Program Supervisor, Contra Costa at Tandem, Partners in Early Learning - San Francisco, California, United States
Tandem partners with families, educators, and communities to surround young children with interactive learning experiences that spark joy and close the opportunity gap. Tandem believes that high-quality early learning & strong family bonds can break the cycle of poverty and build brighter futures for children. Both strategies are effective on their own, but when approached together and with strong partnerships in the community, the results can be greater and lasting. Tandem works in two programs areas: Community Capacity-Building and Family Engagement. Tandem additionally offers a fee for service model where we provide trainings and technical assistance to service organizations, non-profits, and school districts that are interested in implementing and promoting early learning interventions. Tandem has served 90,000 children ages 0-6 and their families in three Bay Area counties since 2003. Tandem's programs focus on serving families whose children at greatest risk of falling behind: children living in poverty, English language learners, children of color, and children not enrolled in formal care settings or preschool. Tandem provides interactive book-sharing demonstrations and workshops for families, caregivers, and educators to encourage regular book sharing and give them the tools to target specific areas of growth and development with their children. Tandem also provides materials, including online resources and mobile text messaging, for reinforcing important school-readiness skills such as vocabulary, phonological awareness, self-regulation, critical thinking, social-emotional development, and print awareness. Additionally, through our Literacy Champions intervention, Tandem equips parent leaders with information and skills in early literacy and learning, and children's books. These parent leaders then tap into their own personal networks to share these resources through events and trainings with local families in their neighborhoods.