Celebrating all the work Tandem board, staff, partners, supporters, and volunteers have accomplished in 2015! You won’t want to miss this unique party at Playland.

Join us for a night of child-like fun as we celebrate our first year as Tandem!

While we’ve been providing services to children and families in the Bay Area since 2003, in August 2015 we rebranded to Tandem, Partners in Early Learning. Tom Meshishnek, Finance Director, sees this rebranding as a fortification to the services we provide, “the entire Tandem staff…redesign[ed] a powerful new organization, which can turbo-charge reading families!” Grants Coordinator and Development Associate Elisa Bond says, “I’m super-excited to celebrate our success of the past year!”

That’s just what Tandem will be doing at its “first birthday party” on September 15^th at Playland Not-At-The-Beach. This family-friendly event will appeal to those with kids and to those who are kids-at-heart— anyone who loves a party! “I think what makes it fun is that you can party like a kid and like an adult,” comments Molly Wertz, Executive Director. This event is open to friends of Tandem aged three to 103, but please keep in mind that adult beverages will be served throughout the event.

Each ticket purchase includes savory snacks, sweet treats, one drink ticket, and free play on all games during the event.

Tandem Development Manager Julie Barton exclaimed, “This is absolutely my kind of party. Play pinball, eat cake, AND enjoy adult beverages? Perfection.” Party-goers may purchase one ticket for $30, or buy two tickets for $50. Each ticket purchase includes one drink ticket, free play on all of Playland’s games, and one raffle ticket. All proceeds will benefit Tandem’s early learning and literacy programming throughout San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties. Ticket purchases ensure that Tandem continues to provide high-quality, multilingual books to families that need them most. Tandem’s goal for this unique event is to raise $2,000 towards books for Bay Area families.

For more information about this event and to purchase tickets or make a donation, please visit bit.ly/tandemfirstbirthday.

WHEN: September 15^th, 2016, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
WHERE: Playland Not-At-The-Beach, 10979 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA
WHO: Tandem, Partners in Early Learning works with families, educators, and communities to surround young children with interactive learning experiences that spark joy and close the opportunity gap. At Tandem, we believe that family engagement in early learning is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty and building brighter futures for children. Skill development and family engagement strategies are effective on their own, but when approached together and with strong partnerships in the community, the results can be greater and more lasting.
WHY: The vocabulary that a child has by the age of 4 is one of the best predictors of how they will do in school, and whether they will be able to read independently in third grade. The solution is to make sure that every adult who has interaction with a child has the tools, resources, and confidence to engage with their child in the ways that build that her confidence, language and literacy skills and motivation to learn.