Overview

All children deserve access to opportunities that support them to thrive—in school, at home, and in the community. Yet, for millions of children (and their families and communities), access to such opportunities in the United States is affected by historic and present-day policies and practices that work in reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequities.

The Education program’s strategy spans birth to Grade 3 and recognizes that early learning happens in many settings, both within the formal education system and outside of it—most notably, within families. The program’s strategies straddle the siloed sectors that exist within the birth to Grade 3 policy and practice space to create a more coherent system that better serves children and families, particularly children of color, multilingual learners, and children in low-income families.

Our work is organized into two portfolios: Enabling Conditions (policy) and Effective Practice (practice). Several major initiatives are housed within each of these portfolios. Each major initiative is a multi-year effort comprised of several grants. Learn more about our major initiatives below.

The Education program maintains a national focus, with a strong emphasis on its home state of California. To learn more about our work at the national level, see here. To learn more about our work in California, see here.

To read our overall strategic plan, see here.