They knew that to create such large-scale change they had to work at the policy level and the community level at the same time. Their goal was to make sure that policy and systems change could be informed by the breadth of knowledge and expertise that exists in local California communities.
The Packard Foundation’s Vice President for Families and Communities Meera Mani and her colleagues Jeff Sunshine and Bernadette Sangalang were immersed in new evidence from brain and developmental science research that showed that the key lever for change was the adults in children’s lives. Research showed that quality interactions between children and the adults who care for them can have a profound impact on children.
“Research and evaluations have shown what works, for how long, and under what conditions. But what’s become clear to me is that we have little ‘know-how’ about making those programs available and affordable to the population at large. How do we create programs that put their arms around more than 200 or 300 kids and do it well?”
— Meera Mani, vice president, Families and Communities, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation in 2016
To that end, Foundation leaders decided to make investments that would focus on improving the quality of these interactions across all of the places where children learn and grow, including in schools. Their goal was to build systems of support that were foundation funded, but locally designed and led.
After much research, the Foundation approached three communities in California about partnership: Oakland, Fresno and a small school district in East San Jose, Franklin-McKinley.
The place-based initiative they designed was called Starting Smart and Strong. Its goal was to develop and test solutions that support parents, caregivers, and educators as they prepare young children to be healthy and ready for school.
