Jennifer Cabán
Ac c o u n ta b ility Offic e r
Purpose. Impact. What’s Next.
Education Partnership Committee Presentation
General Overview of the Oakland
Children’s Initiative (Measure AA)
https://www.oaklandca.gov/boards-commissions/childrens-initiative-oversight-commission The Oakland Children’s Initiative is a parcel tax, driven to the ballot by community advocacy, is a 2018 Charter Amendment passed by the citizens of Oakland to deepen the early
investment in children and support them through college graduation, by expanding access to high quality preschool and providing college access, and scholarship support
services for students to obtain 2-year or 4-year college or technical degrees.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC Purpose: Why OCI Exists
Not just funding programs—aligning systems for long-term impact Organizational Structure
Accountability
Officer
Initiative
Partners
Implementation
Partners
City
Administrator City Council
Small Local
Business
City of
Oakland Early
Childhood &
Family
Services
Community
Partners
Oakland Promise -
College Access
First 5 Alameda County -
Early Education
OUSD
Oversight
Commission
Mayor
Ordinance Requirements
Early Education Fund
(Implementation Partner - First 5 Alameda County)
62% to Early Education Fund (Section 1604) to:
• support programs to expand and enhance access
to and quality of early care and education and
preschool
• increase educational outcomes and reduce
educational inequality
Implementation Partner must be a public agency
5-Year Guidelines are in priority order starting with low- income & high need families with 4-year-old children
Requires funding priority to go toward expanding
Oakland's existing public services, specifically Early
Education programs at OUSD & Oakland Head Start
College Access Supports
(Implementation Partner - Oakland Promise)
31% to the Oakland Promise Fund (Section 1607) to:
• Reduce disparities for traditionally unrepresented
students in post-secondary education
• Increase college awareness and expectations;
college savings and/or family economic well-being;
college and career access; college application,
enrollment, and admissions rates; affordability;
graduation rates and persistence
Implementation Partner must be a non-profit or public
agency
5-Year Guidelines are not in priority order and target high need families
Requires funding support for public school students
(i.e., school district, charter)
Oversight Commission
Responsibilities
Accountability Officer Responsibilities
• Approve subsequent 5-year guidelines after the expiration of the initial 5-year guidelines established in the ordinance
• Approve or reject recommendations on the selection, terms, extension, or termination of the Implementation Partner from Accountability Officer; submit final approval to city council for adoption without amendment
• Approve annual financial audits
• Review performance appraisals and external
evaluation findings
• Oversee programs and provide recommendations to the Citizens’ Oversight Commission
• Preparing subsequent 5-year guidelines after the initial 5-year guidelines set forth in the ordinance
• Leading the selection process and contracting for the Implementation Partners for the Early Education Fund and Oakland Promise, making recommendations to the Citizens
Oversight Commission.
• Ensuring independent financial audits and presenting the to the Citizens’ OversightCommission
• Monitoring performance of Implementation Partners
• Oversee external evaluations, including selection of evaluator • Other duties as assigned by the City Administrator
• Training for members of the Citizens’ OversightCommission
Early Education
Fund Five
-
Year
Guidelines
1. Increase overall attainment and reduce socioeconomic and/or other demographic disparities, in child educational outcomes, such as kinder-readiness, and provide family support services, to achieve the following outcomes prioritized as follows, such that plans to fund a lower priority outcome may only be implemented if the Early Education Implementation Partner has determined that the next highest priority goal is reasonably achievable within the five-year period:
• Make available free or affordable and high-quality early education and/or preschool for four-year old children from low-income families, such as those who make less than eighty-five-percent (85%) of the state median income, with a priority on serving the children of families with the lowest incomes and/or those who are in high need, while also supporting such families who need family, friend, and neighbor care. • Increase the availability of free or affordable and high-quality early education and/or preschool for three-year-old children from low-income families, with a priority on serving the children of families with the lowest incomes or those who are in high need, while also supporting such families who need family, friend, and neighbor care. • Increase the affordability and/or quality of preschool for all four-year-old children, with a priority on serving the children of families with the lowest incomes or those in highest need, while also supporting such families who need family, friend and neighbor care. • Increase the affordability and/or quality of preschool for three-year-old children, with a priority on serving the children of families with the lowest incomes or those in highest need, while also supporting such families who need family, friend and neighbor care. • Increase the availability and/or quality of child development support services for children and families from low-income backgrounds with children from birth through age three, while also supporting such families who need family, friend, and neighbor care.
Early Education Fund Five
-
Year Guidelines
Con’t
2) Provide for a rigorous external evaluation of the impact of the early education programs, such as on child outcomes data including kindergarten-readiness, that will facilitate assessment of whether the early education programs are achieving the goals of the Act and provide information on how to mitigate disparities, such as those by wealth and income or for children in high-need. 3) Ensure that professional development and coaching are generally available for educators, and that participating center-based preschool programs generally are able to do the following within a reasonable timeframe:
a) Achieve a baseline rating of at least three (3) or higher on the regional Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), or a successor system;
b) Utilize a developmentally-appropriate curriculum aligned with California Department of Education standards, and in addition that is also evidence-based and/or has demonstrated success in improving preparation for kindergarten; c) Conduct formative assessments to shape instruction; and d) Participate in valid, regular, and reliable assessments of early education quality in order to foster continuous improvement and to reduce disparities, such as those by income and wealth, in child outcomes. 4) Ensure that funding streams from federal, state and local sources, including Head Start, are coordinated to reduce the administrative burden of program beneficiaries in accessing services, and to ensure that existing high-quality early education programs are not made financially unviable.
5) Give priority consideration to expanding higher quality programs and/or facilities for children who are in the highest need, from the lowest-income backgrounds, live in areas of high unmet early education need, and/or who are traditionally underserved, as resources allow, which could include enhanced services, such as bilingual or dual-language instruction, supports to enhance cultural competency, or a higher rating on the QRIS or a successor system.
Early Education Fund
–
Priority Partners
2) Provide for a rigorous external evaluation of the impact of the early education programs, such as on child outcomes data including kindergarten-readiness, that will facilitate assessment of whether the early education programs are achieving the goals of the Act and provide information on how to mitigate disparities, such as those by wealth and income or for children in high-need.
3) Ensure that professional development and coaching are generally available for educators, and that participating center- based preschool programs generally are able to do the following within a reasonable timeframe:
a) Achieve a baseline rating of at least three (3) or higher on the regional Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), or a successor system;
b) Utilize a developmentally-appropriate curriculum aligned with California Department of Education standards, and in addition that is also evidence-based and/or has demonstrated success in improving preparation for kindergarten; c) Conduct formative assessments to shape instruction; and d) Participate in valid, regular, and reliable assessments of early education quality in order to foster continuous improvement and to reduce disparities, such as those by income and wealth, in child outcomes. 4) Ensure that funding streams from federal, state and local sources, including Head Start, are coordinated to reduce the administrative burden of program beneficiaries in accessing services, and to ensure that existing high-quality early education programs are not made financially unviable.
5) Give priority consideration to expanding higher quality programs and/or facilities for children who are in the highest need, from the lowest-income backgrounds, live in areas of high unmet early education need, and/or who are traditionally underserved, as resources allow, which could include enhanced services, such as bilingual or dual-language instruction, supports to enhance cultural competency, or a higher rating on the QRIS or a successor system. • Reduce socioeconomic and/or demographic disparities, such as those related to wealth and income, for children from an early age, in College readiness, access, affordability, applications, enrollment, retention and completion, particularly for students in high-need or who are traditionally underrepresented in post-secondary education.
• Increase early College savings and asset building for families with children ranging in age from zero to grade five, such as through the creation and seeding of college savings accounts and the provision of financial coaching and supports to families.
• Increase the expectations and resources to attend College among children and families of all socioeconomic backgrounds in Oakland public schools, with a priority for students from low-income backgrounds and/or traditionally underrepresented in College, through strategies, such as increasing school-based programming that builds the college-bound identity of students and a college- going culture in elementary, middle, and high schools.
• Increase College awareness, application, and eligibility, as measured by increases in completing courses required for College enrollment, such as those required by the University of California, and in College acceptance rates of Oakland Public School students, through means such as providing College access services that are integrated into schools.
College Access
Supports Five
-
Year
Guidelines
Oakland Promise Fund Five
-
Year Guidelines
Con’t
• Increase College affordability, including by expanding access to public and private student financial aid, such as by increasing FAFSA or Dream Act Application completion rates, increasing the direct provision of College scholarships including multi-year last dollar scholarships, and partnering with educational institutions in order to provide institution-specific scholarships and to reduce tuition, room and board, and/or other college expenses.
• Increase College admission, matriculation, and enrollment rates, such as increasing the percent of students who enroll in College in the fall directly following high school graduation through a focus on the above strategies.
• Increase full-time College persistence rates for students enrolled in College, especially persistence between their first and second year of enrollment, through means such as mentoring, peer advising, and on-campus supports. • Increase the number of Oakland students graduating from College within six (6) years of high school graduation.
Impact to Date: Early Progress, Strong Foundation
Jan 2023 - Present
Reaching Children & Families
• Expanded early learning access
• College access, persistence & scholarships
Strengthening Partnerships
• Deeper alignment: City, OUSD, ECFS, Community Partners • Leveraging resources for greater reach
Addressing System Barriers
• Enrollment & access challenges
• Administrative complexity
• Cross-system misalignment
• Data Infrastructure Gaps
Bottom line:
We are building both programs and the conditions needed for success What’s Next: Deepen Impact
• Strengthen City–District alignment
• Deepen cross-sector partnerships
• Advance next 5-Year Guidelines (community-informed)
• Build capacity: staffing, data, systems
• Focus on long-term outcomes & generational impact
Bottom line (bold close):
From early progress → to sustained, system-level change Community Partners
THANK YOU
April 13, 2026
Education
Partnership
Committee
Priority C2C Outcomes
Strengthen Financial Literacy & Asset Building
Expand Access to High-Quality Educational &
Workforce Developement Pathways
Deepen Student & Family Navigational Support for
Postsecondary Success
Direct Service Coordinating & Convening Grantmaking
Improving Outcomes for Oakland’s children
By 2035, Oakland Promise will improve cradle-to-career outcomes for children and youth ages 0- 25 by catalyzing a community-centered ecosystem that provides high-quality educational pathways that promote social and economic mobility.
Our North Star
Invested nearly $7M in community
partnerships to advance
coordinated
community-wide
impact
Our Impact to Date
4 Areas of Influence
Enrolled over 3,300 babies in college
savings accounts (CSAs) seeded with
nearly $2M toward their education
Over $34M in scholarships awarded to
~7,000 students
Awarded over 45,000 kindergarteners
with scholarships for their
postsecondary education
Early Learning
• $500 CSAs &
CalKIDS
• Financial Literacy &
Early Childhood
Development
Workshops
• Financial Coaching
• $500 K-9th Grade
Scholarships
• College Tours
• College-bound Identity
workshops
• Financial aid workshops
• College readiness workshops
• High school peer mentorship
opportunities
• Parent engagement &
advocacy
• 1:1 Career Pathway Advising
• Youth Leadership
Development
• 12th Grade Scholarship
• Postsecondary Coaching
• Internships
• Career & Leadership
Development
• Financial Literacy workshops
• Mentorship
• Alumni Supports
College & Career
Cradle-to-Career Continuum
K-12
2 3
Increase family
stability
Reduce chronic
absenteeism and
promote school safety
Strengthen coordination
between schools and
CBOs in the EOPN
1 EOPN Goals:
East Oakland Promise Neighborhood (EOPN) is a Federal place-based initiative focusing on strategic coordination and well- resourced interventions in a 2.5-square-mile area of East Oakland that includes 4 OUSD schools. The Promise Neighborhood framework is a proven national model that combines system-level coordination with community-based partners to create wraparound services for students, families, and community members. Oakland Promise is working with city and state level partners to increase advocacy and investment for Promise Neighborhoods across the country.
East Oakland Promise Neighborhood
Our Accomplishments
as an OCI Implementation Partner
Direct Service Coordinating
& Convening Grantmaking
• Established
Subcontracting
infrastructure
• Built a Partnerships
team to manage
compliance, contracts,
reporting, and
technical assistance
• Built partner data
management systems
to increase
transparency and
data-informed
decision making
• Established the East
Oakland Promise
Neighborhood
Collaborative
• Established the Oakland
Postsecondary
Education & Workforce
Development
Collaborative
• Coordinated
sustainable strategies
and investments with
system and community
partners to increase
impact
• 126.3% increase of
CSA enrollments
• 58% increase of 12th
grade scholarship
• 62.8% increase in
number of scholars
recieving persistence
supports
• Established 40+
strong partnerships
As an Implementation Partner, Oakland Promise has significantly increased college access resources and opportunities with the Oakland Children’s Initiative investment.
$7M Invested in Partners to expand college access
supports across the city
$5M
Distributed to Oakland postsecondary students in
scholarships to increase college affordability
Unlocked federal funding through the US
Department of Education
$3.5M
$2.3M
Deposited to Oakland children in College Savings
Accounts and K-9th Grade Scholarship to increase a
caregiver’s college-bound identity and encourage
education planning earlier
as of FY2024-2025
OCI FY25-26
28%
Total LBE, SLBE &
VSLBE*
City of Oakland Small
& Local Business Certification
Oakland Promise has supported 30+
buisness/organizations get S/LBE
certifed.
*This percentage includes
system partner awards.
Oakland Promise regrants city, state, and federal funding to community partners each year to expand services to support more students and families reach their postsecondary goals.
Partnership Investments
Technical Assistance
• S/LBE Webinars with the City
of Oakland
• 1:1 S/LBE Application Support
• Reporting and Survey
Office Hours
• Implementation Support
• Quarterly Check-ins
FY2022-2025
*All amounts are in millions.
Overall Partner Investments*
LOOKING
FORWARD
Oakland Promise is partnering with 30+ organizations to coordinate, convening, and implement services across the city.
Scaling services to reach more people
Oakland Promise is ensuring we continue to build
infrastructure to create capacity to reach students and families furthest from opportunity.
Building sustainable capacity
Join us in this movement!
Learn more about our impact in
the OCI Oversight Commission
Presentation
January 2026
EDUCATION
PARTNERSHIP
COMMITTEE
MEETING
First 5 Alameda County
April 13, 2026
Passed: November 2018
Upheld: Dec 2021 DATES
SUPPORTS
PERCENT
FIRST 5
ROLE
Child care, preschool + college
readiness
62% to Early Education
Fund
Contracted Early
Education
Implementation Partner
Passed: March 2020
Upheld: April 2024
Child care, preschool, and
early education (CCPEE) +
pediatric health
80% to the CCPEE Account
Ordinance-named
Administrator of the
CCPEE account
~$30M annually
30-year parcel tax BASIC ~$150M annually
20-year 1/2 cent sales tax
MEASURE AA
(Oakland Children’s Initiative - OCI)
MEASURE C
(Alameda County - Children’s Health
and Child Care Initiative)
REVENUE
BALLOT
MEASURE
GOALS
KINDERGARTEN
READINESS AND
EDUCATION OUTCOMES
KINDERGARTEN
READINESS AND
EDUCATION OUTCOMES
2 3
First 5 Alameda County
Implementation Partner
Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)
Public System Partner
City of Oakland Early Childhood and
Family Services (COOECFS)
Public System Partner
• Program design and implementation
• Financial and programmatic data
reporting
• Program design and implementation
• Financial and programmatic data
reporting
• Fiscal stewardship and intermediary functions
• Program alignment and guidance
• Systems building and coordination
Implementation & Public System Partner Roles
1. Strategic Goals
4 EXPAND ACCESS & ENROLLMENT
Close the estimated enrollment gap for 2,700 unserved
eligible 3-and 4-year-olds
ENHANCE QUALITY OF CLASSROOM EXPERIENCES
Co-create a shared, citywide framework for preschool
quality that ensures equitable, developmentally appropriate learning environments
ELEVATE THE EARLY CHILDHOOD WORKFORCE
Expand and retain a qualified, well-compensated early
education workforce reflective of Oakland’s diversity
STRENGTHEN THE SYSTEM
Build and sustain an integrated, transparent, and
accountable early learning system
2. 3.
4. OCI Early Education Fund Roadmap
co-developed by partners, endorsed by Mayor
All 3- and 4-year-olds in
Oakland have access to
affordable, high-quality
preschool, prioritizing families
with low incomes first as
mandated by legislation.
VISION
OCI Reaching Young Children
5 * Defined as under 100% State Median Income. For a family of 4 in 23-24 was 100% SMI $113,292.
Note: Population estimates have a high margin of error and are subject to revision. 1 in 3 children of the 6,300 children ages 3-4 in families with low incomes* in Oakland are enrolled in a program
funded by the OCI Early Education Fund
28 Distribution of The Need, OCI Sites, and Enrollment by Home Zip Code (2024-25)
Where do enrolled children live?
OCI Programs, Oakland Children, 2024-25
How are need and partner sites distributed?
Estimated Percentage of Children Aged 0-5 <100% SMI
OCI point in time enrollment 2024-25, reflect data within January to March of the year indicated. 0-5 year-olds.
American Community Survey PUMS 2023 population estimates.
Please note, these data are not exact estimates; they have a high margin of error and methodology is subject to change.
SMI < 100%: State Median Income of less than 100%. SMI for a family of 4 in 2024-25 was $122,993.
Hub
Hub
COOECFS
OUSD
Agency
66% - 73%
40% - 60%
30%-40%
20% - 30%
14% - 20%
% of Children 0-5 <100% SMI
COO
ECFS OUSDAll OCI
COO
ECFS
OUSD
29 Priority populations ages 5 and under served at
OCI partner sites in OUSD and COOECFS
*State Median Income (SMI) for a family of 4 in 2024-25 was ~$123K.
Children Served by Priority Population, FY 24-25
Percentages out of:
- OUSD: 2,316
- COOECFS: 186
Population estimates from ACS PUMS 2023, 5-year; population methodology subject to change. Estimates have a high margin of error.
Enrollment data are point in time enrollment and reflect data within January to March of the year indicated.
SMI < 100%: State Median Income of less than 100%. SMI for a family of 4 in 2024-25 was $122,993.
Children Served by Race/Ethnicity, FY24-25
30 THANK YOU
QUESTION
S