Oakland Starting Smart and Strong
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Policy & Advocacy 


Oakland Starting Smart and Strong  leverages the power of our collaborative’s stakeholders to advocate for policies that build and improve the systems that support Oakland children, families, and early childhood educators most impacted by racial and economic inequity.

Additional information on our policy and advocacy work can be found in our blog posts. 
FCC Leader Nancy Harvey stands with Assemblymember Mia Bonta and Kym Johnson, CEO of BANANAS, at the FCC celebration

With support from the Hellman Foundation, OSSS is building a community-driven policy agenda, grounded in these equity areas:
  • Systems change for Oakland’s youngest learners​
    • Advocate for long-term public investment in early childhood systems
    • Elevate early childhood as a priority in City government and Oakland Unified School District
  • Parent and family leadership in community investment
    • Listen to parent, family, & community leadership in equitable implementation of publicly-funded early childhood education
    • Leverage data in support of community priorities
  • Equity for early childhood professionals and friend/family/neighbor caregivers
    • Increase access to high-quality training, improved pay and working conditions, supplies, and resources
    • Amplifying Family Child Care (FCC) provider leadership in local advocacy

​Visit our Public Meetings page to learn about the broad range of Oakland and Alameda County public meetings, as well as how to share your priorities with elected representatives. 

All of our policy and advocacy work is grounded racial justice. Read our racial justice statement here.

OSSS's 2025 policy priorities include:
  • Equitable implementation of the Oakland Children’s Initiative, Measure C, and Universal PreK/TK in Oakland 
  • Uplifting early childhood as a priority in Oakland city government and school district, with a focus on preserving and expanding programs and resources that meet the needs of families with young children 
  • Supporting Oakland early childhood educator and provider advocacy goals

​Learn more about our policy agenda by downloading it here or scroll down to view it below.
2023-25 Oakland City Budget & Early Childhood:
  • Read the about Oakland's 2024 Midcycle Budget here. 
  • Read about early childhood and the 2023-25 city budget here.
  • As the City of Oakland implements the 23-25 Budget, this report from OSSS highlights priority areas that help increase access and opportunities for all young children and families in Oakland to realize their full potential.
    • ​​At-a-Glance: City of Oakland Early Learning Childhood Ecosystem Opportunities
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.
Many of the photos on this site appear courtesy of Hasain Rasheed Photography
  • About
    • Our Purpose
    • Our Team >
      • Staff & Consultants
      • Supporters
      • Lead Planning Team
      • Committees and Task Force
      • Featured Leaders
    • Contact Us
  • Our Work
    • Racial Justice >
      • Promising Practices
      • ROCK >
        • ROCK TOOLKIT
    • Community Leadership >
      • Early Learning Symposium
      • Family Child Care Policy Program
    • Systems Change >
      • Developmental Screening
      • Strategic Plan
    • Data, Policy & Advocacy >
      • Policy & Advocacy
      • ECEcosystem Data Portal
      • Early Development Instrument
    • Collective Impact >
      • Year in Review
      • Results & Impact
  • RESOURCES
    • Reports
    • Tools
    • Presentations
    • Public Meetings
  • EVENTS
  • NEWS
    • Blog
    • Newsletter
  • GET INVOLVED