Who We Are
We believe that raising a child is a team effort. With a strong team supporting them, every child can learn, be well, and thrive.
Parents and caregivers are the most powerful, capable, and important members of a child’s team. However, all too often, parents have to support their child’s wellbeing alone. Our public systems have been set up so that teachers, pediatricians, and others are working in silos. Despite having similar goals, these systems often do not have the capacity, scope, or connection to address a child or family’s complex needs, particularly when those needs are compounded by adversity and other stressful and traumatic experiences.
Because of systemic racism, communities of color are disproportionately affected by these challenges and have the added burden of not being able to afford or access adequate services. The result is that parents, who have the desire and capability to build a better future for their children, must struggle with the challenges of systemic poverty while also supporting their children alone.
OUR SOLUTION
Our comprehensive model brings together all of the adults in a child’s life, including parents, educators, and medical and mental health providers, starting from a very early age. This multidisciplinary approach helps close the achievement gap, ensuring that children and families living in underserved communities receive the support they need to be well, learn, and thrive.
OUR VIsion
Our vision is to build a model that can be effectively implemented in diverse communities and sustained on public funding. Over the long term, we seek to have permanent, large-scale, and transformative impact by influencing the policies and public systems that serve children and families.
Who We Serve
two communities
We currently operate two program sites in East Palo Alto and East Bay, California, which act as our primary centers of direct impact, innovation, and learning.
INFANCY TO early adolescence
Our school program is designed to support a child’s health, academic, and social-emotional development from a very early age through their formative years of growth, from infancy through early adolescence.
high-benefit families
We partner with families who are seeking a new kind of school model, and who may be dealing with adversity, past traumatic experiences, and a reliance on public systems that are difficult to navigate and that have historically perpetuated racism and poverty. Our program also supports children with a wide range of developmental and behavioral needs.
NATIONAL REACH
We work with national and regional partners to test components of our model and reach children and families beyond our direct program sites. These partnerships are an essential piece of our learning and growth strategy.
Our Story
After working as a pediatrician and an educator, Priscilla Chan realized that in both roles she was not able to provide the support that children needed to stay healthy and thrive in the classroom. In 2016, Priscilla teamed up with Meredith Liu, who had worked in K-12 education for more than a decade, to rethink how these two systems could work better together.
They talked to teachers, health professionals, social workers, and people from diverse organizations who worked with children and families. These in-depth conversations validated their hypothesis that health issues and trauma were frequently preventing children from thriving in the classroom, and that the education and health care systems were ill-equipped to respond.
Fueled by knowledge that people within these systems were also hungry for change, Priscilla and Meredith launched The Primary School. The Primary School’s first site opened in 2016, and has grown to serve over 300 families and children in East Palo Alto.
Our Team
We are a diverse team with extensive experience working in early childhood education, K-12 education, family support, and health care. We come to work every day ready to tackle new challenges and make an impact for our students and families. Learn more about our team culture and values >>
Central Organization
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East Bay Site
LEADERSHIP
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Early Family Foundations and Parent Wellness Program
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School
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OPERATIONS AND SUPPORT
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kaiser Permanente Clinical team
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East Palo Alto Site
Site leadership
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school leadership
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early family foundations
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Preschool and Prek Teaching team
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHING TEAM
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Middle school teaching team
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intervention, enrichment, and support
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Community, operations, and health integration
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Parent WELLNESS Program
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Join Our Team
We’re looking for passionate people who are excited to work hard, have fun, and grow with us.
