RJ's Success Story: How Oakland Family Services' Children's Learning Center Helps Children Develop Crucial Skills for Lifelong Learning

RJ, now four, has been attending Oakland Family Services’ Children’s Learning Center preschool for two years, and according to his father, Ramon, he “absolutely loves it.” When RJ first began attending the Children’s Learning Center as a toddler, he was essentially developing on target, but his parents and teachers were concerned with how his communication skills were developing. Initially, he had difficulty pronouncing words and expressing his emotions verbally. He would often act out his frustration and sadness rather than using words to communicate how he was feeling.

Oakland Family Services’ Children’s Learning Center offers high-quality childcare and preschool for children 12 months through five years. It uses the nationally recognized HighScope model of early learning and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The HighScope curriculum promotes independence, decision making, cooperation, creativity and problem solving. It also supports young children to improve their literacy and cognitive skills, helping them develop a lifelong approach to learning along with having a significant impact on their future goals and successes.

RJ’s father noted that RJ has improved in expressing himself and his thoughts more clearly since attending the Children’s Learning Center. The teachers at Oakland Family Services encourage children to express their feelings and thoughts, giving them the skills to do this and avoid getting upset or frustrated. “They are getting the kids to talk about their feelings rather than get angry,” says Ramon.

Ms. Carolyn, RJ’s teacher, says “When RJ started at the Children’s Learning Center, he was the youngest in the class. I had a hard time understanding him when he would talk to me. He would get frustrated and would cry at times. Now, this year, he has really grown tremendously; he is a like a different child. His vocabulary has developed.”

RJ was taught how to express his feelings in healthy and constructive ways, and his parents say that this helped him develop the skills and confidence needed to navigate challenges and develop a stronger sense of self and greater resilience.

Areanna, RJ’s mother, praised the school’s curriculum, including team-building exercises, number recognition and other activities that have helped RJ build skills. “He was really excited to learn to spell and to write, to show us, to write his name and to do his numbers”, says Areanna.

Like many children, RJ recently began to express anxiety about going to kindergarten. Those fears have since been allayed and RJ’s parents credit the Children’s Learning Center for helping their son build confidence by introducing him to new experiences and friends and building his skills. “We are 100% sure he’s gotten this confidence from being at this school,” Ramon states.

The Children’s Learning Centers’ quality early education and preschool program provides children with the skills they need to enter school ready to succeed. The early learning a child receives both at home and in preschool is important because 90% of a child’s brain develops by age five. Supporting early learning before starting kindergarten is vital for how a child’s brain develops. A good preschool program helps children want to learn more about their world. This builds their character and could spark a lifelong love of learning.

Areanna, states, “This intent is always for them to grow, and this program gives kids the best opportunity to do that. This school is a really good choice because of the understanding, the consistency and focusing on having [the children] prepared for the next step.”

Learn more about our Children’s Learning Centers and enroll your child in preschool here.