Tandem by the Numbers
2017-2018 Annual Report
Children are born ready to learn, and they deserve to enter school ready to succeed.
At Tandem®, we engage the whole community to ensure all families have the resources, skills, and confidence they need to support their children’s kindergarten readiness.
Easily navigate through this report to learn about our program results, our program reach, learn more about our approach, or find our financial information and sources of revenue for the 2017-2018 program year.
Program Results
Impact of Tandem’s Early Learning Everywhere Workshops
In California, one-third of preschool-aged children are not enrolled in a formal preschool.
Low-income families especially rely on family and neighbor care who may have little or no formal child development education. To ensure all children have equal access to high-quality early learning opportunities, Tandem partners with professionals who work with families and their children. Through our train-the-trainer model, Tandem ensures that all communities are ready to support children’s future success.
93%
of professionals said they learned about family engagement strategies and talking to families with a strengths-based approach.
88%
learned new information about the link between sharing stories and children’s brain development.
96%
were satisfied with the workshop they attended.
98%
of respondents agree that Tandem’s presentation was clear and easy to understand, and that the presenter did a good job of explaining the information.
Results from January 2017-July 2018 Early Learning Everywhere post-workshop surveys.
Percentages represent professionals participating in the Tandem StoryCycles® program who completed the survey.
Calculations do not include skipped questions.
Three-Year StoryCycles® Program Analysis
The StoryCycles® program is founded on decades of research that shows that sharing picture books benefits children’s language development and early literacy skills. More recent publications also confirm what families and educators already know: book-sharing supports critical thinking and socio-emotional skill development.
It all starts with access to high quality books. Nationally, 43% of American families lack the income to cover basic needs like food, rent, transportation, and childcare. How can families buy books or take the bus to visit the library when they are barely making ends meet? Numerous studies have shown that access to books and the number of books at home are strong indicators of a love of reading and later academic success.
Retrospective surveys across three years, 5,305 families, and 439 educators confirm that…
48%
of families surveyed report that not having access to books is their biggest challenge to sharing books with their young children.
30%
of families has less than 10 books at home prior to participating in the StoryCycles® program. Only 28% of families had more than 30 books at home.
100%
of Tandem’s programs serve low-income communities. Our school-to-home book-sharing program prepares our youngest learners for kindergarten, strategically serving those who need it most.
Families report an increase in children’s early literacy activities…
- Asks to share books 72.17%
- Chooses books 71.9%
- Holds books 76.98%
- Looks at books 76.18%
- Reads to self 72.48%
- Talks more 42.42%
Families participating in the StoryCycles® program report significant increases in their children’s engagement with books and other early literacy activities, like talking more with their parents and caregivers, for example.
More than 1 in 6 StoryCycles participants increased how frequently they share books with their children, and 84% of StoryCycles families are reading for 15 minutes or more every time they sit down to read with their children.
Educators report increased use of reading strategies in the classroom…
- Encourage families to read 81.35%
- Use movement, fun voices, and sing songs 74.32%
- Ask more questions during reading time 68.65%
- Select titles to build k-readiness skills 55.14%
- Other 10.81%
Educators report an increase in using dialogic and interactive reading strategies in the classroom as well as a dramatic increase in connecting with families and encouraging them to read for at least 15 minutes every day.
Half of all educators increased the amount of time they spent on language and literacy activities because of the StoryCycles® program.
StoryCycles changes beliefs and behaviors…
95%
of families felt more connected to their child, to their child’s school, their child’s teachers, and to public libraries.
97%
of StoryCycles educators report they are comfortable meeting the language and literacy needs of their students, and 100% report they are comfortable talking to families about language and literacy.
Results from 2016-2018 end-of-year StoryCycles family and educator surveys and Salesforce data.
Percentages represent families and educators participating in the Tandem StoryCycles® program who
completed the survey. Calculations do not include skipped questions.
Program Reach
45,000
Total Books in Circulation
14,835
Total Children and Families Served
4,453
Total Parents Trained
3,802
Total StoryCycles Educators Trained
757
Total Professionals Trained
How it Works
Tandem’s work addresses the historic patterns of racial and economic exclusion that have led to inequities in school readiness. We focus our services to support children of color, those in low income families, English language learners, and children without the benefit of quality preschool.
Tandem brings our expertise to education, social justice, and human service partners working with families who have historically or currently limited access to opportunities for success in education. We focus on families with the youngest children, ensuring the longest trajectory for high-value engagement between children and families. We layer direct family engagement activities with capacity-building support for educators and family service providers to maximize the quality of their own interactions with children and families.
Access
Access to high-quality children’s books and educational materials for families to ensure their children reach school ready to succeed.
Training
Training for families, educators, and family support professionals in early learning topics including bilingualism, building literacy-rich environments, early brain development, and more.
Consultation
Consultation for partner organizations to embed early learning and family engagement strategies, customized trainings, and access to resources in their work.
Financials for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2018
1,783,063
Total Expenditures
Expenses by County
%
San Francisco
%
Alameda
%
Contra Costa
Expenses by Category
%
Program
%
Management & General
%
Fundraising
Sources of Revenue
Foundations – 31%
Government – 43%
Individuals – 12%
Corporate – 8%
Fee for service & Other – 6%
Tandem in Action
