The A to Z
Fund
The A to Z Fund provides Oakland Public Schools teachers with extra training
and distributes money to educators to use for field trips, music, sports, and other underfunded opportunities from A
to Z. Now, with distanced learning, the A to Z is funding supplies to help kids continue to learn at home (science
kits, books, etc.) or through their computers, PPE for teachers, and school supplies. The organization also
distributes more money to schools with the most students who are low-income, English language learners, or in foster
care. Since 2017 The A to Z Fund has awarded almost $450,000 in A to Z Fund grants to more than 300 Oakland public
school educators.
The Oakland
REACH
The Oakland REACH is a grassroots, parent-led organization committed to empowering black and
brown families from underserved public schools. Through mobilized outreach, school enrollment support, family
advocacy fellowships and interpersonal connections, The Oakland REACH hopes to equip the next generation of OUSD
students with a higher quality education. In light of COVID and the national health crisis, The Oakland Reach is
planning to launch it’s biggest, boldest initiative yet: a city-wide “Virtual Hub,” where students can access online
educational tools from a central website.
The city wide virtual hub is a Google Classroom platform to provide families of early elementary students with
supports for immediate needs to survive this period. The pilot phase of the Hub consisted of a 5-week summer program
with 180 students, taught by 14 teachers. If this Hub existed in the physical world, it would be that “one-stop
place and space” that provides both academic and other wrap-around resource support that is for and about uplifting
the whole family.