More than morning drop-off: Celebrating the teachers who come first

My son attends Manitas, a Spanish immersion childcare and preschool here in San Mateo, and those teachers are remarkable. Every morning, they teach children to love learning in two languages at once, weaving in the basics of sign language as they go. They run a mixed-age classroom that works like a family of learners, where older children mentor younger ones, and every child finds a role model just a few feet away. They serve culturally rich, nutritious meals. They take kids outside. They do all of it with the kind of patient, whole-hearted presence that early childhood requires and rarely rewards with fanfare.

The team at Manitas deserves to be celebrated out loud. They are exceptional.

So are the teachers at Peninsula Family Service, where I have the privilege of working, which has operated early learning centers across San Mateo County since 1972. Across nine centers serving nearly 500 children from birth to age 5, PFS educators bring bilingual expertise, hands-on learning and a commitment to working families who depend on reliable, high-quality care. Many families they serve face real hardship, yet those teachers still show up every day, building classrooms that are safe, warm and joyful.

The brain reaches roughly 90% of its adult size by age 5. The neural pathways built in those early years shape language, emotional regulation, executive functioning, social connection and the capacity to learn that follows a child through kindergarten, third grade and beyond. Preschool teachers are not just getting kids ready for school. They are helping build the architecture of a human being.

San Mateo County has recognized this with real investment. Through Measure K, the voter-approved half-cent local sales tax, the county funds the Big Lift, a collective impact initiative led by the County of San Mateo, the San Mateo County Office of Education, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and county libraries. It serves seven school districts with a focus on closing the literacy gap for low-income children and children of color, and currently supports early literacy programs for 7,400 children countywide. An independent evaluation found that Big Lift preschoolers were 17 percentage points more likely to be kindergarten-ready than peers who did not attend Big Lift.

Which is why the vehicle license fee fight deserves attention, even in a piece about teachers.

In 2004, counties and cities gave up their VLF revenue in exchange for a guaranteed state replacement stream. Fifty-five of California’s 58 counties receive every dollar they are owed, every year. San Mateo County is one of only three counties that do not, due to a technical flaw in how local school districts are funded. The county and its 20 cities are currently owed more than $157 million, which the state is legally required to provide, according to smcfairfunding.org. That shortfall exceeds the county’s combined funding for homelessness support, affordable housing, the Big Lift and foster youth programs. These are not peripheral programs. They are the scaffolding that supports our most vulnerable children and the educators who serve them.

The governor has directed the Department of Finance to work with the county on a solution, and the State Assembly Budget Subcommittee has heard the request. There is reason for hope. Reaching out to Gov. Newsom, Assemblymember Diane Papan, or state senators Josh Becker and Scott Wiener in support of a permanent fix remains a meaningful step.

On Teacher Appreciation Day, the story belongs to them.

To the educators at Manitas who greet children each morning with warmth and two languages ready: you are seen. To the educators at Peninsula Family Service, who have spent five decades building school readiness across this Peninsula: you are seen. To every bilingual specialist, infant-toddler provider, and family childcare educator working long days in a high-cost community for wages that do not begin to reflect your expertise or your impact: you are seen.

You are not a stopgap between home and real school. You are the first teachers, the ones who introduce language, trust and curiosity before any report card exists to measure them.

We are grateful, estamos agradecidos, and working to make sure this community’s investments finally match what you give.

Dr. Charles Hansen is a nonprofit executive leader and resident of San Mateo.