STATEMENT: Advancement Project California’s Khydeeja Alam Javid Honored to be Appointed to Governor Newsom’s Early Childhood Policy Council

Press Contacts:

Katie Smith, Advancement Project California, Director of Communications, 323-997-2194

Ronald Simms Jr., Advancement Project California, Communications Manager, 202-270-0936

SACRAMENTO, CA – Advancement Project California is pleased to announce that Khydeeja Alam Javid, Director of Government Relations, has been appointed by Speaker of the Assembly, Anthony Rendon, to serve as one of the newest members of the state’s Early Childhood Policy Council. In this role, Alam Javid will advise the Governor, Legislature, and Superintendent of Public Instruction on statewide early care and education policy, including the implementation of the 2019 California Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education report.

Alam Javid’s appointment comes at an unprecedented and difficult time where the Governor’s Early Childhood Policy Council is more important now than ever. Across California, schools have physically shuttered as they make the unprecedented move toward online instruction amid the coronavirus pandemic. The virus has upended almost every facet of education in California and the nation and further exacerbated disparities impacting low-income early learners and students of color.

“This appointment to the Early Childhood Policy Council is an honor,” said Alam Javid. “I look forward to working with the diverse group of experts on the Council to elevate the needs of our youngest learners and their families. I am ready to get my hands dirty. I am ready to help develop a plan that not only meets our current early care and education needs but is pragmatic enough to address the future needs of our state.”

Khydeeja Alam Javid has been with Advancement Project California for the last decade fighting for equity in public systems on issues related to early childhood education, K-12 education policy, health, the political representation of underrepresented communities. She has helped secure over a billion dollars for early care and education programs for California’s most vulnerable children and, most recently, co-lead an effort to secure unprecedented state funding for the 2020 Census. In the past, Alam Javid has worked to advance far-reaching state policies, including the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), Transitional Kindergarten, the California Dream Act, the College Readiness Block Grant and more. 

California’s First Surgeon General, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, is the Council Chair. All appointees serve a maximum of six years.

“We are pleased that the Speaker has recognized Khydeeja’s expertise and dedication to ensuring all of California’s children have access to quality education and happy that she will represent Advancement Project California on the Council,” said John Kim, Executive Director of Advancement Project California. “With Khydeeja’s appointment, it is clear the Governor and the Legislature are committed to equity and making sure the California Dream is available to every resident.”

Advancement Project California is a multi-racial, multi-generational racial justice organization with expertise in research, advocacy, and policy. We work with partners and communities to expand educational opportunities for California’s children; create healthy and safe neighborhoods; ensure communities of color have a voice in our democracy; strengthen movement-building; and shift public investments toward programs that benefit all Californians—not just the privileged few.

For more information, visit www.advancementprojectca.org. Follow us on Twitter @AP_California.