Governor’s office says California cut childcare costs and expanded free TK

The Office of the Governor said new information from the Public Policy Institute of California shows childcare costs have fallen significantly since 2019; the governor’s office provided the figures and program totals in a news release.

The PPIC chart the office cited shows annual full-time family fees for subsidized childcare for a family of three earning $60,000 fell from roughly $7,000 under the 2019–20 schedule to $0 under the 2025–26 schedule, with figures adjusted for inflation.

The office said California enrolled 213,313 children in transitional kindergarten during the 2025–26 school year and has invested $12.5 billion since 2019 to implement Universal TK statewide.

The release said the administration added approximately 149,000 subsidized childcare slots and awarded about 3,800 grants to providers to improve facilities and expand capacity; it also said California has served 3.5 billion free school meals since launching universal meals.

The office listed other changes it credited with lowering family costs: expanding before- and after-school programs through the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program; expanding paid family leave from six weeks to eight weeks and raising wage replacement (eligible workers earning less than $65,000 can receive up to 90% of wages, higher earners 70% or more); eliminating certain local fees for large family childcare homes; and committing more than $800 million to support roughly 40,000 family childcare providers who unionized.

The governor’s office framed the practical effect this way: families are saving thousands of dollars and Universal TK offers an alternative to what the release called a nearly $14,000 annual childcare bill.

The governor’s office attributed the cost figures to the Public Policy Institute of California; the Journal has not independently verified the PPIC analysis.

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