The Department of Early Childhood (DEC) is a City and County of San Francisco Department. We're dedicated to our young children’s safe and healthy development. DEC is the City’s largest funder of early childhood. We're committed to creating a system that ensures every child can thrive and learn.
We support our City's youngest children through:
- Public investment
- Expert guidance
- Strong leadership
- Ensuring resources reach those who provide their care
Our vision
Every child in San Francisco has the best start in life and our City is a great place to raise a family.
Our mission
To weave together family, community, and system supports so that all children who grow up in San Francisco have a strong foundation of nurturing, health, and learning.
Our guiding values
As the Department of Early Childhood, we are committed to:
Racial equity
We work to address disparities among Black, Latino, Indigenous, and Pacific Islander communities. These disparities affect early childhood development for their families. We hold ourselves and others accountable for measurable change. We also consider equity in all shared decisions.
Universal access
All families should have access to high-quality education and services. These services support healthy early childhood development.
Collaboration with community
We engage parents, providers, and grantees as partners. This expands our work's reach and impact for many children and families.
Continuous learning and improvement
To achieve our goals, we must frequently engage parents, providers, and grantees. They help us understand what works and what needs improvement. We then use this learning to adapt our work.
Transparency
We are open, authentic, and clear in our communication. This applies to parents, providers, grantees, and staff. This approach helps build and maintain trusting and productive relationships.
Our approach
DEC helps children prepare for Kindergarten and success. We do this by funding programs and services that support both children and their families.
DEC uses funding from Proposition C (a commercial rent tax), as well as city, state, and federal sources. We invest in high-quality early childhood programs that improve the future for our city's children and families.
Our passion and innovative practices, developed in partnership with parents and childcare professionals, guide our priorities.
DEC takes into account:
- The City's changing demographics
- Growing interest in early education at state and national levels
- Opportunities for ongoing quality improvement