Community Action Marin

Children and family services: Community Action Marin has provided high-quality early childhood education to the families of Marin for over 30 years. We are the largest provider of subsidized childcare in the county, serving families of low income from Marin city to novato, san rafael to west Marin. 25% of families with children under 18 in Marin county have low enough income to qualify for subsidized childcare and we ensure that children from infancy to school-age do well by giving them a safe, caring, home-away-from-home to have fun, learn, and explore, setting them up for school and life success.

Head start & early head start we are the county's head start agency, operating this federally-funded program designed to ensure that children ages 0-5 from income-eligible families get high-quality childhood education and support with health, nutrition, social services, and family development. We ensure family well-being, positive parent child relationships, and nurture parent connections to peers and Community, helping families to be successful, life-long learners and contributing members of the Community.

Safety net services & emergency family needs: Community Action Marin offers one-time emergency support for clients who need help with rent or mortgage payments, rental deposits and, in limited cases, emergency car repairs, durable medical equipment, or other essential needs. Our safety net services help to keep people out of crisis. This service is for families with children living in the home, veterans, victims of domestic violence, seniors, or disabled adults.

Central kitchen: the agency's central kitchen prepares daily breakfast, lunch, and snack for almost 1,000 children across all of our free and affordable childcare programs. We use fresh ingredients grown in our production farm and school gardens as programs help educate children about healthy eating and active living. The kitchen also provides a vital space for select local business owners and entrepreneurs to operate and grow small food service businesses.

Economic justice: our agency promotes prosperity and hope through a powerful set of coaching and workforce development programs. Bilingual and bicultural coaches partner with clients for household budgeting, rebuilding credit, managing debt, navigating housing, or getting trained for a new career, helping people to put dreams within reach. Staff and volunteers also provided over 600 people with free tax assistance, returning over $1m to Community.

Energy and housing programs: Community Action Marin is the local administrator of the federally-funded low-income home energy assistance program (liheap). Our energy program also acts as a conduit to other energy assistance and residential conservation programs. Reaching over 800 households each year, our low-income energy assistance program ensures that families get assistance with utility payments, wood and propane home energy costs. We also provide weatherization services so that low-income households have access to free services that will make their homes more comfortable and energy efficient.

Mental health services: the agency's mental health services include outreach, peer education and training, and peer-led support. We are committed to teaching, empowering, and advocating for our clients to recover in Community and the agency operates the first large-scale mental health program in California run for and by mental health clients. Our family partners provide support and mentorship to youth and adults navigating the mental health system with a loved one.