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Background on the Early Learning Symposium The Early Learning Symposium was born out of a collaborative effort that included OUSD, Oakland Literacy Coalition, Oakland Starting Smart and Strong, BANANAS, City of Oakland Head Start/Early Head Start, Alameda County Office of Education, First 5 Alameda County, YMCA of the East Bay, St. Vincent's Day Home, and the New Teacher Center. The inaugural event in 2019 resulted in 350 participants attending. The diversity of participants included teachers, instructional assistants and directors from Head Start and state funded programs, family child care providers, and informal care providers. More detail on the 2019 event here. Oakland Early Learning Symposium 2020-2021 The COVID-19 crisis has dramatically impacted the Oakland early learning community. Now more than ever there is a need to bring early care and education professionals together to provide support, learning, and community. Therefore, this year, the Early Learning Symposium will be a series of four online workshops over the year that will focus on the COVID-19 crisis and how providers can learn from and support each other during this difficult time. Navigating the New Now: Early Learning During COVID-19 will begin with an online workshop focused on providing support to early childhood professionals on reopening childcare, addressing health and safety concerns and sharing best practices for providing care during COVID. There will be opportunities for educators to connect with each other between the four workshops to share information and resources, and solicit feedback and input. Part I Summary: Reopening Child Care Safely Part I of this four-part series took place on August 29th and included tips from providers who are currently open, plus updates from Alameda County Public Health and Alameda County Emergency Child Care Response Team. We recorded the whole workshop - you can find it HERE as well as useful links. For a summary of the discussion plus useful links, head to our blog. Part II Summary: Online Learning and Family Support Part II of this four-part series took place on November 14th and focused on online learning and family support. It included information on how the Oakland Unified School District is providing preschool online and practical tips for holding zoom classes. It also featured guidance from the City of Oakland, Head Start on online learning and how family child care providers are managing distance learning. Participants also learned how to keep connected to families using outreach and online tools. We recorded the whole workshop - you can find it HERE as well as useful links to resources and compiled questions and answers. For a summary of the discussion, head to our blog. Part III Summary: Connecting Families to Resources Part III of this four-part series took place on February 27th and focused on providing information to early learning professionals on linking families to services and resources in the Oakland community to meet their basic needs. It included information on community based organizations sharing about their services for families, tips on helping families navigate resources and services in their community, and how to build trusted relationships with families to support them through difficult times. Speakers included representatives from Roots Community Health Center, Mandela Family Resource Center, Lotus Bloom, Family Paths, BANANAS and First 5 Alameda County. We recorded the whole workshop - you can find it HERE as well as useful links to resources. Part IV Summary: Celebrate and Reflect The fourth and final workshop of the year took place on May 19th and included reflections from the Oakland Unified School District, City of Oakland’s Head Start program, YMCA of the East Bay, and Family Child Care Providers on lessons learned from providing early childhood education during the pandemic and what new practices they will carry forward to the future. There were two tribute videos for early learning professionals from our community and elected officials:
We recorded the whole workshop HERE. Information about summer activities for young children was shared with participants and are below:
Help us plan for the next Oakland Early Learning Symposium!
As we face a new school year, with its own unique challenges, we want to hear from you! What is your vision for the 2021-22 Oakland Early Learning Symposium? What type of resources and support are you looking for this year? Take our quick survey to let the planning team know! Comments are closed.
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