Since 2017, OSSS has been working with early childhood educators through the ROCK initiative to increase resilience and healing and to promote the healthy social emotional development of children in trauma-sensitive and trauma-responsive environments. Crucially, educators are more able to offer a healing early learning environment when they are attuned to their own well-being. That’s why, over the years, we’ve crafted and honed an early childhood educator learning framework that includes in-person and virtual group workshops, Professional Learning Communities, coaching, yoga, and self-care resources. Each of Oakland’s City Districts has different programs, services, and community resources that support Oakland’s youngest children. Each district also has its own systemic challenges, with many children, families, and early childhood educators who have unmet needs. To help understand the city’s early childhood landscape, OSSS developed the Oakland Early Childhood Ecosystem City District Profiles for each of Oakland's seven City Districts. These profiles are for community advocates, policy and programs leaders, funders, Oakland City Councilmembers, and OUSD School Board Directors who seek to leverage data for place-based early childhood systems change. Oakland’s early childhood community has a wide variety of research and data on our Early Childhood (EC) Ecosystem. However, these resources are often spread across many websites, email newsletters, and more, which means data may not be easily accessible. To address this issue, OSSS has launched a new Oakland ECEcosystem Data Portal. The Data Portal is a tool for families, educators/providers, policymakers, advocates, and funders who seek to leverage data to understand our early childhood landscape and strengthen systems for young children and their families. Kindergarten can be a big adjustment for children and families, requiring them to adjust rapidly to new routines and expectations. Research and experience shows that making that transition as smooth as possible builds the foundation for children’s academic and social-emotional skills as well as positive family-school connections. The OUSD Early Learning Department has been intentionally building strong transition practices to support children entering kindergarten and transitional kindergarten (TK). This past summer, the Summer Kinder TK Bridge program was successfully scaled to 14 OUSD elementary school sites, where early childhood educators provided a four-week foundational program for children. |
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