Our Values - Tandem

We take responsibility for developing and maintaining the highest quality programming for children, families, educators, and our employees.

We are committed to uncovering and dismantling white supremacy culture, racism, and discrimination within our organization and throughout our community. Tandem stands in solidarity with Black communities and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

We affirm that joy is a basic human right and that experiencing joy is an act of resistance against oppression.
We know joy is essential to children’s healthy development because it provides a neurological antidote to fear and anxiety, encouraging a love of learning and increasing confidence and motivation.
We incorporate play, song, and movement in our programming because it helps to buoy families through difficult situations, builds resilience, and strengthens relationships.
We celebrate the inherent strengths, goodness, dreams, and successes that flourish in our communities.

We work to decolonize early childhood education by shifting from Eurocentric teaching practices, amplifying Black and Brown voices, and illuminating diverse learning styles.
We approach “school readiness” with the understanding that school systems must be ready for diverse children as much as children must be ready for school.
We tailor our programs to the communities we serve by making them easily accessible and culturally relevant.
We remove barriers to employment created by systemic oppression by structuring our budget to fairly compensate employees, interns, and program ambassadors.
We advocate for policy change to interrupt systemic racial and economic exclusion in the communities we serve.
We seek out equity-minded funders with explicit policies aimed at dismantling systemic inequality.

We engage diverse learners and audiences through a culturally responsive curriculum designed for multiple learning styles and languages.
We intentionally use gender-neutral language in organizational communications and programming.
We actively source and maintain a book collection that reflects families’ home languages and cultures in the communities we serve. We create book recommendation lists that focus on race, gender identity, and other markers of diversity.
We uncover and dismantle white supremacy culture, racism, and discrimination within our organization and throughout our community by providing forums for reflection and training.
We ensure greater representation of historically marginalized communities at all levels of staff and board through intentional hiring and recruiting practices and leadership opportunities.

We take responsibility for developing and maintaining the highest quality programming for children, families, educators, and our employees.
We recognize the expertise that families and communities hold and develop our programs, policies, and curriculum accordingly.
We reflect on our professional practices with the goal of continuous improvement, incorporating community feedback, data, and research.
We are transparent in our communication with our community, our partners, our board, and our staff.
We distribute brand new books that are selected according to rigorous criteria aligned with our values.

We model open communication regarding work/life balance and work with employees at all levels of the organization to customize work schedules accordingly.
We provide generous vacation time, paid sick days, and a paid leave option for employees that offers parental leave, medical leave, and family leave.
We create opportunities for wellness and personal growth and encourage employees to take advantage of them.
As a family-centered organization, we recognize our employees as whole human beings, as well as family and community members.

Get information on free Tandem workshops, virtual and in-person family events, storytime videos, free activity guides and much more.

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