Our Featured Leaders are Early Childhood Community stakeholders who work to make Oakland smarter and stronger. They are parents/caregivers, providers, educators, and collaborators.
Melissa Luc, Melissa Early Education LLC
Introducing Melissa Luc, a driving force behind our Resilient Oakland Communities and Kids (ROCK) initiative. Melissa has been pivotal in the ROCK initiative and in creating the new toolkit we’ve just released.
From her early days as a teaching assistant to her current role as a consultant and coach, Melissa's journey reflects a steadfast commitment to early learning and tackling educational inequities head-on.
We recently sat down with Melissa to discuss her journey and aspirations for the ROCK initiative, the OSSS community and beyond. Here’s what she had to say:
How did you first get involved in this work? I'm an early learning consultant specializing in coaching, curriculum writing, and professional development. When I heard of this opportunity to work closely with early education teachers, being a thinking partner and a coach, I was immediately drawn to it.
What's been your favorite part of working with OSSS? My favorite part has been the opportunity to honor educators and build relationships with them. They’re the ones doing the heavy lifting of creating these safe spaces for children. I know from experience that when you’re in the thick of it with children, you often don’t have time to ask questions, discuss thoughts and ideas, so this was an amazing opportunity to provide that kind of coaching and support.
What are your hopes for the ROCK initiative and this new toolkit? I hope that Oakland educators and their work are uplifted and showcased, inspiring other educators to find aspects and tools they can adapt to their own contexts. I hope people realize the importance of educators having time and space to connect, build relationships, and process together. Also, I want all children in Oakland, especially Black and brown children, to be seen in their entirety and supported in their emotional well-being.
What are you most proud of about your work? How have you helped make Oakland smarter and stronger? I take pride in creating spaces like the Professional Learning Communities for educators to feel valued and supported. By acknowledging and addressing trauma within our community, I think we’re contributing to a sense of unity and resilience, ultimately making our community as a whole stronger.
Here’s a question from the previous featured leader: what myth or assumptions do you feel like you want to dispel about early childhood education? It's essential for educators, who spend so much time caring for other people, to understand that self-care is crucial. It's not selfish to prioritize it, but rather enhances our ability to show up as our best selves for the children. If you could ask our next featured leader one question, what would it be? I’d be most curious to know, “how do you approach bringing your authentic and best self to this work?”