When LAUP began full operations in 2005, its mission was to maximize accessibility to quality preschool in communities across Los Angeles County, where the demand for affordable and quality preschools outweighed the supply.

Today, five years later, and following a $20 million investment, LAUP is has made great strides toward making a quality preschool education more attainable by families across Los Angeles County.

LAUP’s investment in facilities, funded by First 5 LA, has resulted in the creation of 63 preschools comprised of 88 classrooms capable of serving 3,680 children, said Dion Jackson, LAUP’s Vice President of Business Development.

“These preschool facilities are located in communities where the lack of availability of affordable preschools was acute,” Jackson said. “What LAUP did was identify the need, and build preschools that have helped make quality and affordable early childhood education more accessible to thousands of families.” 

Celia C. Ayala, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of LAUP, echoed similar sentiments.

“For many families, LAUP-funded preschools provide them with their sole opportunity to enroll their children in preparation for kindergarten,” she explained. “That is because privately owned preschools often are out of reach due to the high cost.”

Because LAUP has exhausted its facilities funding, there are currently no plans to build additional preschools, Jackson said, unless additional funding can be obtained. She estimates 1/3 of the approximately 11,000 preschoolers who will attend an LAUP preschool this school year will be attending classrooms built by LAUP.

“We’re pleased we were able to help alleviate the shortage of quality and affordable preschools in L.A. County,” Jackson said. “We’re also very grateful to the funding we received from First 5 LA. It served a very important purpose.”