The goal of the Foundation’s Education program is for all young children to experience joyful, effective, and affirming learning environments that provide the knowledge, skills, and mindsets that set them on a trajectory for success in school and life.
All children deserve access to opportunities that support them to thrive—in school, at home, and in the community. Moreover, high-quality early care and education provide the foundation for strong cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional development—and can ensure that all children are set up to succeed.
The Education program supports policies and practices that empower early educators, childcare providers, and families to nurture and enrich early learning experiences, spanning from birth to Grade 3. The program’s grantee partners recognize that early learning happens within the formal education system and outside of it—most notably, within families—, and that all children deserve access to high-quality early learning experiences and resources.
The program’s support of policy, practices, and people is organized into two portfolios: Enabling Conditions and Effective Practice. The Enabling Conditions portfolio focuses on creating the systemic conditions that best enable high-quality interactions between children and adults, and that best foster positive learning environments. This Effective Practice portfolio focuses on effective practices within the systems and settings in which children develop and learn. Several major initiatives are housed within each of these portfolios. Each major initiative is a multi-year effort comprised of several grants.
The Education program maintains a national focus, with a strong emphasis on its home state of California.