A Conversation on Early Childhood Education in West Oakland
Key takeaways from a roundtable discussion with parents, educators and local organizations.
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In April 2024, I was incredibly lucky to host a panel as part of a year-long fellowship with Teach Plus California (currently accepting applications!). In collaboration with Oakland Starting Smart and Strong, BANANAS, and Bonita the Bumblebee, we held a roundtable to discuss early childhood education (ECE) in the neighborhood of West Oakland. The live-streamed conversation took place at the Oakland Public Library and centered on the strengths, challenges and opportunities in ECE in West Oakland that can be used as lessons for the future of the ECE landscape.
The research is clear on the salience of early childhood education (ECE). High-quality formative early experiences lead to positive outcomes, like higher test scores, higher college attendance rates, and higher economic earnings. As leaders across Oakland, California and the United States look to invest in ECE, what would it look like to use West Oakland as a model? The diverse community is home to many students of color, English language learners, students with special needs, and students who are eligible for free and reduced lunch — and what works for these most marginalized student groups will work for all students. I wanted to learn from panelists, what is taking place in West Oakland that other ECE systems can learn from? Here were the key takeaways:
Parents are being empowered to be engaged participants in the children’s early education.
Tarsha Jordan — Founder and Executive Director of the STEAM non-profit, Bonita the Bumblebee — runs parent workshops “empowering” parents of early learners as their children begin their school careers. She teaches families how to initiate conversations with teachers, exposes them to ECE assessments like the DRDP (Desired Results Developmental Profile) so they understand how their children are doing, and she educates them on what a high-quality ECE program should look like. As a result, Jordan gets parents involved early in their child’s educational career, setting them up for a lifetime of engagement and participation.
Educators are meeting students based on their needs.
Zazzi Cribbs — a mother to an eight-year-old in a traditional public school and a four-year-old in a Family Child Care (FCC) center — has been encouraged by her children’s teachers who “meet kids where they’re at.” Whether they are learning about healthy food choices or sounding out letters to begin to read, Cribbs sees her children growing as a result of teachers identifying students’ individual needs and developing their education from there, rather than applying a “cookie-cutter” approach to all students and their families.
Educators and parents are working to address young children’s special education needs.
Neymiya “Miya” Moore — a current transitional kindergarten and former preschool teacher working in a traditional public school — has found that over the years, ECE educators often see students presenting with special education needs that have not been identified yet. Under-staffed and under-resourced special education departments lead to lengthy assessment processes and the delayed provision of services, and in the interim, Moore guides parents through the process and adapts her classroom for her students.
Organizations are informing parents about the limitations and challenges of universal TK.
Heather Lang — Family Services Manager at BANANAS — works to inform families of their ECE options because “things are changing so quickly” particularly with the expansion of transitional kindergarten (TK), which may not be the most viable option for all families. Lang speaks to parents about TK’s elementary school schedule and limited afterschool slots which will leave full-time working parents to make childcare arrangements. TK may also not be the best option for children who have never been in any school setting previously and will face a big adjustment. Through focus groups and reaching out to families in their network, BANANAS is making sure families understand the options.
There is money and legislation to support the development of ECE.
Trisha Barua — Policy Analyst for Oakland Starting Smart and Strong (OSSS) — is keeping track of the Oakland Children’s Initiative (Measure AA) and Alameda County’s Early Childhood Healthcare and Education Ordinance (Measure C) investing millions of dollars in the futures of young children. Barua and OSSS are reaching out to community members to apply for funding and join oversight committees to make sure that local partners remain involved in making ECE work in Oakland for all children and families.
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I am so grateful to the panelists who participated and those who were able to attend in person and virtually. There is so much happening in early childhood education and I am excited to add to the growing literature on what happens next to make sure that all children and their families are set up for success. More to come!