Apply Now: California Child Care Justice Network Opens New Grant Cycle

The Heising-Simons Foundation’s Education program invites eligible organizations and projects to apply to join the California Child Care Justice Network through a new open call. Applications are due by June 18, 2026, at 11 am PT.

California’s child care system is nearing a breaking point. Families are caught between soaring costs and a severe shortage of available care, while the child care workforce––the people who make a thriving workforce possible—remains among the hardest working and lowest paid in the state. This is more than a logistical challenge; it’s a crisis threatening community stability and California’s economic future. We stand at a pivotal moment: California must act decisively to safeguard recent progress and create a resilient, equitable child care system.

The Heising-Simons Foundation’s Education program views child care justice as the pathway to a California where every child, family, and early educator can thrive. This vision treats child care as both a public good and a human right, and calls for a reimagined early learning system that is equitable, culturally affirming, and accessible to all.

Launched in 2025, the California Child Care Justice Network (CCJN) is a coordinated five-year initiative to advance child care justice in California. Its goals are to increase public investment in child care, expand access, make enriching child care options more affordable across diverse settings, and improve compensation and working conditions for the early childhood workforce.