Wave Staff and Wire Reports
LEIMERT PARK — USC celebrated the opening of its first infant child care center here April 9, providing early childhood education for families in South Los Angeles.
The Early Head Start and Head Start center, located at Tom Bradley Global Awareness Magnet, will provide care for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children in an area where access to no-cost, high-quality early education has been limited, according to university officials.
“Expanding access to high-quality early childhood education is one of the most important investments we can make in our communities,” USC President Beong-Soo Kim said in a statement. “This new center reflects USC’s longstanding commitment to supporting families, strengthening neighborhoods and providing opportunities for children to learn, grow and thrive from the very beginning.”
Officials said the center’s location was selected following a community needs assessment that identified a shortage of early learning programs for infants and young children in the Leimert Park area.
The center will partner with the Keck School of Medicine of USC to provide support for children with specialized health care needs, including consultations, parent education workshops and on-site nursing services, according to the university.
Families will also have access to a digital platform for real-time communication with teachers, including updates and daily reports.
“Through this federal grant, we are not only supporting children during their most critical years of development but also partnering with families to build a stronger foundation for long-term success,” April Smith, executive director of USC’s School for Early Childhood Education, said.
Officials said USC’s early learning programs are designed to support children’s academic, social and emotional development, while also serving as a training ground for future early childhood educators.
The center — named the USC Tom Bradley Child Development Center — is federally funded and is expected to open in May. It will be the ninth location operated by USC’s School for Early Childhood Education.
“At USC, we understand the value of supporting the whole child and the whole family,” said Samuel Garrison, USC senior vice president of university relations, in opening remarks at the event.
“The opening of this new Early Head Start and Head Start Center this coming May reflects something fundamental to our mission: expanding access to opportunity,” Kim said.
Parents struggling to find child care “can’t go to work, or they can’t go back to school, or they can’t do the things they need to do because they have no help, no village,” said Jasmine Horton, a parent and USC School for Early Childhood Education policy council member, who spoke at the event. Horton’s two daughters, ages 3 and 4, are enrolled at USC’s Vermont Avenue Child Development Center.
After her second child was born, Horton, a single mother, stopped working and dropped out of school. Since her daughters joined SECE two years ago, Horton has restarted her cleaning business and enrolled at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College to study early childhood education.
“SECE has allowed me to achieve so much in my life,” Horton said in an interview after the ribbon cutting. “Everyone here has helped me get through so many obstacles. They are my ‘village.’”
Horton’s enthusiasm about SECE encouraged three of her friends to enroll their infants at SECE’s new USC Tom Bradley Center.
“For the parents in this community, I know the experience will be everything and more for them, like it has been for me,” said Horton, who has family roots in Leimert Park and grew up nearby.
Community impact is a key piece of USC’s academic mission. The new center is only the latest of many outreach programs the university has undertaken in the area, including the opening of the USC Pharmacy and Wellness Center in South L.A.
“This center represents USC’s commitment to South Los Angeles, to our campus neighborhoods, and working with partners to expand opportunities, strengthen community and ensure that every child has the foundation they need to succeed,” Garrison said.
