Newsom’s effort to expand free preschool leaves some private centers at risk of closing

THERE WERE ONCE SO MANY CHILDREN at Frisha Moore’s Elk Grove preschool that families filled up the waitlist. Now, one of her playgrounds and two classrooms sit empty because one key group of kids has stopped coming. 

Dozens of families in recent years have opted not to enroll their 4-year-olds at Moore Learning Preschool and Child Care Center, she said. Instead, they’re putting their children in transitional kindergarten, California’s new public pre-kindergarten grade.