Best of LAist: Our most engaging stories of 2024, according to you

We’ve been through a lot together this year, haven’t we?

Whether it was holding Orange County leaders like former Supervisor Andrew Do accountable, digging into AAPI family legacies tied to historic events, or even the initial excitement and eventual heartbreak of following Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow as they tried to hatch their eggs, LAist’s readers and social media followers were engaged by stories across the spectrum.

Here’s what resonated most this year with people like you:

California is adding a new grade for all 4-year-olds. But not every district has the right space for them

The state’s $2.7 billion plan to offer transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-old students by 2025-26 faces significant challenges. One big issue? Many of the existing kindergarten classrooms don’t meet state standards.

Our reporters teamed up with KQED on a series examining the hurdles California faces as it tries to add a new grade to its sprawling public school system.

Parents and educators among LAist’s followers shared their experiences with transitional kindergarten so far, naming the ways it’s helped their children and students in early education, or describing how universal transitional kindergarten could ease their financial burdens.

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