We’re here to help children learn to love their world. At the Oak Park Preschool, your child gets what he or she needs to develop their best mind, their love of learning, their personality, and their bright future.

Oak Park Preschool Goals

  • Build respectful and responsive relationships
  • Create a safe, positive and caring learning environment
  • Develop critical and creative thinkers
  • Teach and practice life skills
  • Develop life-long learners and caring citizens
  • On-going parent communication

We understand that each student is unique and teach to all different learning styles. Our intimate setting allows for us to focus on your child’s individual needs. Recognizing that our students learn in various capacities, we make certain that our activities vary, with projects that include auditory, visual and tactile learners.

History and Background of Oak Park Preschool

The original Oak Park Preschool, Incorporated (OPP) was established in 1966 by the Eta Gamma Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. as a voluntary summer project. It is located at 3500 2nd Avenue, Sacramento California, 95817. This program is one of the very first California State Preschool Programs established under the direct tutelage of Dr. Wilson Riles, then the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the first African American to hold that office.

In 1977, Oak Park Preschool was granted a private, non-profit tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service under Section 501(3) (c) and California Franchise Tax Board under Section 23701 (d). This preschool has operated continuously for 56 years. It is funded and governed by the Child Development Division (CDD) of the California Department of Education (CDE. The program is licensed by the California Department of Health and Human Services and currently receives Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) support for two centers from this agency. Additionally, the preschool organization is a Certified Partner Agency of the United Way-California Capital Region.

young boy playing with water bottle

Oak Park Preschool, Inc. is operated under the direction of a voluntary board of directors. The board has standing committees to address all segments of the program. The preschool serves children who are three and four years old and their families residing in the Oak Park and outlying communities. Children who are enrolled in kindergarten are served before and after school. The original program was established to enroll thirty students in a two- session part day/school year program. This program was changed in 2016 to serve children in a full day session. Also in 2016, the board was awarded a competitive grant to expand the program for thirty (30) additional students for a part and full day program in an additional center. The second program opened in October, 2017 and is located in the Dr. Ephraim Williams Family Life Center at 4036 14th Avenue, Sacramento, 95820. This program is licensed to accommodate thirty, three and four years old children. Child Action refers children to be served by the program.

Of the sixty-four children during 2018-19, approximately one fourth of the students participated in the part day/ school year program where they receive an educational program. The remainder of students were enrolled in a full-day/full year program where in additional to an educational component, they receive specialized care. Since spring, 2019, there has been a considerable decrease in enrollment during because of the COVID-19 situation. Enrolled students meet the income eligibility and social criteria established by the California Department of Education for free and reduced enrollment. Students whose parents are employed, seeking employment, in training, are homeless, incapacitated, or are recommended by a social service agency are eligible to participate in the full day/full year program. Usually, payment for such services is awarded on a sliding scale based on family income. During the current fiscal year, free subsidies are provided for all eligible students. All currently enrolled students would otherwise qualify for free tuition. A waiting list is usually maintained should the centers have full enrollments during the program year.

The preschool population is multiethnic, multicultural, multiracial, and include non-English speakers. Oak Park Preschool participates in the Sacramento County

Department of Education’s Raising Quality Together Initiative and has a Tier 4 rating. All center staff is fully qualified for their assigned positions. The program staff continually engages in program planning and evaluation. The planning project is an effort to increase learning opportunities for students based on universal research regarding knowledge and skills essential for kindergarten entry, family involvement and staff development. We expect that the concentration on learning domains for early learners and the systematic approach to family involvement and communication will successfully prepare our students for kindergarten entry and learning success in general.

The program’s nutritional component includes a full breakfast and lunch daily, and an afternoon snack. This program includes frequent opportunities for children to participate in food preparation which is one of their favorite activities.

kids looking for an attire

The success of the program is assessed using a variety of measures. The most recent results verify that our students on an average meet and in some cases exceed criteria which assure their kindergarten success as well as their emotional well-being as they grow.

An original record of the founder’s original summer program has been included in the application materials for your review.

Program Philosophy

Oak Park Preschool emphasizes the whole child through active learning situations. We strive for a balanced, nurturing, caring developmental approach to education for children who are two to five years old. The program provides freedom for children to have spontaneous play and interaction, where they are able to make discoveries, explore, solve problems, and develop social skills. In addition, structured, teacher-directed activities provide for individualized and small group learning. The curriculum supports children as they develop the school readiness skills, self-esteem, and the executive functioning skills that promote long term school success.

Qualified staff and small class sizes allow each child to develop according to his or her own pace, interest and learning style. We emphasize encouragement as a vital role in each child’s development.

Mission and Goals

The Oak Park Preschool, Inc. aims to maintain a preschool with a well-trained staff in which children can develop physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially at their own pace in a secure setting. The program focuses on making each day a wholesome experience for each child, staff member and parent. The curriculum encourages and promotes total family education, involvement, and reinforcement by working with, helping and teaching parents numerous ways of assisting in their children’s educational development.

Specific Objectives

  • To promote whole child development in alignment with the California Preschool.
  • Foundations and Framework.
  • To provide an environment in which each child can develop through appropriate cognitive, social, and physical experiences and in which each child is encouraged to become a member of the group and to take part in activities, which will help him/her, achieve meaningful personal relationships.
  • To offer a dynamic nutrition program through which child’s nutritional needs are met through a balanced meal program which respects a child’s special dietary needs or family’s dietary restrictions.
  • To provide parents with a variety of opportunities to participate in the program, such as through participation in the parent advisory council, classroom volunteering, and meetings with teachers.
  • To help parents learn about the cognitive, social, and physical development of preschool children, to provide them with opportunities and activities to engage with their child’s learning at home, and to promote their skills as parents.
  • To promote among parents an understanding of their importance in the lives of their children.
  • To introduce parents to community resources, activities, and agencies, and to encourage use of these resources and facilities.