The Build Up Story
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.
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.
Scaling the Model
The model worked. Stakeholders from across California noticed and recognized the need for a unified voice and organizing power at the state level for early care facilities and providers. In 2020, Build Up CA launched—inspired by Build Up SMC’s approach and designed to align local efforts, overcome policy barriers, and grow child care infrastructure projects across the state.
Partnering for Impact
Build Up SMC continues to partner with providers, developers, legislators, and community leaders to expand access to high-quality child care. We support family child care homes, centers, school-based and employer-led programs, and faith-based organizations with resources, technical assistance, funding, and advocacy.
Since our founding, Build Up SMC has been a key partner in over 60 child care developments, mostly in historically marginalized and low-income communities—resulting in 2,293 new child care spots, with more than 1,500 additional spaces in progress as of December 2024.
