Mid-Year Report–diapers, child care, and rapid relief!

Dear friends,

The Jackie Speier Foundation is halfway through a year of real momentum. As we head into the final weeks of summer, here's a look at the impact we've had on children and families so far.

Off to a Strong Start

Major progress continues on our flagship initiative, the Baby Bonus Program–a three-year pilot supporting low-income families with newborn babies through direct financial assistance and coordinated care resources. One year into the program, recruitment is more than halfway complete, and Stanford’s Office of Child Health Equity is evaluating Year 1 findings ahead of a preliminary report. 

Every Box Counts

Did you know low-income families spend an average of nearly 14% of their post-tax income on diapers alone? That’s not a minor expense–it’s rent money, grocery money, the difference between a stable month and a scramble. To help ease this burden, the Jackie Speier Foundation is hosting our second student-led Diaper Drive in partnership with Sequoia High School on Saturday, September 19th from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. A single box of diapers can decide whether a child gets to daycare or a parent gets to the grocery store. Learn how you can get involved here.

Big Wins for Child Care

In San Mateo County, child care costs an average of $36,000 annually for one infant. Waitlists can stretch on for years, and even at those prices, many providers struggle to stay afloat. Everyone is straining under the same broken model. That’s why, in 2025, the Jackie Speier Foundation commissioned a report that uncovered the full scope of this crisis and pointed toward real solutions. Read our report here. Driven by those findings, on June 9th, the Board of Supervisors approved a $10,000,000 Child Care Initiative to fund two innovative pilot programs. 

The first is SMC Child Care Hub–a one-stop navigation portal connecting families with providers, subsidy applications, and care management tools. The second is SMC Tri-Share–the first of its kind in California. Tri-Share is designed to support working families by splitting the cost of care between employers, employees, and the County. In Michigan, where Tri-Share began, over 70% of participating employers report that Tri-Share improved employee retention. The math is simple: in a County losing an estimated $775 million a year to lost productivity, child care is not charity–it's economic infrastructure.

Local Dollar, Local Impact

Early this summer, the Jackie Speier Foundation established Love Local, a fundraising initiative dedicated to putting local resources directly into local hands. Our kickoff event raised roughly $250,000, thanks to our generous donors. We are thrilled that over $50,000 of those funds will go directly to helping families through our newest initiative: the Immediate Response Program. If you couldn’t make it, it’s not too late to contribute. Learn how to donate here!

Strengthening the Safety Net

For too many families, it doesn’t take much to fall through the cracks. A blown tire. A surprise ER bill. One bad week can easily become homelessness, food insecurity, or unemployment. That’s why the Jackie Speier Foundation is launching the Immediate Response Program, funded through Jackie’s Thrift Closet and donor support. The program will provide rapid emergency assistance for urgent needs such as transportation, food, and short-term financial crises before temporary setbacks become lasting ones. Disbursements will begin this fall.

It’s already been a busy year for the Jackie Speier Foundation. But with 27,000 children in San Mateo County still growing up in poverty, the work has only begun. Help us keep this commitment: 2026 is the year that San Mateo County invests in itself. Support a family, and we invest in our workforce. Support a child, and we build our future. 

All the best,

Sheryl Young, Executive Director

Carla Boragno, Advisory Board Chair