Perspectives – Empowering Parents, Igniting Potential
By Jim Wambach | May 19, 2025
With your help, FamilyBridge breaks barriers and builds stronger home-school connections
“The home is the first school, and parents are the first teachers. When parents and educators work together as a team, children thrive academically and emotionally.”
Your gifts ensure that learning continues at home.
For decades, the children in Oakland’s poorest neighborhood schools have lagged behind students in more affluent schools. And it starts at an early age. Our programs’ second and third graders are already far behind in their reading and math skills. This is primarily because they have not yet received sufficient learning support at home.
Why is this happening?
There’s a combination of reasons. Many one-parent families struggle under the many challenges and burdens of poverty, leaving little time to provide in-home academic support for their children. 40% of our families speak Spanish or Arabic at home and experience language barriers. This makes it difficult for them to communicate with teachers and understand their child’s needs and learning challenges. Many parents are also intimidated about supporting their child’s learning at home simply because they aren’t comfortable with how to do it.
Will you complete HER Circle of Care?
Through one-on-one reading and math tutoring, and family support, you will nurture an eager child in a circle of care so they may succeed in school.
Will you complete HER Circle of Care?
Through one-on-one reading and math tutoring, and family support, you will nurture an eager child in a circle of care so they may succeed in school.
When Families Are Equipped, Children Succeed
All families want to help their kids. However, many need additional support to help their child thrive. It begins with providing parents with information about what their child is currently learning and how they’re progressing. Combined with in-home educational materials and coaching, the parents develop the confidence and skills to support their child’s learning. Importantly, families need to receive all of this in the language spoken at home so they clearly understand it.
With the help of technology and caring, intentional outreach, you are helping build stronger bridges between home and school.
With the help of technology and caring, intentional outreach, all this is now possible. Through FamilyBridge, we’ve supported over 75 families this year to improve in-home learning for the kids. It’s just a start, but we are beginning to see the results! With your generosity, in the 2025–2026 school year, we hope to double the number of students and families we serve through FamilyBridge.
Your gifts will help ensure that all of the children and families in our programs have the tools and support to thrive in this circle of care.
Will you help build stronger bridges between home and school?
