EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Oakland Starting Smart and Strong is improving the quality of early childhood education provided in formal settings such as preschool, infant care, and licensed family child care. We’re working alongside early childhood educators to provide them with the tools and training they need to foster quality connections and engaging learning activities that address the needs of each child.

What we’re aiming for:

All early childhood education sites are rated high quality
High quality rated programs are available to all children

Steps we’re taking:

Conducting quality ratings of public-funded sites in Oakland, in partnership with First 5 Alameda
Convening Oakland early childhood education providers to maximize collaboration and identify needs and opportunities for professional development and resources
Co-designing and implementing trauma informed classroom practices for early childhood educators, through a collaboration between Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), City of Oakland Head Start, New Teacher Center, West Ed and local experts, called ROCK: Resilient Oakland Communities and Kids
Collaboration with the New Teacher Center to provide OUSD educators with coaching on best practices
Coordinating and aligning preschool with elementary school practices and resources