FAMILY, FRIEND, AND NEIGHBOR CARE

Oakland Starting Smart and Strong is expanding programs to serve more families and caregivers, in the culturally-responsive and language-appropriate ways that families want and need. And we’re exploring new ways to collaborate with informal caregivers and provide them with the resources they need to create healthy, nurturing, and engaging connections for children’s growth.

What we’re aiming for:

Children and families have what they need for their health and well-being
Caregivers have what they need to provide quality care

Steps we’re taking:

Convening an informal care working group, focused on building capacity for learning and sharing promising practices with quality in mind
Developing a framework for early childhood community hubs, known as “Family Resource Centers,” that provide multiple services in one location
Landscape analysis and Mapping of Oakland’s Programs and Services Supporting Informal Caregivers
Supporting the parent-led Parent Engagement Study by Parent Voices Oakland focusing on family use of informal care
Piloting parent leadership trainings