Tandem, Partners in Early Learning

Tandem, Partners in Early Learning® is a nonprofit working at the intersection of social justice and early childhood education. We envision a just society where children thrive. Our mission is to co-create equitable, high-quality early learning experiences in partnership with families, educators, and community partners.

We know that investing in early learning is key to interrupting patterns of racial and economic exclusion, and we prioritize work with communities disproportionately impacted by systemic oppression. Tandem builds a society supportive of children’s development by partnering with families and educators through classrooms and community-based settings. We work alongside preschools, child care providers, and community-based organizations to engage families through workshops and play-and-learn groups, distribute multilingual, multicultural books, and provide professional development for educators and nonprofit staff. Tandem serves children ages 0-5 and their families in San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties.

StoryCycles® is a school-to-home book rotation program that provides children with culturally and linguistically diverse books in order to create more opportunities for book-sharing experiences at school and at home. Using picture books as a starting point, StoryCycles® supports early learning and development across a variety of domains including language, literacy, math, social emotional learning, and more.