Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center plans fundraiser for renovations

The Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center is planning a benefit on July 26 to raise more money for renovations.

The center timed the event to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Ethel Seiderman, who founded the organization in 1973 with her husband Stan Seiderman. The couple started the center to meet a need for affordable childcare and family support services.

“It’s going to be a real Ethel love-fest,” said Dave Cort, the former executive director of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center.

The children’s center has raised $7 million of its $14.5 million goal for upgrades, said Heidi Tomsky, the executive director. Tomsky said the organization wants to “preserve the center so we can continue to serve families for another 50 years.”

The center is at the former Deer Park School campus in Fairfax. It is owned by the nonprofit Seiderman Legacy Children’s Fund, which acquired it from the Ross Valley School District for $2 million in May 2024.

The center, which accepts low-income children from infancy through fifth grade, has 105 dedicated subsidized childcare slots, according to Tomsky. It intends to keep operating during construction to make sure the slots are preserved and the children’s parents are able to keep working, she said.

“Really, all these improvements are supporting the families and the staff here and also making it safer for the community,” she said.

The renovations are in the pre-construction phase while the center completes requirements for an additional review under the National Environmental Policy Act. The requirements accompanied a recent federal allocation of $850,000 through the office of Rep. Jared Huffman and $86,000 from a Marin County community development block grant, said Andrea Giacomini, the center’s capital projects coordinator.

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