San Mateo County Supervisors Direct $3.3 Million to Support Early Childhood Education

Redwood City - San Mateo County supervisors on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, approved $3.3 million in grants to support early childhood education in communities from Daly City to Pescadero.

The grants support The Big Lift, a collective impact collaborative that seeks to increase kindergarten readiness and improve third grade reading proficiency in targeted school districts.

The Big Lift is led by three agencies - the County of San Mateo, San Mateo County Office of Education and the San Mateo County Libraries - with support from numerous other public agencies, nonprofit organizations and business groups.

Grant recipients:

• City of South San Francisco, $127,000
• The Institute for Human and Social Development, $331,000
• Coastside Children's Program, $127,000
• Peninsula Family Service, $225,400
• Millbrae Elementary School, $189,818
• Pacifica School District, $214,401
• Ravenswood City School District, $269,434
• Bayshore Elementary School District, $296,721
• Cabrillo Unified School District, $318,600
• La Honda Pescadero School District, $338,234
• San Bruno Park School District, $363,000
• South San Francisco Unified School District, $510,600.

Funding for the total of $3,311,208 comes from the Measure K half-cent local sales tax.

The Big Lift's goal is to ensure children are reading proficiently by the end of third grade. The Big Lift serves preschool to third grade students enrolled in school districts with third-grade reading proficiency rates below the county average.

The Big Lift improves third grade reading through a number of activities. These include:

• High-quality preschool: Preparing children to thrive in kindergarten with literacy enhancements in preschool.
• Summer learning: Helping children maintain skills over the summer while having fun.
• Early elementary literacy instruction: High quality literacy instruction based on the science of reading from transitional kindergarten to third grade.
• Family engagement: Helping parents support children's literacy development at home and home-school partnerships.

Visit The Big Lift website to learn more about all aspects of The Big Lift.