City to Award $30MM in Stipends to SF Early Educators

Mayor London N. Breed, Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee and the Office of Early Care and Education (OECE), recently announced the distribution of $32.9 million in funding over the next three years to support early childhood educators in San Francisco.

According to Children’s Council CEO Gina M. Fromer, “Children’s Council is proud to have been a leader in the community coalition who has made this critical initiative a reality. We still have much work to do, but through programs such as this, San Francisco will continue to lead the country in raising the bar for investment in early education.”

Together with the Child Care Planning & Advisory Council (CPAC), Early Care Educators of San Francisco (ECESF) and hundreds of child care champions, Children’s Council has advocated with legislators, met with the Mayor’s office, held community rallies and spoke to the Board of Supervisors, urging them direct these critical funds to early care educators.

Children’s Council is thrilled about this initiative and we look forward to supporting the implementation of this important new program.

This new stipends program, CARES 2.0 (Compensation and Retention Early Educator Stipend), is designed to support early educators by recognizing their value and acknowledging the reality of economic challenges in one of the most expensive areas to live in the country.

Approximately 2,500 educators who work directly with children will be eligible to apply for a stipend of approximately $4,000 per calendar year. 

Through strategic partnerships with the Mayor, Supervisor Yee, OECE, Wu Yee Children’s Services, and a vast network of social services organizations across the city, Children’s Council touches the lives of over 25,000 families each year.

Read about this initiative on SF Gate.

Read the full announcement from Mayor London Breed’s office.