Phase 1 Joint Racial Equity Action Plan
Per the legislative mandate of the Office of Racial Equity, in 2020 each City department was required to complete a Racial Equity Action Plan providing a blueprint for advancing racial equity in all aspects of the department’s work over the next three years. The two City agencies that merged to form the Department of Early Childhood, […]
San Francisco Proposition C – Early Care And Education For All Initiative
On June 5, 2018, San Francisco voters passed Proposition C (“Baby” Prop C), a Commercial Rent Tax for Childcare and Early Education, that authorizes an additional tax on the lease of commercial property for landlords with annual gross receipts over $1 million. The Early Care and Education for All Initiative established a nine-month planning process during which […]
COVID-19 Policy Position Paper: Investment in ECE Critical to Economic Recovery
The coronavirus public health crisis highlighted the challenges of decades of underinvestment in the early care and education (ECE) system, exposing deep inequities and making them worse. During the 2010 recession, early care and education programs took substantial hits in funding, decimating systems that prepare children to enter kindergarten and keep families strong and communities […]
Announcing Our 2023-2027 Strategic Plan
More than three years ago, when First 5 San Francisco (First 5 SF) and the San Francisco Office of Early Care and Education (OECE) first began planning together and exploring the possibility of more closely integrating our work on behalf of San Francisco’s young children and their families, we had no idea how much our […]
DEC’s Year in Review
As we begin the new year, we reflect on our collective accomplishments in 2022. In our initial year as a new city department, DEC has established itself as a strong advocate for young children and a key strategic funder of early education, child health and well-being, and family support initiatives. We are here to preserve […]
Ingrid Mezquita on what DEC means to San Francisco’s families and providers
San Francisco’s newest city agency is the Department of Early Childhood(DEC). This Department, which merges the former San Francisco Office of Early Care & Education with First 5 San Francisco, expands the City’s capacity to bring you coordinated family support, child health services, and high-quality early care and education. This work is being led by […]
San Francisco Launches New Department of Early Childhood
Our new department provides children under six and their families with a robust early childhood system of support and dedicates nearly $300 million to support early educators, children, and…
New Department, Renewed Commitment
We have officially merged First 5 San Francisco and the San Francisco Office of Early Care & Education to create the Department of Early Childhood. We are very excited for everything to come from this new official city and county department. First 5 and OECE have long histories of supporting young children and families in […]
Mayor London Breed Announces $50.7 Million Investment Over Two Years in Children and Family Recovery Plan in Proposed Budget
Mayor London N. Breed announced a planned $50.7 million in her upcoming two year budget to fund four recommendations from her Children and Family Recovery Plan, announced in February 2022. The funding will go towards childcare vouchers for low-income families and transition-aged young adults with children; increased staffing, support, and training for parents at Family […]
Mayor Breed Announces Landmark Pay Raise Initiative for Early Educators in City-Funded Programs
$60 million in annual city funding through the Office of Early Care and Education will significantly raise educator wages as part of ongoing effort to strengthen and expand City’s support of young children and families San Francisco, CA — Today, Mayor London N. Breed announced a new initiative by the San Francisco Office of Early Care […]