Early Learning Programs

The San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) leads San Mateo County in developing and sustaining collaborative partnerships that support equitable, high-quality education and care for children birth through grade 3 and their families. It manages a variety of projects that offer services and supports to families in San Mateo County with a focus on early care and education for children ages zero to eight years. 

Programs and Services

California State Preschool Program

The California State Preschool Program is a preschool program for children between the ages of three and five years who are from low-income families.

Dual Language Learners

SMCOE provides professional development services for early learning educators and families to promote early learning experiences that lay the foundation for Dual Language Learners' academic and life success.

Early Learning Quality and Inclusion Partnership (EQ+IP)

Through the Early Learning Quality and Inclusion Partnership (EQ+IP), SMCOE partners with other organizations to align regional, statewide, and national efforts to raise the quality of early learning programs in San Mateo County.

Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)

SMCOE and its partners implement a common Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) to enhance the quality of early care and education.

The Big Lift

SMCOE supports districts participating in The Big Lift, a preschool-to-third-grade initiative that aims to boost third-grade reading proficiency through providing high-quality preschool, offering summer learning opportunities, improving school attendance, and engaging families.

The Anne Campbell Center for Children and Families

SMCOE directly provides early intervention and preschool services to children ages birth to five years with identified low incidence and/or multiple disabilities through the Anne Campbell Center for Children and Families. The Center also houses a number of partner programs, including We Play We Learn, Stella Piccolo Preschool, Institute for Human and Social Development, and California Children's Services Medical Therapy Program.