The Kinder2College (K2C) initiative, in partnership with FIA, Oakland Promise, and Cox Academy, aims to close the racial opportunity gap in college access by building a college-going culture starting in elementary school. Targeting 4th and 5th grade families, K2C empowers parents with strategies to foster college aspirations early on. The initiative strives to enroll 100 families in K-8 scholarships or My529 College Savings Accounts, setting children on a path to higher education and greater opportunities.
When Yurida was growing up in Mexico, college just wasn’t an option for her. “I wanted to go to university,” she said in Spanish, “but my family didn’t have the money.”
Yurida now lives in Oakland and is the mother of five children, with the younger children attending Education For Change’s Cox Elementary and with the oldest in high school. She’s doing everything she can to make sure no barrier, including the cost, will prevent her kids from going to college.
“I want them to have a good education so they can choose the career they want,” she said.
College going rates are disproportionate in Oakland and across the country. Low-income students achieve a college degree at just ¼ the rate of their middle income peers. In Oakland public schools, only half the Black and Brown seniors complete their A-G courses to gain eligibility to apply to UC and CSU schools.
Yurida and other Cox parents, along with the school leadership, are working together to flip that narrative and change those statistics so their kids and students can get into college, have money to pay for tuition, and have a better chance at positive life outcomes.
Yurida (left) at a K2C meeting with Principal Omar (center) and fellow parent Maira (right).
Recently, Yurida was part of a group of 37 4th and 5th grade parents who took part in a series of sessions facilitated by leaders from Families in Action and Cox Academy, including principal Omar Currie.
Cox and FIA partnered with the Oakland Promise to introduce families to the Kindergarten to College program. Every Oakland public school student is eligible for an Oakland Promise savings account, which includes an initial $100 deposit. Eligible public school students can also access a $500 college savings account from a state program called CalKids.
The leadership of Cox partnered with FIA to ensure families are equipped with this knowledge along with college-going information and strategies so they can support their students’ access to college.
Cox Academy families at a session learning about available financial support.
The goal is to create a college-going culture among elementary school parents while they build their own agency over their child’s education, which includes better communication practices with teachers and school staff to ensure their middle school choices align with their college-going goals.
“Getting ready for college starts now, in elementary school, not just your junior year of high school,” said Tania Gutierrez, FIA’s Director of School Partnerships & Organizing. “There is a college-going culture at school, and at home. It’s not just about getting money for college but creating habits that set your child up for success.”
Omar Currie, Cox’s principal, is a strong believer in creating a college-going culture for elementary school students. That’s evident to the whole neighborhood – the outside of the Cox school building on Sunnyside Street in East Oakland (near 98th Avenue) is dotted with flags from colleges around the country.
Currie grew up on a farm in rural North Carolina. His parents never went to college. He remembers hearing that he had two options: the military or college. “When I got to my senior year, I was like, ‘OK, I guess I’m going to college,” he said. He’s a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and he’s wearing his alma mater’s logo on his hat and sweatshirt as he answers questions for this interview.
“I remember reading a study years ago that people don’t envision going to college because we never talk about it,” he said. “So one of the things that’s really important to us is that we always let the kids know that college is a possibility. There are so many ways you can make it in the world without going to college. But for us, it’s important our kids know college is there for them if they want it.”
“Kinder to college has been important because it’s helping families invest in a dream that they have for their children.”
Maira Vaca has worked at Cox for 11 years and is the school’s Family Coordinator. She has four kids, two in elementary school and two in high school. She said the sessions helped “make college more real” to families, by showing them that they are eligible for tuition assistance to make paying for school more affordable.
“We all want our children to go to university, but many of us are not doing anything to inform ourselves on how we can get them to college,” she said. “Parents learned important information. It’s powerful to know that you can do something to get your kids to college.”
