The Build Up Story

Child playing outside of san mateo county day care facility

A Call to Action

In 2017, the Center for Early Learning at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) convened a Task Force to address San Mateo County’s growing child care crisis. The Task Force, commissioned by First 5 San Mateo County and the San Mateo County Office of Education, identified a need for a coordinated, cross-agency effort to preserve, improve, and expand child care facilities.

child sitting outdoors at child care facility

Launch of Build Up SMC

In response, Build Up San Mateo County (Build Up SMC) was launched as a collaborative initiative in 2018 and housed within the Child Care Coordinating Council (4C’s) of San Mateo County. A year later the Build Up SMC Capital Fund was established with initial funding from Gilead Sciences and SVCF and has since awarded over $1 million for child care facility upgrades and expansions.

playground climb wall and slide at day care facility

Scaling the Model

The model worked. Stakeholders from across California noticed and recognized the need for a unified voice and organizing power for early care facilities and providers at the state level. Inspired by Build Up SMC’s approach, Build Up CA launched in 2020 to align local efforts, overcome policy barriers, and grow child care infrastructure projects across the state.

two children playing with blocks at day care facility

Partnering for Impact

Build Up SMC continues to partner with providers, developers, legislators, and leaders to expand high-quality child care. We support family child care homes, centers, schools, employers, and faith-based groups with resources, technical assistance, funding, and advocacy.

Build Up SMC has been a key partner in over 60 child care developments helping create nearly 2,300 child care spots—mainly in historically-marginalized, low-income communities—with over 1,500 more in progress (as of December 2024).

Community collaboration makes it possible.