Climate Resiliency Initiative
Build Up SMC is calling attention to the importance of climate resiliency in early care and learning facilities and driving action to protect our educators and youngest learners.
Climate Risk in Early Childhood
Young children are highly vulnerable to climate change, yet early care and learning sites are often overlooked in resilience planning. In San Mateo County, this leaves both providers and the children they care for at risk.
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Climate change is already affecting our communities, and young children are among the most vulnerable. They are the least responsible for climate change but will live with its impacts the longest. Extreme heat, wildfires, and poor air quality pose serious health risks, while most child care facilities lack the resources to adapt. Addressing these challenges isn’t just about sustainability—it’s about equity, public health, and ensuring safe early learning environments for all children. Time outdoors is vital for young children’s mental and physical health, boosting creativity, focus, and motor skills while fostering exploration and play. Regular access to green spaces improves language, problem-solving, and reduces obesity, attention disorders, and depression. Yet, many preschoolers lack sufficient outdoor time, making climate-resilient outdoor spaces even more critical for their development and well-being.
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Children are more susceptible to climate-related health risks due to their developing immune systems and higher respiratory rates:
Extreme heat and poor air quality are worsening, with urban areas up to 7°F hotter and childhood asthma costing the U.S. $80 billion annually.
40% of small businesses, including child care providers, do not reopen after climate disasters like wild fires, disrupting families’ access to care.
Environmental health costs in California total $254 million annually, with long effects exceeding $10 billion. Urban heat islands like Ravenswood, East Palo Alto, and North Fair Oaks often face the worst impacts.
Young children are also more vulnerable to pre-term birth, heatstroke, and asthma, with displacement from climate disasters increasing risks of trauma and attachment disorders.
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Most child care facilities operate on less than 1% margins, meaning they lack funds for climate resilience upgrades. Yet, outside the home, young children spend the most time in these settings—making it critical to ensure safe, climate-ready environments.
Build Up for San Mateo County is leading the charge by:
Creating Climate-Resilient Child Care Facilities: Expanding tree canopy coverage, adding shaded outdoor spaces, and upgrading air filtration to protect children from extreme heat and pollution.
Strengthening Preparedness & Policy: Equipping child care providers with emergency plans, cooling stations, and backup power while ensuring child care is included in local climate action policies and funding initiatives.
Building Multi-Sector Partnerships: Collaborating with environmental groups, health agencies, businesses, and policymakers to drive sustainable, climate-resilient solutions for child care.
Build Up SMC is addressing this gap by raising awareness about climate risk in early childhood and integrating climate solutions into child care facilities.
Multi-Sector Collaboration
Climate resilience in child care requires collaboration across multiple sectors. Build Up SMC is working with:
Government and Policy Leaders to partner with agencies like the San Mateo County Sustainability Department to advocate for child care-friendly climate policies and funding.
Environmental and Public Health Organizations like Canopy and Climate Resilient Communities to implement green infrastructure, improve air quality, and enhance disaster preparedness.
Businesses and Philanthropic Partners like the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to invest in climate-resilient child care solutions and long-term infrastructure support.
Child Care Networks and Initiatives like First 5, 4C’s, the Child Care Partnership Council, the San Mateo County Office of Education, the Child Care Blueprint, Build Up California, and the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) to integrate climate resilience into early learning policies and practices.
By embedding climate resilience into early childhood infrastructure, we can protect children, support families, and build stronger communities for the future.
