To support 15 elementary schools. School leaders, teachers and coaches will work intensively to boost instruction in transitional kindergarten to first grade. As a learning community, one of the key goals is to strengthen Oakland’s understanding of effective long-term, sustainable strategies that will result in all children reading successfully by third grade.

To provide transitional kindergarten and preschool classrooms, and Faith-based organizations with family engagement early learning programs. These programs include: LitTab (eReaders), take home books, parent/caregiver workshops, and a new texting service designed to share ongoing and interactive early learning and school readiness content with parents/caregivers. Funding will also support a collaboration project with ideas42 to […]

To support the Oakland Public Library’s Children’s Literacy Programming Fund, which supports early literacy and promotes a love of reading through a range of services, with a focus on initiatives that create access to books (e.g., summer reading, winter bingo, books for wider horizons, and Share the Love outreach distribution).

To support a Research Associate position that will focus on pre-kindergarten to third grade alignment of educational programs, student outcomes through data, and continuous improvement of early literacy strategies district-wide.

To support the distribution of Talk, Read, Sing materials to 2,800 families with young children ages 0-3, via Oakland clinics. Emphasis will be placed on children 0-1 at the time of delivery and the well child checkup so that messaging can get to families as early as possible.

To support maintaining delivery of Reach out and Read’s early literacy program at 18 clinics in Oakland. Pediatricians are trained to speak with families during well child visits about the importance of reading aloud and  interacting with their children. Families also receive a free book at each visit, resulting in the distribution of 22,000 books.

For five Education for Change elementary schools to support improving core instruction and literacy supports for 900 transitional kindergartners to first grade students and their teachers. Funding includes: transitional kindergarten to first grade focused literacy coaches, tutor resources and a facilitated monthly professional learning community for site leaders and teachers to support data analysis and application of evidence-based […]

Oakland Public Library will purchase 14,000 giveaway books for distribution through multiple programs, including but not limited to: Día (Diversity in Action) events, Books for Wider Horizons  preschool graduation giveaways, Summer Reading, Winter Bingo, and Share the Love outreach (distribution at the Oakland Housing Authority picnics, hospital waiting rooms, laundromats).

To support the academic growth and proficiency of English Language Learners with a multi-pronged approach. 1) a summer program that will develop Kindergarten-readiness skills for incoming Kindergarten students; and 2) teachers will develop their capacity to integrate English Language Development strategies into daily instruction through participation in SEEDS of Learning for Kindergarten students.

To support existing Learning Station in Oakland Unified School District classrooms and transition e-readers classrooms to use Kidappolis, a learning application software. Litlab will launch Kidappolis in Oakland in order to increase access to high quality, personalized, and engaging early learning content.