 A key policy focus for Oakland Starting Smart and Strong (OSSS) is uplifting early childhood as a priority in Oakland city government. With that in mind, we analyzed the City’s 2024-25 Midcycle Budget that was recently approved by Oakland City Council.
 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.
 Children in this year's SKB program were excited to receive backpacks from First 5 Alameda County. Photo courtesy of The OUSD Early Learning Department. 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.
The City of Oakland is in the midst of determining its budget for the next two fiscal years (2023-24 and 2024-25). Mayor Sheng Thao unveiled her $4.2 billion budget proposal on May 3, 2023 and City Council has until June 30, 2023 to pass a final budget. This year, there is a $360 million budget deficit to contend with due to fewer tax revenues and the loss of pandemic emergency dollars. Mayor Thao presented a balanced budget made possible by hiring freezes, strategic reductions, and a proposed reorganization of some city departments.
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