Pushing for universal preschool in L.A. and beyond is the latest directive in Beth Lowe’s crusade as a children’s rights advocate. Just as education builds upon itself’ideally beginning with preschool’Lowe’s role as a champion for children has similarly evolved, with one appointment leading to the next throughout her more than 30 years of volunteerism. Lowe, a longtime resident of Rustic Canyon, was recently presented with the Golden Eve award by the Assistance League of Southern California for her continued philanthropic work. As chairwoman of the Los Angeles Universal Preschool board of directors, Lowe was present in March at an Eastside children’s center to hand over the organization’s first check. This gesture represented the official launch of an ambitious $600 million countywide program that over the next decade will hope to enroll 100,000 pre-kindergarten children in preschools regardless of family income. Universal preschool’insuring access to preschool for all L.A. County four-year-olds’is the most prominent initiative to grow out of First Five L.A.. This is the commission responsible for allocating the county’s share of the state tobacco tax revenue to fund programs targeted for children ages 0 to 5 years. California voters approved Proposition 10, raising the cigarette tax by 50 cents a pack, in 1998. ‘You’re here because we want you to be able to realize your dreams,’ Lowe recalls telling the children at the opening of the new facility. She was joined by filmmaker Rob Reiner, the ‘grandfather’ of Proposition 10, who is expected to propose a statewide universal preschool ballot measure in June 2006. ‘With kids, you really have a chance, particularly in the early years,’ says Lowe about the critical stage preschool represents in a child’s development, particularly for those who are at risk. ‘So many studies show if they’re behind by the time they are in kindergarten, they never catch up.’ Lowe first came to the aid of children when she and her husband Robert moved to Los Angeles in 1968. A young mother at the time (Lowe’s two sons are now married and live in the Palisades), Lowe volunteered in the pediatric wing at USC County General Hospital. She remembers being overwhelmed by the experience. ‘Some of the children, because of the severity of their illness and with parents unable to cope, would just be abandoned at the hospital,’ she recalls. ‘I would want to bring them all home with me. I finally had to give it up. It was just too hard.’ The emotional toll of this experience was channeled into activism, with a determined Lowe vowing to become a vigilant voice for the needs of children. Involvement with social service projects in the L.A. Junior League paved the way for serving on the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families, twice as chair, from 1984 to 1999. During her tenure, she advocated intensively in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. to ensure a safety net for children in the wake of welfare reform. The success of these efforts earned her the 1998 commissioner’s award for the state of California. ‘A lot of people think it’s difficult, but it’s not,’ Lowe says of advocacy. ‘To me, these are dollars that belong to us, so why not go out and ask for them to be allocated where you see the need.’ Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, where 75 percent of funding comes from the government, recruited Lowe to serve on the board, tapping into her expertise working with state and national legislators. Since 2000, she has chaired the hospital’s government relations committee. Lowe, grandmother to three, has a gracious manner underscored by tenacity. ‘If you take too global of an approach, you get overwhelmed and feel it’s futile,’ she says. ‘But if you think ‘What can I do for this particular group right now?’ and stay focused, you will have an impact.’
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
