My Nonprofit Reviews

Tandem, Partners in Early Learning, is the definition of quality: a truly great resource for children, families and educators! Tandem places high-quality children's books in children's hands, making sure that all children have access to age-appropriate literature that reflects a broad range of cultures. Tandem affords the families that my school serves the opportunity to share quality books with their children at no cost. This helps our families tremendously because the majority of families we serve struggle financially.Even trips to the library can be challenging for a working family that may not have the classic 9-5, M-F job or personal transportation. Our school is also a non-profit and relies on contracts with multiple agencies and an annual fundraiser to keep us afloat. The governors budget effects us each year and some years we've barely survived (2008!). We could never afford the materials and variety of books to create our own school-to-home library but Tandem has given us this beautiful opportunity to enrich our families lives by providing them with meaningful, beautiful, developmentally-appropriate literature and expose them to ideas and cultures they may not have otherwise experienced.

We also benefit from Tandem's workshops that they present to families and educators. These workshops are so valuable because experts, such as our literacy specialist, Laura Rodriguez , share applicable information and activities regarding brain development, language and literacy development, social and emotional development and more. Having someone as fun and upbeat as Laura is wonderful because she gives information to adults in a fun, meaningful way. These workshops back-up what educators aim to teach families and it helps to have an outside expert deliver the information in a different, more hands-on way. Families leave with new skills and information and the feeling that they can help their child succeed in the best ways possible.
All our love and gratitude to Tandem and every agency and person who supports them!

I LOVE Tandem Partners in Early Learning and so does our staff, the families we serve and most of all, the children. Children and families look forward to taking home the high-quality children's books each week. They feel so proud to carry their green book bags to and from school! Tandem exposes adults and children to a large variety of children's books that are developmentally-appropriate and reflect the lives and communities of our families. Tandem also has helpful resources and information regarding language and literacy development and how to support children with these skills. Most of all, Tandem fosters a love for reading in adults and children alike!

I work as an Education Coordinator for a non profit early childhood center, Martinez Early Childhood Center, Inc. My director first heard about a program called Raising A Reader through First Five of Contra Costa County. My director passed on the information to me and I decided to take part. After a few months, Raising a Reader was re-branded as Tandem. I love Tandem! I love the high-quality, beautiful books that reflect children's lives- the children's lives at my school and in my community. I love how happy the families are to receive these books and seeing how thrilled the adults are when they recognize one of their favorite stories. The children look forward to taking home their green bags every week and talk endlessly about the books they've read. It's a wonderful program. Last year, the families completed surveys about Tandem. Every family not only raved about the program but the majority of families replied that they read more than ever to their children because of the program. The population we serve are low income, hard working families. They either work, attend school or both to qualify for our program. These families do not always have the time or resources to go to the library or buy books. Tandem makes it very convenient and the children also get experience with taking care of borrowed items and following a schedule- experiences that will help them in elementary school and beyond. But behind the wonderful books and materials are the people. We love Laura, our literacy specialist. She's such a gem. We just had a, "back-to-school-night" family meeting and Laura spoke about the Tandem program and developing literacy skills in children. She was amazing. My director wishes Laura could do all of our family meetings! Laura comes in to our program to conduct 'Read A Louds' for the children. The children look forward to this and the teachers learn a lot of tips and ideas. Have you ever heard Laura read a story? I highly recommend it :) She's not only a talented story teller but she is also bilingual. A huge plus because a large majority of our children speak Spanish. We really love the Tandem program here at M.E.C.C. I know I speak for our families as well when I say that I hope this program remains in our community for years to come! I hope in fifty years from now, when someone sees a child with a green bag, they'll know it's a Tandem bag and that child is developing a love for reading. Thank you Tandem!! And thank you, Laura!