Preparing for True, Parent-Powered Change This School Year

The school year may just be getting started, but at The Oakland REACH, our Parent Liberators have been preparing for weeks. We know that if we want all our babies reading and doing math, their families need support navigating public schooling in Oakland. Parent Liberators understand the challenges facing Black and Brown families looking to gain access to a quality education because they’ve been there — most of them have personal experience in OUSD as a student, parent, or caretaker. 

There’s no more important job than coaching parents to become transformational leaders for their children’s education, so we spent our time this summer investing in these amazing leaders, building out their skills around learning, working as a team, thinking critically, challenging the status quo, and communicating with passion and authority. 

But don’t just take our word for it; hear directly from a few of our Parent Liberators from their leadership presentations this summer:

Dawn

“What I am most proud of this summer is the amount of skills that I’ve added to my repertoire. I have learned what it truly means to teach a child to read, what it really takes, and what the true impact of that means on a child’s life. 

“I’ve learned how to come together with a group of people and create a vision of what we want out of nothing, what it means to us, and what we hope to accomplish by doing this. 

“I’m proud to be part of an organization that recognizes that there is a need for true understanding and community and is actively learning new ways to make that happen while simultaneously teaching the members of this community those new skills for themselves.”

Christina

“I commit to being the best version of myself this fall. I will work to build even better relationships with my families, old and new, as well as committing to showing up 100% when and where needed for our team.” 

Maria 

“I’m opening my mind to new experiences and coming out of my comfort zone.”

“I will continue to support families to get the knowledge they need to help their children have a better education.”

These superpowers are the foundation for a true parent-powered change in our schools that will open doors of opportunity for our babies. Congratulations to our Parent Liberators for their hard work and dedication this summer!