Our Story

All children and families should have the support they need to learn to read.

Achieving this takes all of us. Schools cannot succeed alone. Oakland is working hard to remove barriers and expand learning outside of the school day and classroom walls and to support families and caregivers as full partners in their children’s education.

Oakland has a rich diversity of service providers working hard to meet the literacy needs in the city.

Through the OLC, these providers are able to work more effectively by accessing opportunities to learn, obtain critical information about the field, and lift up a unified voice to call attention to urgent needs and opportunities for action.

The OLC is a leader and anchor for Oakland’s literacy efforts. 

We galvanize the community around a shared vision for a literacy-rich city and strengthen the field so that a well-supportive and effective network of services exists to make literacy a reality for and with all Oakland children and families.

We believe passionately in a future where
every Oakland child has the literacy skills
necessary to thrive in school and lead a
fulfilling life.

Our History

In 2008, literacy service providers, foundations, businesses, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), and other community partners joined together to form the Oakland Literacy Coalition. They believed in the power of working together to equip all Oakland children with the life skills of reading, writing and communication by the end of third grade.

Since then, many new members have joined the OLC. Every day, they dedicate their energy and expertise to achieving literacy. It is the personal drive and passion of our members that has built this community and fuel the movement to transform Oakland into a city where all children learn and love to read.

The OLC launched and initially operated as a project of the Rogers Family Foundation. In 2016, the OLC restructured as a nonprofit organization in order to serve as an independent and permanent hub for the city’s literacy efforts.

Who We Work With

  • Literacy Service Providers

    We represent organizations that provide literacy resources and support services to Oakland schools, children, and families. They provide programming, new approaches and innovative models to meet the literacy needs in our community.

  • Schools and Educators

    We engage Oakland schools, district and charter administrators and teachers, and early education providers and serve as a liaison for service providers to make connections with them.

  • Community Leaders

    We work with community leaders, including elected officials and policy makers, to build lasting solutions and keep literacy a top priority in our city.

  • Children & Families

    We connect with children and families directly through our Oakland Reads campaign to spur early literacy.

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