Building a Coordinated System of Care Through Strong Relationships: Family Resource Center and Early Care and Education Staff Meet, Greet, and Share
DEC was created to better align and coordinate all City-funded supports available to families with children from prenatal to five. Funding and oversight of critical family supports like the Family Resource Center Initiative, financial assistance for early care and education, child development and early intervention supports, and early childhood mental health used to be scattered […]
Press Release: Mayor Breed’s Children and Family Recovery Plan Delivers Major Results in Early Care and Education
This press release was originally published February 27, 2024 on SF.GOV. Read the original here. Landmark educator pay initiative and investments in facilities and vouchers for low-income families has dramatically doubled number children receiving early care and education support and cut wait list for families by over 70% San Francisco, CA – Today, Mayor London N. Breed […]
First of its Kind Longitudinal Study Reaffirms DEC’s Investments to Support Kindergarten Readiness
A new study that followed San Francisco Unified School District students from the time they entered kindergarten until they turned eighteen, demonstrates the critical importance of investing in children and families during their first five years. The study found that those students who performed well on measures of “kindergarten readiness” when they were five, consistently […]
How Kindergarten Readiness Impacts Student Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study Examining the K-12 Journey through San Francisco Unified School District
San Francisco has a robust history of investing in early childhood education, preparing its youngest residents for their best start on their academic journeys. Originally funded by First 5 San Francisco, the first representative district-wide kindergarten readiness assessment was conducted in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) in 2009. Building on this initialeffort, this […]
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Initiative
The purpose of this RFGA is to identify multiple agencies to provide supports to the social-emotional health of children in early care and education and family resource center settings funded by the Department of Early Childhood. Agencies selected will need to demonstrate experience providing mental health consultation to enhance the capacity of adult caregivers of […]
In 2023, DEC Made San Francisco an Even Better Place for Families
This year, we changed the game for parents in our city. Our new strategic plan, published this year, set the stage for lots of innovative and impactful new initiatives to serve San Francisco families. The results have already blown us away, and we are so excited to keep building these programs. To get the whole […]
SF’s Workforce Compensation Initiative Provides a Blueprint for Other Cities
DEC’s Workforce Compensation initiative is providing a blueprint for other cities looking to increase early educator compensation! In a recent report from Bank Street College of Education, Paths Forward to Salary Parity for New York: National Models for Equity in Early Childhood Education Compensation, other cities ask themselves, “If San Francisco can do it, why […]
Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Training, Technical Assistance, and Rating Services for the Early Childhood Quality Improvement System
The Department of Early Childhood expects to release a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Training, Technical Assistance, and Rating Services for the Early Childhood Quality Improvement System. The RFQ will establish a new funding cycle for this long-standing support in early education settings. This initiative activates a DEC Core Early Learning Strategy to enhance and […]
Early Intervention and Specialized Services System of Care
The Department of Early Childhood (DEC) has released a Request for Grant Applications (RFGA) inviting experienced entities to oversee, implement, and enhance critical components of San Francisco’s System of Care for Early Intervention and Specialized Services for children with developmental concerns or identified disability and their families. Funded components will fall under the broader umbrella […]
Early Intervention and Specialized Services System of Care Request for Grant Applications is Now Open!
The Department of Early Childhood is guided by long-standing research, which shows that the first five years are a critical time of growth and development for young children. Thus, it follows that the first five years are also the most critical time for our community of care – families, educators, practitioners – to come together […]