Last year, UNITE-LA supported the State’s Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) Mixed Delivery Quality & Access Workgroup by surveying the business community on their perspectives and potential roles within the early education, mixed-delivery model, particularly for chambers of commerce and business organizations that represent ​diverse communities. ​These findings were incorporated into a broader, final report that was unveiled by the workgroup during a virtual convening last month.

The third cohort of the Los Angeles Regional Cleantech Academy is underway. Forty-seven students, ages 17-24, are spending 12 weeks learning about essential skills, industry sectors, local employers and career pathways into the emerging, clean energy economy. As part of this, and with April marking Earth Month, here are some examples of their opportunities.

On Friday, April 26, UNITE-LA, in partnership with Early Edge CA and Catalyst CA, brought together a dynamic group of more than 20 individuals from diverse organizations across the state whose focus is to support Dual Language Learners (DLLs), their educators and their families. The group attended a full-day learning experience that included tailored tours to Educare Los Angeles at Long Beach and Webster Elementary School. Here, they observed high-quality programs in various settings, such as dual language immersion classrooms for infants/toddlers, Head Start, California State Preschool Programs and transitional kindergarten classes.

The Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL) is leading a new initiative to change how households and businesses access the internet in the Los Angeles region. The initiative will support municipalities with building publicly-owned, open-access broadband to increase affordability and digital access in local communities.

This month, UNITE-LA is excited to spotlight Quality Start Los Angeles (QSLA), who works to empower early learning providers to build upon and improve the quality of care they provide to children ages birth to five. Through our partnerships with QSLA on the "Two Languages, Twice the Opportunities" campaign, we continue to uplift the power and importance of multilingual education in our diverse community.

UNITE-LA is proud to be a part of this initiative. By working with QSLA, we aim to empower early learning providers, support families, and help create a community where all children have a quality start in life. For fantastic resources, visit the QSLA website, where you can access language-specific pages, view the new DLL videos, and see PDFs of the brochures. For any questions, feel free to email [email protected].

The L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC), co-convened by UNITE-LA, John Burton Advocates for Youth and the Alliance for Children's Rights, recently released its 2023 Impact report. The OYC strives to build partnerships across sectors to improve education and employment outcomes for transition-age foster youth (TAY).

Many of you may have noticed UNITE-LA’s push to support our partners with $1.5 billion in broadband infrastructure. This significant proposal from the Governor's office is a direct result of the advocacy efforts led by UNITE-LA and LA DEAL.

A big congratulations to Ilia Lopez, UNITE-LA’s Associate Director, Inclusion and Community Partnerships, for being awarded the 2023 Above and Beyond Award from the Cisco Networking Academy.

Our youth engagement team was at Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School on Saturday, March 9.