Our Projects
Rainbow Kids
This program provides practical and age-appropriate resources for parents of young children who wish to celebrate and normalize diversity when it comes to gender and what it means to be a "family." Learn more
Excused Absences for Mental Health Project
This program increases awareness of the passage of SB 14 among teenage students, families, and school staff. Learn more
Teacher Pipeline Project
CEC launched, scaled and is now transitioning its groundbreaking Teacher Pipeline Project - an early childhood education workforce initiative that has inspired legislation as well as other bay area programs. Learn more
Learning Hubs Initiative
In collaboration with Thrive, The Alliance of Nonprofits for San Mateo County, CEC led this initiative to support the short-term need for supportive places where vulnerable students can engage in distance learning during COVID-19. Learn more
Child Care Relief Fund
CEC led the charge in advocating for and administering an almost $5M fund, which provided one month of operating expenses to child care centers and family child care homes, serving over 8,000 children in SMC.
Early Learning Facilities
CEC provided assistance to faith-based organizations with (or interested in) onsite child care facilities, bringing technical know-how about the licensing/permitting processes and design best practices in order to expand the number of early learning spaces on the Peninsula.
Breakfast Up!
Our San Mateo County Breakfast Workgroup is a collaboration of partners in Education, Health & Nutrition, and Agriculture and aims to increase school breakfast participation in our county. Learn more
Best Foot Forward
In partnership with My New Red Shoes and 29 other local agencies, we distributed over 7,000 pairs of shoes to local children in the summer of 2017. Recipients were students in early learning programs who lived (or whose parent/guardian worked) on the San Francisco Bay Peninsula.
Parent-Powered Solutions
Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, this initiative provided quick tips about child care to families through their trusted communities (parent organizing groups, places of worship, support agencies, and other institutions to whom they look for guidance). This resource helped families understand how to create and secure child care until school resumed in person.
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Workforce Waiver Legislation
In 2019 and 2020, we co-sponsored the ECE Workforce Waiver with Assemblymember Marc Berman, designed to remove financial barriers and incentivize Californians to join the ECE workforce. In 2020, the bill passed from the Committee on Higher Education with support from child care providers and advocates, county supervisors and offices of education, community colleges and even Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis.
PTO Roundtables
We convened a network of 13 parent organizations to discuss creating and sustaining inclusive family-school engagement practices such as nominating processes, outreach that empowers and increasing family engagement.