Partnerships
In proud collaboration with Tandem, Partners in Early Learning®, the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), and the Exploratorium, Las Mañanitas strives to provide equitable, high-quality learning experiences. Together, we address community priorities, dismantle barriers, and foster a nurturing environment.
Tandem
Since 2021 Escuelita Las Mañanitas has been selected to participate in Tandem Partners in Early Learning’s Read & Play Club for Families. Tandem is, a Bay Area nonprofit that operates at the intersection of social justice and early childhood education. Tandem collaborates with school districts, early childhood education providers, and community-based organizations to collaboratively design equitable, high-quality early learning experiences for children aged 0-5.
Through the Read and Play Club, our families receive 10 quality children’s books each year along with Activity Packets and Materials, plus invitations to participate in community wide story times and family play dates.
LIIF
In 2021 Escuelita Las Mañanitas was the proud recipient of a $10,000 Connecting Children with Nature grant from the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) dedicated to mobilizing capital and forging partnerships to foster more inclusive access to opportunities for everyone. We worked with Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds to plan and implement changes to our outdoor space, including adding a grill and pizza oven to introduce children to cooking with fire. The build days were an exciting collaboration with an incredible team of women from Rebuild Together SF/She Builds. Our teaching team also participated in a year long Professional Development Cohort study with other Nature and Children Grant recipients regarding various strategies to bring nature play into Early Childhood learning environments.
Exploratorium
In 2021 Escuelita Las Mañanitas was selected to participate in a collaboration with The Exploratorium and California’s Department of Early Childhood. The Tinkering Studio project developed cohorts of early childhood educators who wanted to implement tinkering as a pedagogy and practice. Through this collaboration, a set of eight Professional Development modules focused on Science Education for Early Childhood were then distributed throughout the state.
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This initial collaboration led our teaching team to participate in a year long Professional Development training focusing on other science modules. We have transformed the way we invite our students into science exploration and the beginning wonder of using the Scientific Process.