Project: Playful Beginnings— Improving Child and Family Well-Being through Joyful Play.
Grant from First 5 Marin: $50,334 for FY 2025-26.
The Bay Area Discovery Museum is making two major investments to facilitate free access to the museum for low-income children in Marin, ages 0-to-5, and their caregivers. The goal is to ensure the museum and its programs are relevant, accessible and useful to families from marginalized groups who may face barriers to accessing high-quality playful learning environments.
www.bayareadiscoverymuseum.org/
415-339-3900 | contact@badm.org
Project: Family Child Care Training Project.
Grant from First 5 Marin: $73,000 for FY 2025-26.
The Marin Child Care Council will be recruiting and training and supporting new family child care providers (to address the loss of 48 providers/508 child care spaces since January 2020); the providers may be actual family or friends or neighbors. Most are women and 75% are Latinx; many of these providers are already care, but face barriers to opening a program based on their immigration status. There is a particular shortage of providers in Marin City and West Marin, and recruitment will help fill that need.
415-472-4110 | superintendentsoffice@marinschools.org
Project: The Evidence-Based Exchange.
Grant from First 5 Marin: $196,230.25 for FY 2025-26.
The Marin County Office of Education is building an “evidence-based data exchange” to connect early childhood educators and elementary schools through relationships, written summaries about children’s strengths, and feedback. This exchange creates an important transition from preschool to kindergarten by establishing communication among a child’s teachers and family. The process can address teacher’s and systems’ biased assumptions and practices with evidence-based data and teacher coaching, professional development and technical assistance.
415-472-4110 | superintendentsoffice@marinschools.org
Project: Aay-ko Indigenous Nature-Based Playgroup.
Grant from First 5 Marin: $43,010 for FY 2025-26.
The Museum of the American Indian is developing a nature-based playgroup for young children that is culturally-sensitive that is led by Native American and Indigenous people. The Museum is committed to providing equitable opportunities through their free and reduced-cost access programs.
415.897.4064 | office@marinindian.com
Project: Equity Movement – Early Childhood Education.
Grant from First 5 Marin: $113,956 for FY 2025-26.
North Marin Community Services is creating a Bilingual Family Support Specialist role to serve as a liaison with the Spanish-speaking families enrolled in their child development program and developmental playgroup. This new position will help to ensure that families provided services in their preferred language with a trusted administrator. Families will gain access to community resources, program referrals, developmental screenings as well as parent education.
415-892-1643 | info@northmarincs.org
Project: Community Partners-Parent Voices.
Grant from First 5 Marin: $88,000 for FY 2025-26.
Parent Voices California is working to build a parent-led movement in Marin to transform child care and social service systems in the county. In order to develop a strong BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) parent force that will be present at child care planning council meetings, in leadership roles for implementing the early childhood education roadmap, in local coalitions and partnerships and throughout Marin. Parent Voices will use local chapter meetings to bring parents together, build relationships, and prepping parents to tell their stories in beautiful and heartfelt ways. They will also conduct political education workshops to prepare parents to make connections at the local, state and federal levels—including advocacy training about the budget process and how parents can participate and have influence. (And Parent Voices will continue to participate in “Stand for Children Day” at the State Capitol, now over 700 parents strong.)
Project: Pediatric Dental Surgeries for Underserved Children in Marin.
Grant from First 5 Marin: $27,039 for FY 2025-26.
Pediatric Dental Initiative is delivering specialized dental surgeries to children ages 0-to-5 in Marin living with severe dental decay. Patients at PDI require an average of 12 of their 20 baby teeth restored or removed—or, they require dental surgery under general anesthesia (which cannot be handled in a typical dentist’s office or clinic). Rather than waiting many months for a partially-subsidized treatment, PDI provides compassionate care for young children within four to six weeks (with urgent cases seen within days).
707-838-6560 | info@pdisurgerycenter.org
Project: Marin City PreK Arts Enrichment & Parent/Caregiver Advocacy Outreach.
Grant from First 5 Marin: $40,000 for FY 2025-26.
Performing Stars is partnering with three several preschool providers in Marin City serving low-income children of color to provide several enrichment opportunities including a) bi-weekly music, dance and gardening arts events; b) weekend park gatherings for family enrichment; and c) development of parent advocacy skills to support their students as they move into the K-12 system.
415.332.8316 | performingstars@sbcglobal.net
Project: Postpartum Support Programs.
Grant from First 5 Marin: $192,363 for FY 2025-26.
The Postpartum Support Center offers support services for pregnant women, new parents, caregivers and children 0-to-5, especially those in marginalized communities dealing with poverty and racial discrimination. Services are designed to support parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, reliable support and the social and emotional competence of young children. Core programs include: mom-to-mom peer counseling, peer support groups, a support line answered by trained peers (offering emotional support and making connections to local treatment providers), a diaper bank providing free essentials for moms and babies, the Rose program (for prevention of postpartum depression), and educational classes about birth and postpartum care options.
Project: Aprendiendo Juntos Developmental Playgroup.
Grant from First 5 Marin: $173,614 for FY 2025-26.
Parent Services Project is training promatores (parent leaders) as early childhood educators to host developmental playgroups in San Rafael, San Geronimo, Point Reyes, Bolinas and Tomales. The playgroups offer children the opportunity to learn through play, to develop social and emotional skills in a group setting, and to engage with new toys and activities. The events also involve parents, connecting them with resources and supporting family engagement, improved parenting, stress management.
415-454-1870 | family@parentservices.org