Over one-third (38%) of California’s zero-to-five population live in families where the most knowledgeable adult does not speak English well.

49% of 3- and 4-year-olds in economically-disadvantaged families are in quality center-based preschool programs, compared to 69% of those in more affluent families.

By the first nine months, disparities in cognitive, social, behavioral and health outcomes are already evident, and they widen by the time the child is 24 months old.

California’s public school children are 49% Latino, 28% white, 7% African American and 8% Asian.

More than 98,000 of California’s high school students, or nearly 20% of each class, drop out before graduation.

In 2009, 26,590 teachers and other school staff in California received layoff notices. In 2008, about 10,000 teachers and other school staff received layoff notices, and approximately 5,000 lost their jobs.

According to California math teachers, 72% of eighth-graders have Internet access in their classrooms. Nationally, math instructors report that 83% of eighth-graders have Internet access in their classrooms.

While the 2009 Academic Performance Index (API) indicates that Latino, African American and economically-disadvantaged students increased their scores, California’s achievement gap persists. White and Asian students continue to score higher.

Of students who take the Early Assessment of Readiness exam, 83% do not demonstrate readiness in college English and 43% do not demonstrate readiness in college math.

Since 2007-08, K-12 funding in California has experienced a 6% decline, or roughly $4.5 billion.

The last 15 years have seen an increase of approximately one million Latino students, bringing the percentage of Latino students in California public schools from 37% to 49%.

More than 166,429 (38%) fourth-graders are not meeting California’s standards for fourth grade reading, which research has indicated will significantly reduce their likelihood of passing the California High School Exit Exam.

Academically- and economically-underprivileged students are less likely than more privileged students to receive extensive learning opportunities that promote democratic participation.

The state has adopted teacher standards, initial administrator license requirements and administrator recertification requirements to ensure educators have the capacity to use technology in schools.

53% of the state’s public school children participate in the Free and Reduced Price Meals Program.

Each year, California spends $1 billion providing basic skills education to adults who failed to acquire them during their primary education.

In California, 12% of math teachers, 18% of physical science teachers and 11% of life science teachers are considered out-of-field teachers.

One million students have entered the state’s public schools over the last 15 years.

According to national measures of student achievement, California’s achievement gap has not changed significantly over the past 15 years. Latino and African American students significantly underperform when compared to their white counterparts.

In 2008, 47% of freshmen entering the California State University system needed remediation in English and 37% needed remediation in math.

In 2009, California was one of 27 states awarded a grant to design and implement a statewide longitudinal data system from the Institute of Education Sciences.

56 languages are spoken in California’s schools.

33% of African American and 24% of Latino high school students in the state drop out before graduation compared to 12% of white and 8% of Asian high school students.

Underprepared teachers in the state are concentrated in the lowest-performing schools. During the 2007-08 school year, the average percentage of underprepared teachers was 9% in the lowest-performing schools compared to 2% in the highest-performing schools.

California is one of 26 states that have incorporated technology expectations for students within the standards for English, math, science and/or history.

Children eligible for the Free and Reduced Price Meal Program, a measure of poverty, continue to fare worse academically than their peers on national measures of student achievement.

Of the 20 most populous states in the nation, California ranks 19th in the percentage of high school graduates who enroll in four-year colleges or universities.

California ranks lower (47th) in adjusted per pupil spending than last year, spending about $2,400 less per student than the national average.

Almost half (45%) of California’s zero-to-five population are in low-income families.

First 5 California is working with county First 5 Commissions to invest nearly $1 billion over the next few years to create opportunities for children to attend quality preschool.

More than half (54%) of California’s zero-to-five population with non-parental child care arrangements have two or more regular sources of care.

In counties that measure school readiness, many children are entering school already behind.

In 2008-09, 40% of kindergartners were designated English learners.

California early care and education licensing inspectors have an average caseload of 169 programs, so centers are inspected approximately once every five years. Only four states rank lower than California on licensing standards and oversight provisions.

California is home to approximately 3.2 million or 13% of the nation’s zero-to-five population.

Children in early learning or preschool programs are much more likely to experience the departure of one or more teachers in a given year than children in K-12 grades.

More than 500,000 infants are born in California each year.

More than half of California’s seventh-graders report having been left unsupervised during afterschool hours, and 22% report having been left unsupervised five days a week.

An estimated 137,000 positions are available within the afterschool workforce in California. While mostly part-time and seasonal employees, the number of afterschool workers comprise nearly 75% of the elementary teacher workforce or more than all police and firefighters in California combined.

Parents concerned about their children’s afterschool care miss 80 days of work per year, on average. Decreased worker productivity related to parental concerns about afterschool care costs businesses up to $300 billion per year.

Staff turnover is a major concern in the afterschool workforce, as estimates suggest the annual turnover rate in afterschool programs is nearly 40%.

Participation in afterschool programs is associated with higher school attendance rates and lower rates of tardiness. It is also associated with lower dropout rates.

Approximately 339,293 elementary, 93,087 middle school and 62,271 high school students participate in state-funded afterschool programs.

A number of pilot programs in California provide preparation, unique training opportunities and support for adults to work in the afterschool field in order to reduce turnover and improve the quality of the afterschool workforce.

Middle school students who participate in high-quality afterschool programs exhibit reduced misconduct and use of drugs and alcohol compared to peers who are left unsupervised.