Los Angeles Education Partnership Opens Doors to New Early Head Start Childcare Center
HAWTHORNE, CA – Excited toddlers walked hand-in-hand with their parents through the doors of their new place of learning and enrichment on March 4 when the Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) launched its Early Head Start Childcare Center.
The new facility will offer infants and toddlers a high-quality early learning experience, fostering their growth and development. The center, which has multiple classrooms, is starting with a single class of eight children ages 2-3, but will soon expand to serve more young learners and families.
The inaugural class was greeted on March 4 with banners, learning activities, and eager staff ready to begin the journey of enhancing child development.
“This is a landmark day for LAEP and the surrounding community as we come together to create a new hub that provides children and families with the support they need to thrive,” said LAEP Interim CEO Dawn A. Kurtz.
“Early Head Start helps build a foundation of learning that lasts a lifetime. We are thrilled to help more families access early education.”
The center will help address a glaring need in Los Angeles County where there are not nearly enough spaces, particularly subsidized spaces, to serve the more than 300,000 infants and toddlers in the county who represent half of all children ages 0 to 5. According to the Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education (OAECE), only 14% of eligible infants and toddlers who qualify for subsidies receive them.
LAEP’s Early Head Start program uses a holistic approach that eliminates barriers to success and aids parents in becoming their child’s first teachers. LAEP partners with elementary schools to involve parents early in the schools their children will attend and also provides home-based services that include weekly home visits and parenting education.
Parents met with their child’s new teachers on opening day at the childcare center – two teachers will be assigned to each classroom as well as support staff onsite – and will continue to engage with staff throughout the year.
“My daughter has been excited about going to school all week,” said parent Soro Solo. “There’s nothing better than providing education to children. We need more centers like this in the community to support parents.”
LAEP received an Early Head Start grant of nearly $3 million from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in 2018, paving the way for the childcare center.
The site is leased from the Hawthorne School District and underwent updates from the Hoffman Management & Construction Corporation to prepare for young learners. A total of four bungalows were refurbished to create the optimal early learning environment. Funding provided by the Ahmanson Foundation helped to complete the construction.
LAEP will host a ribbon-cutting event in April that includes community members and elected officials to commemorate the opening.
“My daughter has been excited about going to school all week,” said parent Soro Solo. “There’s nothing better than providing education to children. We need more centers like this in the community to support parents.”
Melissa Peña serves as the Chief Program Officer at the Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP), bringing more than two decades of experience advancing educational equity, youth development, and community-centered systems change. A mission-driven and strategic leader, she has dedicated her career to eliminating barriers to learning and seeking equitable outcomes for historically underserved youth. Prior to joining LAEP, Melissa spent over 14 years at Green Dot Public Schools where she launched and scaled high-impact initiatives that reduced chronic absenteeism by 27%, expanded access to wellness services, and built network-wide support systems for more than 600 homeless and foster youth across 18 schools. Her leadership is rooted in both entrepreneurial vision and disciplined execution—designing programs, teams, and infrastructure that strengthen outcomes for students while supporting the adults who serve them.
Melissa’s commitment to equity has shaped her work across roles in education, youth development, and human services, including senior leadership positions at The Door in New York City and national diversity recruitment efforts at Teach For America. She began her career as a fourth-grade teacher in Newark, New Jersey, a formative experience that continues to ground her belief that the key to ensuring every young person meets their full potential lies in the power of family–school–community partnerships. At LAEP, Melissa leads program strategy with empathy, clarity, and a deep belief that children thrive when systems work together from “diapers to diplomas.” She holds a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara. Outside of work, she enjoys researching her family history, exploring nature, and family movie nights with her husband and two children.
LaCora Stephens
Marketing and Communications
LaCora is a seasoned communications professional with a passion for using multimedia
storytelling to empower movements for social justice and equality. For over 13 years, she has
honed her skills as a versatile multimedia director, overseeing media operations across diverse
organizations, including the NAACP Beverly Hills-Hollywood Branch and The Shirley Chisholm
Education Foundation. Her deep understanding of the education and equity landscape fuels her
creative vision, allowing her to craft impactful narratives that resonate with audiences.
With strategic communication and collaboration, LaCora excels in developing and executing
compelling multimedia campaigns that not only raise awareness of critical issues but also
inspire action and drive meaningful change. Her proficiency in concept development, production
execution, and team leadership ensures projects are delivered with exceptional quality.
Furthermore, LaCora fosters strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders,
cultivating partnerships that maximize campaign reach and impact.
LaCora's educational foundation began with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre Education from
Florida A&M University. She then pursued a master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages) from Alliant University of San Diego. This passion for
storytelling, fueled by her background in education, translates to her belief in the power of
shared narratives. Her work in this area was recognized through her selection as a Women in
Film Mentee and film director for Viola Davis’ sponsored film showcase, Diversity in Cannes.
Now, LaCora leverages her love of storytelling and commitment to educational equity in her role
leading marketing and communications for Los Angeles Education Partnership, while also
serving on the board of the Pasadena African American Film Foundation.
Eric Barela, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant, Raya Cooper Impact Consulting
Dr. Eric Barela has worked as a measurement & evaluation professional for over 2 decades, helping organizations to better understand and act on their social impact. He’s currently a Senior Consultant with Raya Cooper Impact Consulting and previously worked at Salesforce, where he led efforts to measure the social impact of the company’s work with nonprofits and educational institutions across the globe. He began his career working with the Los Angeles Unified School District and with the nonprofit, Partners in School Innovation. Eric previously served on the Board of the American Evaluation Association and currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the American Journal of Evaluation.
Eric grew up in East LA and was educated in the Montebello Unified School District. He holds a Ph.D. in education from UCLA. He loves a good road trip, with his husband serving as trusty navigator.
