In Marin, families have been clear: early learning support needs to be closer to home, more coordinated, and shaped by community voice.

That's why Marin Promise Partnership and First 5 Marin are deepening our partnership to ensure community-led early childhood work in San Rafael, Marin City, Novato, and West Marin turns into real, lasting support for children and families.

At the heart of this work are Early Learning Collaborative Action Networks (ELCANs)—neighborhood-based spaces where families, public agencies, and community partners work together to identify local priorities for children ages 0–5.

This strengthened alignment clarifies leadership and accelerates implementation of community-led ideas:

• First 5 Marin will serve as the countywide convener of ELCANs.
• Marin Promise Partnership will continue providing backbone support and connecting community priorities to implementation through Promise Neighborhoods.
• Community-led ideas will move more efficiently into coordinated planning, funding, and action.

We will also continue collaborating on shared infrastructure that supports families across systems, including:

• An ASQ Dashboard that brings early childhood screening information into one shared place to better understand developmental needs.
• The CalAIM rollout, a multi-year update to Medi-Cal that expands the types of services available for children and families, allowing health plans and providers to fund more holistic supports.

Together, this partnership strengthens the local infrastructure behind early learning in Marin, carrying forward what works and ensuring community insight translates into lasting support for children and families.

Leadership Alignment to Support Continuity

Marin's Promise Neighborhood Strategy Featured in Local Press

Marin Promise Partnership’s expanding Promise Neighborhood work was recently featured in the Marin Independent Journal, highlighting Marin as one of three communities nationwide selected for StriveTogether’s Transform Impact grant.

Promise Neighborhoods align schools, nonprofits, public agencies, and philanthropy around priorities identified by families. The goal: strengthen educational opportunity while reinforcing long-term economic stability across generations.

The local and national recognition of this work underscores the strength of Marin’s place-based, cross-sector strategy and its potential to scale.

Rewatch: "How Marin Promise Improved Kindergarten Readiness in the Bay Area"

During a recent LinkedIn Live with StriveTogether, Marin Promise partners shared how Marin's local communities are working together to strengthen kindergarten readiness.

In West Marin and Marin City, preschools, schools, health providers, philanthropy, and county agencies are coordinating around shared data, using the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) to better understand children’s development and connect families to support earlier through Help Me Grow.

This work builds on existing systems and relationships, deepens trust with families, and will bring resources closer to home, especially in rural and historically underinvested neighborhoods.

About the Partnership

Mission

Close educational equity gaps at every stage along a student’s journey from cradle to career.

Vision

Every child in Marin can reach their full educational potential regardless of their race, ethnicity, income, background, or zip code.