THE CHALLENGE
Right now, only 43% of Oakland kindergartners enter school ready to learn. Children of color and from low-income backgrounds face the greatest barriers. According to the 2015 school readiness report done for Oakland Unified School District, less than half of students of color enter school with the early learning literacy skills associated with future reading success, compared to 82% of white students. Preschool literacy skills predict both 3rd grade reading skills and high school graduation rates.
For the future of our city, we need to do better – and working together, we can.
Oakland Starting Smart and Strong is working to ensure that every child has access to early childhood education, and every adult in a child’s life has the tools they need to support that child’s development every day.
For the future of our city, we need to do better – and working together, we can.
Oakland Starting Smart and Strong is working to ensure that every child has access to early childhood education, and every adult in a child’s life has the tools they need to support that child’s development every day.