In the fall of 2024, Jared Huffman, U.S. representative for California’s 2nd Congressional District, received approval for a federal grant that would send 1.5 million dollars to the Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center (FSACC); then the Trump Administration cancelled the funding. After requesting reapproval, the FSACC will now receive a little over half of the original sum: a total of 850,000 in federal dollars, which they plan to put towards critical infrastructure projects on their 75-year-old campus, including fire safety improvements, seismic retrofitting, and features that will ensure its buildings meet the Americans with Disabilities Act standards. 

The grant falls under California’s Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) bill, which allocates 3.1 million dollars of the federal government’s budget towards infrastructure improvements across Marin County. These funds will primarily prioritize infrastructural safety, childcare, and housing support in the area. 

After working with architects and contracting companies over the last year, the FSACC, having secured the grant, hopes to begin construction this April. The organization will first upgrade its fire sprinkler system and make infrastructural improvements to its sewer and electrical systems, then move on to renovating its parking lot and lower classroom wing. Still, these developments are only one piece of the Center’s larger goals for its Deer Park campus.

Ultimately, the FSACC hopes to raise funds surpassing the 850,000-dollar grant to preserve its buildings for another 50 years of service. With this objective in mind, the organization will soft launch a capital campaign in April as well, with the official hard launch following in the months after. 

“It’s estimated that the entire project will be close to 8.3 million [dollars]. We understand within the capital campaign that [these funds] are going to take months and years to secure, so that’s why we’re doing it in phases. One, to support getting the funds that are necessary over time, and two, to make sure our main goal with the construction and the remodeling is that we [don’t] have a gap in providing services,” said Tania Howard-Gibbon, the head teacher in the FSACC’s after-school classroom and an alumna of the program. “Our goal is not to close our doors during this time.”

According to its website, the FSACC offers “Quality care and education for 100+ children, 400+ meals, and transportation for 65 school age children from local school sites to the Center” every day. The FSACC also offers support to students and families outside the regular school year. Senior Lillian Contreras, whose younger sister has been part of the program for roughly five years, worked at the Center last summer and found a meaningful space in its community.

“You get to know a lot of kids, people that you would probably never talk to, and you build really good connections with them… You’re always joking around, playing around, always active, and it’s really entertaining,” Lillian said. “Sometimes you start looking at [the FSACC], and you’re like, ‘What if I’m just there full-time?’”

At the FSACC, nearly half of the staff members are alumni, Schweninger explained. Recent program graduates now in high school, or those with family members involved, like Lillian, frequently return to volunteer over the summer so they can give new students the same experience they had. This alumni engagement is a reflection of the impact the FSACC has had on those it supports.

In addition to serving as a children’s center, the FSACC also puts special emphasis on creating a community for its students’ families and caretakers. Of the more than 6,000 Marin children the Center has supported since its founding, 99 percent have come from low-income backgrounds. Given this, FSACC Program Director Erik Schweninger explains why the organization focuses on the individuals connected to its students, not just the children themselves.

“Our goal is to keep families working. So in order to have your child here, you have to qualify in two ways: one, you have to be income eligible, and [two,] you also have to show proof of need. So families have to be either working full time or going to school or some combination,” Schweninger said. “[A] main idea that our center was based on is, in order for a child to thrive, the family needs to thrive, [so we’re] doing everything we can to keep families working, and to support families.” 

The federal grant, while just one piece of the puzzle, will serve as critical fuel for the FSACC as it progresses towards making the necessary changes to its aging campus. In February of 2024, the organization was facing eviction after the Ross Valley School District (RVSD) marked its buildings as unfit to host a childcare facility. Later, in March of that same year, the RVSD agreed to sell the property to the Seiderman Legacy Children’s Fund, a local nonprofit, settling the matter.

With this tumult still fresh in the minds of FSACC administrators, these 850,000 dollars and the possible revenue from the capital campaign feel, for some, like a step forward. Rather than concerning themselves with the past, FSACC leaders like Howard-Gibbon have begun looking to the future, eager to continue the organization’s work for decades to come.

“It feels very hopeful that we can make this our forever home and take care of it in the way that it needs to [be cared for], to be able to be safe and support all families… I just feel like this is great momentum. Again, this money isn’t directly going to anything about our programs; it’s all for the infrastructure, but obviously, that plays a huge role in serving our families,” Howard-Gibbon said.

The renovations and funding the FSACC receives will help ensure its continuity while preserving its tradition of reconnecting and giving back to the community. With the grant and capital campaign contributions, the Center’s worries about continuing its mission of “supporting a diverse population of families and community” will ease. Moreover, in combating the intensifying effects of climate change by modernizing its facilities, the FSACC will remain able to uphold its high standards of care, not just in terms of the education it provides, but also in the environment in which it does so. 

“The school was built in 1950; [it’s] 75 years old, and there’s a lot of deferred maintenance that needs to be done. So, the capital campaign, the money, and the work that we’re putting into the center over the next year or two really have a lot to do with just making sure that our home is safe and that we’re able to be here for another 50 years,” Schweninger said. “We have served hundreds and hundreds of families over the years, and we want to be able to continue to do that.”