Los Angeles civic and community leaders are in the midst of an ambitious campaign developed by First 5 LA, a county commission, which has allocated $100 million towards realizing the dream of quality preschool education for every child in Los Angeles County.

A Million Children

Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw partner Bob Hertzberg and Nancy Daly Riordan, founder of United Friends for Children and spouse of the city’s former mayor, are co-chairs of the Universal Access to Preschool Advisory Committee, which has been tasked by the commission with developing organizational design and quality standards for the universal preschool program. Los Angeles County has more than one million children under the age of six—greater than the population of children those ages in 43 states.

"We believe that this will develop into a signature project of the firm that will do tremendous good for young kids and families in Los Angeles," said Bob. "This program is unprecedented and may have significant national implications. It has the possibility of serving as a model for communities across the country."

Although there are challenges in providing such a program in a county the size and com-plexity of Los Angeles, Ms. Riordan said the advisory committee "recognizes the rare opportunity we have been given to help create a brighter future for our children."

Bob Hertzberg, Ken Kohler, and Joseph Byrne are serving as lead pro bono attorneys to the advisory committee working with Fredrick Levin, Stephen Blevit, Theresa Cummings, Allen Erenbaum, Karen Tang, and Lana Vernon of our Los Angeles office.

"We are planning to advise the committee on its governance structure and a variety of other issues as they arise," said Joe. This could involve questions as to whether to incorporate as a 501(c)(3), general legal advice, and drafting of any legislation that may be needed to implement recommendations.

Powerful Support

The advisory committee draws experts from education, child development, business, healthcare, philanthropy, and social services. Representatives of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, UCLA, KCET, the California Endowment, the Annenberg Foundation, and various public education and children’s groups participated at the first planning meeting this spring.

Bob comes to the committee following lengthy service in the California Assembly where he served as Chairman of the Rules Committee from 1998 to 2000 and Speaker of the Assembly from 2000-2002. While in public office, he was instrumental in directing record investments in public schools and oversaw reforms in the state’s foster care system.

First 5 LA (also known as the Los Angeles County Children and Families First— Proposition 10 Commission) was established following a voter-passed initiative in November 1998 led by Rob Reiner. Proposition 10 mandated a 50-cents-per-pack tax on cigarettes to fund education, health, child care and other programs to promote early child-hood development for expectant mothers and children up to age five.

Graduated Growth

Current estimates indicate that about 50,000 of Los Angeles County’s four-year-old children do not receive early care and education services. The commission plans initially to target four-year-old children while developing a 10-year plan for providing preschool learning experiences for all children birth to age five in Los Angeles County.

Last November, First Five LA’s Board of Commissioners named Karen Hill-Scott, a nationally recognized leader in the field of early childhood development, to design a master plan and to coordinate the efforts of the advisory committee into the initial planning process.

"We will not be lacking for great ideas," Bob Hertzberg explains. "The challenge for us will be to bring all these great ideas to a consensus on what is the best system for delivering preschool and early education."