Overview and Accomplishments
OCASA is a community collaborative dedicated to expanding and strengthening local organizational capacity to ensure high-quality comprehensive after school programs for all Oakland youth. Our members are primarily providers of academic enrichment and youth development services to children and youth in after-school programs in Oakland. We are working with OUSD (Oakland Unified School District), OFCY (Oakland Fund for Children and Youth), the Oakland After-School Coordinating Team, community-based organizations, and other city and county agencies to create a powerful citywide advocacy voice for the CBO community and a pragmatic infrastructure that supports high-quality, sustainable after-school programming.
OCASA will play a pivotal role in the coming years as an advocate for sustaining successful programs, raising political awareness about the necessity of youth development programs and assisting in establishing new programs where possible.
Advocating for and implementing policies that build and sustain comprehensive after-school programs: In 2004, OFCY, in coordination with OCASA and the OUSD, created the After-School Initiative, earmarking $3.5 million as match for comprehensive after-school programs funded through 21st Century grants. OCASA played a key role in connecting community-based after-school program providers with schools funded through the Initiative.
Last September, OCASA brought together after school providers in partnership with the OUSD SUCCESS Office, OFCY, and Safe Passages, to discuss and move forward the Oakland After-School Initiative. To continue this work, we held a successful Follow up membership meeting to prepare existing and potential lead agencies for application for OFCY-related After School Initiative funds.
In 2005 OCASA members played a significant role in shaping the after school strategies in OFCY’s 2006-2010 Strategic Plan. OCASA’s efforts resulted in the adoption of comprehensive after school programs as the high priority strategy for elementary and middle school students, with the allocation of 50% of OFCY funding. For the 2006-2007 school year that will be $5 million
Building an infrastructure to support after-school programs: In partnership with the OUSD Oakland SUCCESS Office, OCASA has contracted with The Pear*e Consulting Group to develop a strategic plan for Oakland’s after school environment for the next decade. Consistent with OCASA’s vision of comprehensive after school for all Oakland youth by 2010, the plan presents a framing for reaching that vision using a phased approach and clearly defining roles for different partners. The expected implementation of Proposition 49 this year, leading to perhaps as much as $8 million dollars for after school programs in Oakland, has made this planning process even more important. OCASA intends to work to see the plan become a centerpiece of our goal to organize a permanent citywide infrastructure for after school for all.
Providing capacity building support for Oakland CBOs that wish to act as lead agencies or service providers for comprehensive after-school programs: OUSD’s SUCCESS Office recently committed $25,000 to fund OCASA to support less experienced CBOs to provide improved services and stronger management infrastructure within the citywide after-school effort. This is critical to meeting the challenge of implementing Proposition 49 should it roll out this coming school year.
Increasing Political Support: OCASA was successful in preparing for the Oakland City Council’s review of OFCY/Measure K in September 2003 by meeting with key city council members about their understanding and commitment to OFCY and preparing a proposal to make OFCY dollars work more effectively to provide services to Oakland’s young people.
Building on earlier meetings with City Council members and comments at public meetings, OCASA reached out to its members and others in the field to ask the City Council to finally address and repay $2.4 million owed to OFCY. A letter to the Council garnered the support of over 30 non-OCASA members and we are continuing to push this issue, and expect a favorable settlement in late April. This advocacy effort is part of OCASA’s broader goal to ensure that Measure K, the initiative that authorized OFCY, is reauthorized by 2009 (when it is set to expire).
Promoting service providers and parents as decision-makers: Safe Passages is a public/private effort to help children in Oakland grow up safely and lead productive lives. In order to increase the voice of the provider community in the Safe Passages process, OCASA organized its constituents to influence Safe Passages to create new Board positions for community representatives, as well as providing input on the selection of provider and parent representatives on the Oakland After-School Coordinating Team (OASCT) hosted by Safe Passages. Currently six OCASA members serve on this body, strengthening the provider voice.
Advocating for community-based organizations: OCASA has served tirelessly as a voice for CBOs providing after-school and school-linked services within OUSD. OCASA has worked with the District to improve its ability to process contracts and payments to organizations that provide school-linked programs. OCASA has met several times with the OUSD State Administrator, Dr. Randy Ward, to share ideas on how to design and develop effective contracting and accounting systems for out-of-school services. OCASA has also met frequently with the OUSD SUCCESS Office to coordinate training and other efforts on behalf of after-school programs in Oakland.
Sharing information about high quality after-school programming: OCASA collaborated with six other youth development organizations to present the 2003 California After-School Summit. The conference was an overwhelming success, convening 250 participants, 40 speakers and panelists, and more than 25 organizations represented at resource-sharing tables.
Urban Strategies Council, a community building intermediary organization and one of the founders of OCASA, is OCASA's fiscal sponsor. Founded as a non-profit in 1987, the Council’s mission is to reduce persistent poverty by helping to transform low-income neighborhoods into vibrant, healthy communities. The Council provides research and data analysis, strategic planning, program development, capacity building and advocacy in service of low-income communities. The Council works with residents of low-income communities, community-based organizations, and major public systems to expand services for children and families, improve health, educational and other outcomes, and increase employment, wealth building, and other economic opportunities.
last updated April 17, 2006