Our Featured Leaders are Early Childhood Community stakeholders who work to make Oakland smarter and stronger. They are parents/caregivers, providers, educators, and collaborators.
Corrine Williams-Lindsey, City of Oakland Early Head Start, San Antonio Park
"My participation in the Community of Practice was driven by my commitment to pour back into the community where I have been raised and attempt to mimic the experiences that I had as a young Black child growing up being educated by people who look like me.
While Black boys are young, I want to be able to model relationship-based, positive, and authentic interactions that create environments that feel safe and nurturing for children and their families. These relationships can be cultivated by anyone, regardless of color, age, or gender as long as there is genuine investment in understanding each child as an individual. I believe that learning should be driven by investors that are invested."
Corrine Williams-Lindsey entered the early care field as an undergraduate at Cal State University Sacramento in 2000, and has been an early childhood educator for over 20 years. She currently works as a Center Director at the City of Oakland Early Head Start Program at San Antonio Park and is a member of the Boys of Color Community of Practice, one of Oakland Starting Smart & Strong's Racial Justice initiatives. Corrine was first featured in the Oakland Starting Smart & Strong 2022 Year In Review.