The Marin County Board of Supervisors accepted a long-range countywide plan for child care and early learning during its January 28 meeting, setting in motion local stakeholders to tap into public and private resources and address identified needs through 2030.
The 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, developed by the Marin County Child Care Commission, is the result of more than 18 months of research and planning. It lays out goals to improve access to high-quality child care and reduce systemic barriers for all Marin families.
The plan’s main goals for 2025 to 2030 are to support high-quality, equitable, inclusive early learning and care countywide and staff the programs with a stable, well-qualified and well-compensated workforce. The January 28 presentation addressed the need for County funding as child care is a public good – much like elementary education, affordable housing, and health services – which would support equitable access to quality child care programs if the field had access to a stable funding stream.
Like all counties in California, Marin has a Local Planning Council (LPC) to plan for child care and development on behalf of the state’s Department of Education. LPCs, which report to county Boards of Supervisors and the local county superintendent of schools, are required by law to periodically update such strategic plans. The Marin County Child Care Commission serves that LPC role locally.
Kelsey Lombardi is Marin’s LCP Coordinator and represented the Marin County Child Care Commission at the January 28 meeting. She said the commission’s top priorities are to “lift up the voices” of those who rely on child care and those who provide it to engage the community around child care as a public issue, and to call on the business community for their support as well.
“Child care is a cornerstone for the prosperity of Marin County,” Lombardi said. “Affordable child care is not merely a support system for working parents and children. It is a catalyst for communitywide benefits. The economy is strengthened when parents have access to stable child care. That enables them to maintain employment and advance their careers. Child care has the power to enhance community well-being so children grow up to be contributing members of our community. That reduces poverty and fortifies the economy.”
According to the latest assessments, Marin:
- has a population that includes approximately 36,000 children
- has about 6,500 children between the ages of 3 and 5
- has more than 5,000 children who are multilingual learners
- has more than 3,100 children with disabilities
- sees local families spending 61% of their pre-taxed salary on child care (for a family of four with two full-time working adults earning a minimum wage)
- has an early childhood education (ECE) workforce that is collectively approaching retirement age and mostly commuting in from outside Marin to work
- has an ECE workforce that mostly earns less than the local self-sufficient wage of $37.59 per hour for a family of four and cannot afford to live close to ECE facilities.
Statewide, only 48% of working families are able to find a licensed ECE space for their child. There is an 83% unmet need for infant and toddler care.
The County of Marin is connected to the work via the Marin Countywide Plan, which has a section addressing child care, and because the Child Care Commission is an advisory board to the Board of Supervisors. This Strategic Plan builds upon other countywide initiatives such as the Marin County Early Learning Roadmap, presented to the Board of Supervisors in April 2024.
Business leaders are encouraged to attend Marin Child Care Commission general meetings or at the Marin County Office of Education. Additionally, First 5 Marin is partnering with the North Bay Leadership Council to host a free forum called “Child Care Means Business” on Friday, January 31, from 8:30 AM to noon. Email Michelle Fadelli at First 5 Marin to register or learn more.
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