Partnerships are Key to Thriving Communities

While we’re seeing more people living in poverty, we’re also seeing an increase in wealth. That means that we have local resources to repair the tatters in the fabric that holds our communities together. We can do it through a new approach to solving these problems – one based on partnerships among business, government, and philanthropy to speed the transformation of those most in need through support for early education programs and for new economic opportunities. Government alone doesn’t have the resources to solve the problems.

We know what needs to be done:

1. For today’s young children: Improve the quality and quantity of child care and education programs for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers. Support parents as a child’s first and most important teachers. Help kids make a successful transition to kindergarten. Encourage children to become lifelong readers. Provide programs for young children that build a foundation of competence in math and science.

2. For today’s adults and families: Increase access to living-wage employment through training for high-demand occupations. Support programs that transition to work individuals reentering communities after incarceration, those with limited skills and others who face barriers to employment and self-sufficiency. Help low-income individuals and families build and protect financial assets to get a leg up. Support microenterprise, entrepreneurism and asset-building for those excluded from economic opportunities.

The research we have conducted is a sobering wake-up call for community action. The East Bay Community Foundation has reprioritized its programs and initiatives to begin to address the persistent challenges facing our region -- with a strong focus on preparing young children to succeed in the education system and on fostering economic opportunity adults and families in need.

Transforming our region is possible. It can happen if we leverage the power of many. Together we can change lives and change our communities. The time to start is now and it’s not a moment too soon.

The East Bay Community Foundation is a leading resource for mobilizing financial resources and community leadership to transform the lives of people in the East Bay with pressing needs.