Photo courtesy of TalkOakland.org
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Since 2015, OSSS has built a strong collaboration, improved quality in early learning programs, amplified community voice, and driven systems change with data. Over time, this work has shaped a theory of change focused on ensuring Oakland's children, especially Black and brown children, have a strong developmental start to realize their full potential
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Our theory of change is organized around six interconnected strategies:
Together, our network of partners and community stakeholders are committed to ensuring that every Oakland child has what they need to thrive.
- Family Supports — Empowering parents and caregivers as their child's first teacher while expanding access to basic needs like food, housing support, and economic stability programs.
- Child Health & Development — Expanding early intervention, developmental screenings, and culturally competent prenatal and postnatal care, with a particular focus on Black families and children with special needs.
- Workforce Strengthening — Building a stronger early childhood education (ECE) workforce through apprenticeships, career pathways, and improved compensation and professional development for providers.
- Expanded Access to ECE — Advocating for and leveraging new public funding to close the significant gap in subsidized child care slots, especially for communities of color.
- Parent & Community Voice and Power — Centering the experiences of Oakland families and ECE providers to shape the policies, funding, and systems that affect them.
- Collective Impact Backbone & Data — Sustaining the OSSS collaborative structure, providing access to early childhood data, and leading policy and advocacy efforts citywide.
Together, our network of partners and community stakeholders are committed to ensuring that every Oakland child has what they need to thrive.
