Network Capacity Building
Through Network Capacity Building, we partner with community leaders and organizations including schools, early education providers, and other community-based organizations to better serve children and families. We offer custom professional development programs, community leadership cohorts, and access to high quality early learning resources. Together, we are building a stronger early learning ecosystem.
Tandem’s professional development workshops address a variety of topics including neuroscience and brain development, trauma-responsive strategies for supporting children and families, dual language learning, early math, and more. Content is designed for educators and staff at libraries, health clinics, family resource groups, and other family-serving community organizations. Professionals gain easily implementable strategies to support early learning, often building on storytime as the foundation for conversations and activities.
The Community Leadership program supports community leaders to share Tandem’s early learning tools, resources, and high-quality children’s books with families in their own neighborhoods and in their own language.
Community Leaders are committed to sharing information on early learning and development with families in their communities. Participants receive training, books and activity supplies, and support from Tandem staff members to become early learning peer ambassadors in their own communities.
Tandem provides access to the carefully curated book collection and accompanying resources in order to enhance and diversify school and home libraries. The Tandem book collection relies on quality books that make room for everyone and intentionally reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Bay Area. Staff and volunteers carefully review each book according to rigorous quality measures. Early Learning Specialists craft activity guides that help educators and caregivers build on each book with interactive book-sharing techniques and activities. These curated books and activities provide children with mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors: they see themselves reflected back and have the opportunity to learn about experiences outside of their own.
As an ever-evolving organization, we believe in partnering with families, educators, and administrators to customize programming according to local context. From piloting a home literacy program designed for family child care providers, to partnering with researchers to develop activities to build the foundations for math through play and everyday interactions, Tandem is continuously responding to the changing education landscape. Reach out if you would like to partner on creating high-quality early learning experiences.
Learn more about Tandem workshops
Explore our catalog to learn more about our early learning training topics. All Tandem workshops are available for customization.
Network Capacity Building in Action




