First 5 presents impact data at the Oakland Children’s Initiative Commission meeting
First 5 staff presented our Results-Based Accountability (RBA) data for the Oakland Children Initiative’s first full year of implementation (FY 2023-24) to the Children Initiative’s Oversight Commission on September 26. Results-Based Accountability is the way we measure our success, starting with the results we want for children, families, and communities, and measuring progress along the…

First 5 staff presented our Results-Based Accountability (RBA) data for the Oakland Children Initiative’s first full year of implementation (FY 2023-24) to the Children Initiative’s Oversight Commission on September 26. Results-Based Accountability is the way we measure our success, starting with the results we want for children, families, and communities, and measuring progress along the way to help us figure out what actions are needed to achieve those results.
Here are a few key highlights:
- 1 in 5 Oakland children aged 3 and 4 are enrolled in a site funded by the Initiative’s Early Education Fund.
- In FY 2023-24, we invested $8.1 million in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), funding things like hiring new family navigators, coaches and aides, making building improvements, and offering new professional development programs.
- In FY 2023-24 we invested $2.4 million in City of Oakland Head Start, funding staff positions like center directors, educators, cooks, specialists, and more.
- Data showed improvements in the availability of early care and education through an increase in the number of subsidized slots available, increased enrollment, and an increase in the number of ECE staff, stabilizing the system’s early education programming and beginning expansion efforts.
Looking ahead, First 5 will use data, learnings, and input from OUSD and City of Oakland Head Start partners, as well as feedback from two community listening sessions in Spring 2025 to inform future Oakland Children Initiative Early Education Fund investments and activities as we continue to refine and expand access to free and affordable early learning opportunities for Oakland families.
We’re excited to continue working with our OUSD and Oakland Head Start partners to create strategies that translate into new programs, budgets, and administrative practices that will close the enrollment gap, improve experiences for families, coordinate the two public systems, and leverage additional resources to maximize investments in early care and education.
