My Nonprofit Reviews

Tandem is a creative, justice-focused organization that uses the sharing of books between adults and young children to promote early literacy, early math literacy, values and emotional development, discussion of race and equity, and, above all, promotes the value of joy in these interactions. Tandem is about building the knowledge and skills of parents, teachers, caregivers and community members in how to engage children with books as a way to help children develop and be kindergarten-ready by the time they are 5. Tandem's curated library of books is truly a treasure, and includes many works by local authors. I love the energy and the fantastic books I have been introduced to which my grandkids love. Everyone should check out what Tandem has to offer.

I've served on the board of Tandem for 5 years, 3 of them as chair of the board. Tandem continues to inspire me as the staff do critical work to empower families and caregivers of young children to use books as a catalyst for early brain development and building literacy and early math skills. COVID-19 has brought out even more innovation and creativity in the staff as they move to a virtual environment and figure out new ways to reach and support families. The work of Tandem is to engage at the earliest stages of a child's development to increase the chances that children arrive at kindergarten ready to learn and be successful. It is urgently-needed social justice work and this team of professionals is top notch.

Tandem is an organization that works with heart and creativity to empower families to support their young childrens' development using that age-old favorite--books!--as a catalyst and starting point for kids and their adult friends to cuddle up, tell stories, talk about pictures and words and life experiences....all of which build healthy brains in kids and set them up for success in school and life. Tandem's staff are experts in how to do this in all kinds of cultural and community settings. Now 10 years old, Tandem is entering our second decade with the leadership of our new ED, Dr. Savitha Moorthy, who brings a wealth of experience gained through research, on-the-ground community programming, and as the mom of a 3 year old. She brings expertise in STEM programming for early learners so we are excited to see how Tandem builds upon our core activities to reach more families and stretch us all in new directions.

Tandem is innovative and responsive to the community in its focus on improving early literacy --it has identified that by sparking joy in reading in kids and their families we can also help to close the achievement gap. Social justice and joyfulness are not often expressed as synergistic outcomes. One example of the way Tandem listens to the community is in the development of the new Literacy Champions program--which trains community members to work with their own peers to promote early literacy and spread the word about its importance in early brain development. Empowering for the Champions and effective spread of how to help children learn through reading.

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