​On March 12th, Oakland Starting Smart and Strong brought together 40 Task Force members for our Spring 2026 Meeting. Participants learned about the governor’s proposed 2026-27 budget and explored how to strengthen the connections between Oakland’s cultural institutions and early learning.

In January, Oakland Starting Smart and Strong (OSSS) convened a group of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) early educators for the first in a series of workshops aimed at improving outcomes for young Black boys. The workshops teach strategies, known as the 10 Promising Practices in Early Learning for Black boys. 

On January 31, 2026, Oakland Starting Smart & Strong (OSSS) brought together 200 early childhood educators (ECE) at Merritt College, focused on our theme, “Demystifying Early Literacy for Children Ages 0-5." This was our first in-person symposium since 2019!

Earlier this month, the Alameda County Social Services Agency hosted a forum entitled "Turning Policy Turbulence Into Triumph." It highlighted how organizations across Alameda County are working to transform this vision into reality. For Oakland Starting Smart and Strong (OSSS), this challenge has been at the forefront of our work throughout the year. 

Family Child Care providers (FCCs) are educators, business owners, and community leaders who support working parents and families with home-based care and early learning for young children. They play a vital role in our early learning system, with nearly one-third of California’s children in licensed care spending their early years learning and growing in family child care homes. Despite this essential role, FCC providers are often overlooked in policy and funding decisions.