A Brighter Future for San Francisco’s Children: Early Education Milestones and Aspirations

Every half-decade, the San Francisco Child Care Planning and Advisory Council (CPAC), in partnership with the Department of Early Childhood (DEC), undertakes a significant endeavor: crafting a comprehensive needs assessment […]
Expanding Access to Quality Child Care in San Francisco: Financial Support for Early Learning Programs

San Francisco has always been at the forefront when it comes to prioritizing early childhood education and ensuring that every child has access to high-quality care. In a remarkable move, […]
LISTEN: Child Care is Getting More Affordable in S.F. with DEC’s Wei-min Wang

In an interview on KQED’s podcast, The Bay, Wei-min Wang from our team, recently shared how Child Care is Getting More Affordable in S.F. Listen here! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452?i=1000613049906 Child care is […]
En route to a thriving early childhood system in San Francisco

San Francisco has many programs and agencies aiming to serve our city’s babies and young children, but they could be more coordinated. As a result, agencies, providers, and families are […]
Announcing Our 2023-2027 Strategic Plan

More than three years ago, when First 5 San Francisco (First 5 SF) and the San Francisco Office of Early Care and Education (OECE) first began planning together and exploring […]
DEC’s Year in Review

As we begin the new year, we reflect on our collective accomplishments in 2022. In our initial year as a new city department, DEC has established itself as a strong […]
Ingrid Mezquita on what DEC means to San Francisco’s families and providers

San Francisco’s newest city agency is the Department of Early Childhood(DEC). This Department, which merges the former San Francisco Office of Early Care & Education with First 5 San Francisco, […]
San Francisco Launches New Department of Early Childhood

Our new department provides children under six and their families with a robust early childhood system of support and dedicates nearly $300 million to support early educators, children, and…
New Department, Renewed Commitment

We have officially merged First 5 San Francisco and the San Francisco Office of Early Care & Education to create the Department of Early Childhood. We are very excited for […]
Mayor London Breed Announces $50.7 Million Investment Over Two Years in Children and Family Recovery Plan in Proposed Budget

Mayor London N. Breed announced a planned $50.7 million in her upcoming two year budget to fund four recommendations from her Children and Family Recovery Plan, announced in February 2022. […]