Our Purpose
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Why early childhood?
Young children’s brains and bodies develop rapidly in the first five years. When we provide high-quality early learning and health opportunities during this critical time, we create better chances for health and happiness throughout a child’s life. The urgency to support young families has never been greater. We know that despite major strides locally in Oakland and Alameda County, child care remains chronically underfunded. There are not enough subsidized slots to meet the need, early educators continue to be underpaid, and families are stretched thin by rising costs. Over 55% of Oakland families have annual incomes below $100,000, well below the income needed to meet basic needs, and 18% of children live below the poverty level. |
Photo courtesy of TalkOakland.org
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Why collective impact?
The programs and services for young children and their families are fragmented and not part of one singular system. Building alignment and coordination is needed to ensure families are well served. OSSS employs a collective impact framework that brings together a broad and diverse range of organizations and individuals from Oakland to create a strong early learning network, to develop and amplify solutions, and to lead bold policy to create lasting change.
The programs and services for young children and their families are fragmented and not part of one singular system. Building alignment and coordination is needed to ensure families are well served. OSSS employs a collective impact framework that brings together a broad and diverse range of organizations and individuals from Oakland to create a strong early learning network, to develop and amplify solutions, and to lead bold policy to create lasting change.
Our Values
Our core values are deeply rooted in the belief that systems change requires a justice-centered collective impact approach. We continually seek to grow, refine, and redefine our work and support of young children, families, and the early learning community, while upholding the following values:
- Justice: racial, economic, wage, gender, disability, and every form of necessary inclusion;
- Transparent open communication;
- Accountability;
- Collaboration and partnership; and
- Community knowledge, experience, and strength.
Racial Justice
We define healing as cultivating resilience, and we work towards unraveling systemic racism by centering early educators and family leadership in our change work. Instead of top-down solutions that at best ignore community leadership, or at worst, deepen inequities, we build bridges between systems and community members. In contrast to gatekeeping practices that reinforce inequity through token inclusion of community voice and lack of transparency in decision-making, bridge-building is healing work that can transform racist, exclusionary power dynamics. With these bridges, our goal is to elevate community-driven policy and funding priorities for resourcing early childhood systems.
Reparative, healing, and racially just work can take place when systems are truly responsive to and aligned with the priorities of the most impacted early educators and families.