This blog post takes a closer look at Marin County’s recent decision to fund renovations and safety upgrades at the Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center. It’s part of a bigger effort to boost affordable, high-quality childcare in towns from Fairfax and San Anselmo to Ross and San Rafael.
We’ll break down the funding, the project’s scope, and what it could mean for families across Marin County’s communities. That includes Fairfax, San Anselmo, Ross, Larkspur, Mill Valley, and Sausalito.
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Marin County’s financial backing for Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center
The Marin County Board of Supervisors approved a $500,000 allocation to the Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center for safety upgrades and renovations. They passed this as a consent calendar item, so there wasn’t any discussion on the record.
Executive Director Heidi Tomsky called the move an important investment in local families and community services. The center, a state-subsidized early-childhood provider in the Fairfax-San Anselmo corridor, serves about 110 children each year.
That’s roughly 12% of Marin’s total state-subsidized childcare slots. Across Marin, families are feeling the pinch when it comes to childcare.
In Fairfax and San Anselmo, as well as Ross, Mill Valley, and Tiburon, the center’s funding arrives at a time when Marin has the second-highest childcare costs in California. Infant care averages about $2,600 per month, while preschool care comes in at about $2,315 per month.
The county’s support for the Fairfax-San Anselmo project is part of a larger fundraising effort that’s drawn in several major contributions from the North Bay. There’s a backstory here in Ross Valley and beyond.
The center nearly closed in 2022 after the Ross Valley School District threatened eviction over safety concerns. That scare pushed donors and local officials to step up.
Community fundraising helped the organization secure its building. Today, the group has raised about $3.85 million toward the $8.8 million total project cost.
In addition to the county money, the center has a $2.5 million loan from the Marin Community Foundation. There’s also an $850,000 federal earmark secured by Rep. Jared Huffman.
Planned work, spread over three phases, includes:
- ADA ramps and other accessibility upgrades
- Retaining walls and site improvements
- Fire alarms and sprinklers, plus roofing and bathrooms
- Electrical upgrades, improved lighting
- Parking improvements to ease access for families in Corte Madera, San Rafael and Sausalito
Construction hasn’t started yet. The project’s waiting on a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental study tied to the federal funds.
Meanwhile, Fairfax-San Anselmo is quietly continuing its fundraising push. They’re aiming to close about $5 million in remaining costs as they move toward the next permitting steps in Larkspur and Novato.
A closer look at Marin’s childcare landscape
Across towns from Fairfax to Greenbrae and Tiburon, families depend on centers like Fairfax-San Anselmo to balance work and caregiving. The center’s enrollment numbers show just how tight Marin’s childcare ecosystem feels right now.
With the county’s high cost of living, even subsidized care can barely keep up with family budgets in places like San Rafael and Mill Valley. To qualify for subsidized care in Marin, a family of four must earn less than $96,300 per year.
The enrollment data says a lot: about 51% of enrolled children are from single-parent households, and roughly 75% are nonwhite. These numbers reflect both the diversity and the economic realities of Marin’s communities, from commuter towns like Larkspur and Corte Madera to the hillside neighborhoods of Sausalito and Tiburon.
What comes next for Fairfax-San Anselmo and Marin families
The county’s $500,000 infusion nudges the center closer to its goal. Still, there’s a lot left to tackle, and everything depends on federal approvals and NEPA clearance.
Local leaders in Fairfax, San Anselmo, and nearby towns are paying close attention. Everyone’s watching the environmental review and the slow, sometimes frustrating, fundraising efforts in Marin City, Sausalito, and County Service Area districts.
Families who rely on subsidized care in San Rafael, Novato, and the surrounding towns feel the impact. The Fairfax-San Anselmo project keeps reminding folks that public funds, private philanthropy, and federal dollars really have to work together if we want high-quality childcare to stick around.
Here is the source article for this story: Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center gets $500K from county
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