. County between 2020 and 2024, erasing roughly 12,000 child care slots. The biggest factor: free Transitional Kindergarten.

When California rolled out universal TK for every 4 year old, families (especially middle and upper income ones who used to pay up to $36,000 a year for private preschool) understandably opted in. But that pulled the financial floor out from under community preschools, who depend on tuition from 4 year olds to subsidize the much costlier care for infants and toddlers. One teacher can legally watch 12 preschoolers, but only three infants. The math stops working fast.

Pivoting to younger kids isn't easy either: new licensing, fire marshal sign offs, sprinkler systems, and teachers who didn't sign up for diaper duty. Many operators just close.

The kicker: the "hold harmless" subsidy that's kept some centers afloat ends in July 2026 meaning more closures are likely on the way. And here on the Westside, where infant and toddler spots are already a unicorn hunt, that hits hard.

If you're a parent scrambling for care, a teacher watching this play out, or a center owner trying to make it work, we’d love to hear from you. Hit reply.

May is here! With beach birthdays and the slow march toward summer, our group chats are filling back up with sand pics. A quick reality check before you let the kids splash:

Right now (as of 5/11), there are two fresh bacteria warnings on the Westside coast — one near the Pulga storm drain at Will Rogers, and one at Topanga Canyon. The countywide rain advisory from late April's storms has been lifted, but the LA County Public Health Beach Water Quality dashboard is the place to check before you go.

Is this just a May thing? Not exactly, it's the opposite of what most people assume. Summer is actually our cleanest stretch. According to Heal the Bay's annual report card, nearly 9 in 10 California beaches earn A or B grades in dry weather (April–October), and that drops to about two thirds in the wet winter months when storm runoff washes bacteria off our streets and into the ocean. The rule of thumb: don't swim for 72 hours after rain.

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