San Francisco Bay Area

Local ideas.
Shared power.
Lasting impact.

Community Equity Collaborative supports early childhood education, career pathways, and climate solutions — practical help for families today, and long-term work on the structures that hold communities back.

A teacher and three preschoolers laughing together over a laptop in a bright classroom
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$7M+

in funding administered to stabilize child care

287

child care programs supported — 208 homes, 79 centers

8,000+

children served through Child Care Relief Fund grants

250+

voices behind the county Child Care Blueprint

320

students supported by the Teacher Pipeline Project

2,000+

reached through Rainbow Kids webinars and resources

Our partners
Assemblymember Marc BermanBoys & Girls Clubs of the PeninsulaBuild Up SMCFirst 5 San Mateo CountyFoothill CollegeGender Justice in Early ChildhoodPeninsula Family ServiceRedwood City School DistrictRegion 9 Head Start AssociationSanta Clara County Office of LGBTQ+ AffairsSecond Harvest Food BankSilicon Valley Community FoundationSkyline CollegeSan Mateo County Board of SupervisorsSan Mateo County Child Care Partnership CouncilSan Mateo County COVID-19 Child Care Response TeamSan Mateo County Health DepartmentSan Mateo County Office of EducationSan Mateo County Pride CenterStanford UniversityUnitedlyUpward Scholars

Who we are

CEC is an incubator of equity and a catalyst for community innovation, expanding opportunity so children, women, and working families can thrive.

What we do

We work across early childhood, workforce pathways, and climate resilience. We identify unmet needs, bring the right partners together, and launch practical solutions that strengthen systems for children and families.

How we do it

We build on community knowledge, remove barriers, and invest in organizations already doing the work — turning shared ideas into action and leaving partners, systems, and communities stronger.

Our work

Preschoolers seated around a classroom table with their teacher, one child turning to smile at the camera

Child Care Relief Fund

Led advocacy for and administered more than $5 million in relief, helping 287 child care programs keep their doors open for 8,000+ children and working families.

$5M+ invested · 287 programs · 8,000+ children

Explore the Child Care Relief Fund
Several pairs of gloved hands reaching in together to press soil around a newly planted sapling

Early Childhood Climate Action Plan

Developed in partnership with Build Up San Mateo County, the nation’s first county-level action plan focused on protecting young children’s health and the places where they live, learn, and play.

150+ stakeholder contributions · A national first · Innovative tools

Explore the action plan
An early childhood educator sitting on the floor of a classroom, reading a picture book to the toddlers and babies gathered in her lap and around her

Teacher Pipeline Project

Paired ECE courses from Foothill and Skyline colleges with wraparound support in convenient community locations for 320 participants. Inspired legislation and other Bay Area programs before transitioning to Upward Scholars.

320 participants · Wraparound support · San Mateo and Santa Clara counties

Explore the Teacher Pipeline Project
Three young children sitting together on a classroom floor, laughing at the camera beside a wooden rainbow stacking toy

Rainbow Kids

Created practical, age-appropriate resources for caregivers and educators to help every child and family feel welcome and supported from the start.

2,000+ people reached · Bilingual resources · Practical tools

Explore Rainbow Kids

Let’sworktogether

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