Reports and Findings
Every initiative we launch starts with a question: what does the evidence say families actually need? Our commissioned reports dig into the realities of poverty in San Mateo County, from brain development in infancy to the true cost of child care, and the findings shape where we put our resources and our advocacy. Time and again, our research has moved beyond the page — sparking new programs, shaping conversations, and rallying our community around solutions grounded in evidence.
San Mateo County's Quarter Century Crisis:
The Vanishing Dream of Affordable Child Care And A System At Its Breaking Point
Our 2025 child care report examines a crisis decades in the making: a severe shortage of child care spaces, skyrocketing costs, and a fragmented system that strains families, providers, and the economy. The report quantifies the toll in San Mateo County at $775 million in lost productivity each year. Child care costs parents an average of $30,000 annually for one infant. Even at those prices, there is a deficit of 9,000 child care spaces, leaving only 69% of the need met for infants and 74% for school-aged children. Our report offers a roadmap toward a more sustainable, accessible system. Findings have already helped shape new pilot programs such as the 2026 SMC Child Care Hub and Tri-Share Program, aimed at expanding access and easing costs for working families. Read more.
Hidden In Plain Sight
Hidden in Plain Sight is our foundational report on child poverty in San Mateo County — one of the wealthiest counties in the nation. Just eight families in the region hold more wealth than the bottom 50% of families combined. Alongside extraordinary wealth, 27,000 children live in poverty and nearly 40% of residents earn too much to qualify for public assistance yet not enough to cover their basic needs. Meanwhile, nearly 90% of local philanthropic giving flows to national and global causes, leaving the needs closest to home chronically under-resourced.The report's title says it all — this crisis has been unfolding in plain view, and it laid the groundwork for our focus on early childhood poverty, directly shaping the design of the Baby Bonus Program. Read more.