Executive Summary

The foundations for all learning are built during the first five years of life. Tandem builds a society supportive of children’s development by partnering with families and educators to co-create interactive learning experiences paired with books reflective of diverse cultures, leading to lifetime impacts of social, racial and economic justice.

Tandem works with over 800 classrooms (including Head Start, state preschool, and in-home child care providers), while also providing services in community locations like libraries, clinics, resource centers, and small businesses. Programming includes school-to-home literacy interventions, workshops, playgroups, educator professional development, and more, all provided in home languages. Tandem’s goal is to saturate the community with accessible, equitable opportunities so high-quality early learning becomes the default.

The majority of Tandem’s staff are parents of young children who live in the communities they serve. Through lived and learned experiences, staff are seen as trusted experts. They co-design curriculum with parents/caregivers, recognizing their strengths as children’s first teachers. By partnering with early education providers and family-serving organizations, Tandem strengthens the overall ecosystem, ensuring children are supported everywhere they go.

Tandem works with over 60 organizations, serves 20,000+ families, infuses classrooms with over 40,000 books, and distributes over 25,000 books to build home libraries. Families and educators increase their time sharing books and engaging in strategies that promote literacy, language, math, social-emotional development, and more. Through Tandem’s programs, families are better equipped to support their children’s early development, while educators and schools are better equipped to support all children.

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