Yolanda (on the far right) with the Cox Academy team!
When Yolanda’s oldest son started high school, she knew she had to act fast. “I’m trying to push him to do his best so he can go to college,” she said. But for her youngest, a fourth-grader at Cox Academy in East Oakland, the dream was already taking root.
“He keeps telling me, ‘Mom, if I get good grades, I’ll get a scholarship,’” she said. “I don’t know where he gets that from, but it makes me happy.”
Yolanda isn’t just hoping for her kids’ success, she’s fighting for it. As a parent leader at Cox, she’s not only advocating for college access for her family but she’s also become a bridge between families at the school and opportunities many didn’t know existed, like the Oakland Promise’s Kindergarten to College (K2C) program, which provides $500 in college savings for eligible Oakland public school students.
Cox Academy parents filled the room as they are ready to plan for their student’s future.
Along with other Cox parent leaders, Yolanda also participated in leadership training with Families in Action organizers. Along with learning about the K2C program, parents also worked on developing skills to share their personal story to create a movement of organized parents who are thinking about – and talking about – college for their children while they’re still in elementary school, while also making informed decisions about school choices leading up to high school graduation.
“A lot of parents don’t know about these programs,” Yolanda said. “But if we don’t ask, we won’t find out.”
College might seem far off for an elementary schooler, but research shows that children begin forming beliefs about their future as early as kindergarten. “No amount is too small to start saving,” said Joshua Alcocer, Director of K-12 at Oakland Promise. “Students with just $1–$499 saved are three times more likely to attend college.”
After completing the workshop series, Cox Academy parents were able to open their CalKids accounts with the $500 investment by Oakland Promise.
For many Cox parents, the idea of college felt distant, until the partnership with FIA helped demystify the process. Through the workshops, parents learned about A-G requirements (the courses needed for UC/CSU eligibility), financial aid, and how to research middle schools that align with college-going goals.
“Some parents had students in high school and had never heard of A-G,” said Susan Singleton, FIA’s Lead Family Organizer. “They left saying, ‘I need to call my kid’s counselor right now.’”
Mayra Tejeda, a Cox parent and the school’s Dean of Attendance, saw that shift firsthand. “We all want our children to go to university, but many of us don’t know how to get them there,” she said. She said informing parents about the $500 scholarship was a game changer.
Mayra (on the right) attending her daughter’s graduation.
“For some, it felt like real support,” she said. “Others were (initially) disappointed because they thought they didn’t qualify, which just shows how much outreach matters.”
Emely Nuñez, a Resource Specialist at Cox, recalled one mother who rarely engaged with the school but lit up when she learned about college savings. “Every family wants their child to go to college,” she said. “But if they’ve had negative school experiences, they might think, ‘This isn’t for me.’”
FIA’s approach is rooted in trust and shared stories, which helped break those barriers. During the workshops, Susan and Emely shared their own college journeys, including setbacks or challenges navigating financial aid.
Yolanda took that message further, tabling at school events to help parents sign up. “I explain: ‘This money isn’t for us, it’s for our kids,’” she said. “If we don’t claim it, they lose it.” She noticed how her advocacy sparked a ripple effect – one parent even called her sister on the spot to enroll her nephew.
In the upcoming school year, FIA is expanding the program to other district and charter schools, and especially working to guide newcomer families through the process of obtaining the scholarship and developing a college-going culture at home.
Now that Yolanda is inspired and empowered, she’s thinking about more families she can reach and inform. She’s been sharing resources with her extended family and planning more tabling events at Cox.
“My son tells me he wants a good career, he wants to earn money,” she said. “That’s why I’m here. So he knows it’s possible.”
