Investing in the Future: LAEP Champions Early Education During Week of the Young/WOYC 2025
*The Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP), under the leadership of CEO Dr. Dawn A. Kurtz, is proud to celebrate “Week of the Young Child (WOYC)” this April 5 – 11, 2025, highlighting its transformative work in early childhood education.
LAEP provides vital educational resources and support to thousands of Angelenos annually, from infants to families, advocating for “diapers to diplomas.”
In communities where less than 14% of eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs and 33% of educators are leaving in five years, LAEP’s commitment to building a strong foundation for young learners is evident in its Early Head Start (EHS) and Ready2Teach programs.
Under the dedicated leadership of Nancy Villarreal, recipient of the 2024 Sapphire Award for 26 years of service, and Meyli Martinez, 2024 Tenure Impact Award recipient for her 23 years of service, LAEP’s EHS program, including the new Hawthorne center serving Inglewood and South LA residents, offers center-based and home-based education at no cost.
LAEP empowers parents as their children’s first teachers and ensures children are kindergarten-ready. With ten enrollment slots currently available, families can easily learn more and apply at laep.org/ehs.
Recognizing the critical role of early childhood educators, LAEP’s Ready2Teach program, directed by Elsa Leal, M.A., is addressing the educator shortage by training and graduating the next generation of professionals.
With support from the Hilton Foundation, Ready2Teach has already graduated 28 educators and is set to celebrate 48 more in June 2025.
Notably, a Ready2Teach graduate is now opening her own childcare center, showcasing the program’s profound impact. To create more success stories like this, Elsa and her team are seeking additional partners to support their goal. Foundations interested in partnering with LAEP and the Ready2Teach program can contact Elsa at eleal@laep.org.
This WOYC, LAEP emphasizes the importance of play-based learning, community building, and raising awareness about the critical impact of early childhood education. To achieve this, they are hosting live events and providing meaningful giveaways.
Additionally, LAEP’s Teaching & Learning team, leveraging their ‘Count Play Explore’ contract, is developing creative STEAM activities. These efforts collectively highlight the invaluable contributions of educators like Elsa and Nancy, who shape young lives daily.
LAEP invites the Los Angeles community to join in celebrating WOYC and recognizing the power of early education. LAEP has these days designated as themes:
Daily Themes:
● Kick off Saturday
● Music Monday
● Tasty Tuesday
● Work Together Wednesday
● Artsy Thursday
● Family Friday
To learn more about LAEP’s programs and how to support their mission, please visit laep.org.
About Los Angeles Education Partnership
The Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance educational equity. Together with families, schools, and the community, LAEP facilitates access to and opportunities for quality educational and wellness practices so that children thrive from diapers to diplomas. For more information about Los Angeles Education Partnership, please visit www.laep.org.
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