Summer is almost over, school is starting back up. Savor the last days of summer with one of these great summer reads! You can find read-aloud guides for each of these titles here: https://www.oaklandreads.org/readingtown #summerreading #oaklandisareadingtown #oaklandreads

There were rooftop views and a lot of gratitude as we celebrated the volunteers who helped reach 12,283 students across 32 schools. Did you know that one of our OLC volunteers is also a recently published local author? See the link in comments to find out who!

Action grantees are doing great things this month! Join tonight's Storytime for Dads on Zoom, and Storyland Collective will be at Prescott Market this Saturday. Stay tuned for more amazing offerings from some of our Reading Town partners later this month. #readingbringsustogether #oaklandreads

We're thrilled to announce our Literacy and Justice for All 2027 keynotes: Dr. Kymyona Burk and Hilderbrand Pelzer III. Dr. Burk led Mississippi's historic literacy turnaround. Pelzer is an educator and author who led the turnaround of a school inside one of the nation's largest urban jail systems.

Stay tuned - the RFP for next spring's symposium opens this Friday, June 26! Visit https://f.mtr.cool/xjafwhjcdy to see highlights from previous years and information for 2027. #literacyandjusticeforall #lj4all

See you between 12 and 4 pm today at Defremery Park! We'll be there with free books, and some people will get a chance to read to Reeter the dog!

This year, we mark a decade of building literacy equity in Oakland. This summer, we're inviting supporters to invest in Oakland's children. Your gift expands access, supports families & educators, and helps more kids become confident readers. Give today: https://f.mtr.cool/oihiowagri

This will be a great speaker series from our friends at the California Reading and Literature Project! Looking forward to learning from Dr. Pittman.

Last day to apply for Summer Action Grants! Eligible orgs can get up to $500 in grants + books to support literacy projects that make reading interactive, social, and joyful. 📚🌟 ➡️ Learn more & apply: https://f.mtr.cool/xelscbawqm #oaklandisareadingtown #oaklandreads #readinghappenseverywhere

Applicants now have one week left to apply to our Reading Brings Us Together Summer Action Grants, which provide up to $500 in grants to support literacy projects that help cultivate a shared culture of reading across Oakland. 📖🌟 ➡️ Learn more & apply: bit.ly/OLCactiongrants

What a morning at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary! OLC staff and volunteers got to read to students for the API Read-in with the Oakland Ed Fund. Thank you to MLK and every educator who welcomed us! #AAPIHeritageMonth #OaklandReads #readalouds #AAPIHeritageMonth #OaklandReads #readalouds

Behind every child who picks up a book with confidence is a teacher who believed in them first. Thank you to every educator building literacy, one reader at a time. 💛 #TeacherAppreciationWeek

Join us for an interactive webinar with Jill Lauren from Whole Phonics, and Nancy Eberhardt and Tamika Reece from ReadWorks, to explore practical, joyful ways to build sentence-level understanding using ReadWorks resources! 📖 ➡️ Link to register: bit.ly/Syntax-2026

Last week at the 3rd Annual OUSD LitFest, Mayor Barbara Lee & OUSD leadership joined us to launch Oakland Is a Reading Town, a campaign to build a reading culture across every Oakland neighborhood. Is your organization ready to be part of it?  → http://oaklandreads.org/readingtown #OaklandReads

Yesterday Mayor Barbara Lee, OUSD leadership, & the Oakland Literacy Coalition launched Oakland Is a Reading Town, a campaign to build a city where every student is a confident, joyful reader. Is your organization in? Sign the pledge: http://www.oaklandreads.org/readingtown #OaklandReads

Our application is now open for our Reading Brings Us Together Summer 2026 Action Grants!🌟 Our Action Grants support literacy projects outside of school time that cultivate a shared culture of reading for Oakland youth.📖 ❤️ ➡️ Apply: bit.ly/OLCactiongrants  #summerofreading #readinghappenseverywhere

Saturday was National School Librarian Day and April is School Library Month. We appreciate Oakland school library staff for everything they do to foster belonging, joy, and discovery for students across 66 libraries!  #schoollibrarylove #schoollibrarymonth

March 31 is Trans Day of Visibility! Here are just a few of our favorite titles to read with kids that celebrate and share the experiences of trans and non-binary people. #transdayofvisibility See our full LGBTQIA+ Kids Book List here: https://bookshop.org/lists/olc-lgbtqia-kids-book-list

What do pizza, dinosaurs, and pilots have in common? They've all got a schwa, an unstressed vowel. Join us for a free webinar on April 14 to explore why vowels are the MVPs of decoding and help students unlock the mystery and magic of the schwa. Link to register: http://bit.ly/Schwa-2026

We believe Oakland can get this right. But it requires leaders to show up with a clear plan — not just for budget stabilization, but for the children counting on a system that works. Sanam Jorjani in EdSource today: https://edsource.org/2026/literacy-cuts-threaten-progress/753006

Program update: Unfortunately, Carmita Semaan will not be able to be with us for the welcome reception and Fireside Chat this Friday. We're pleased that Dr. Jacquelyn Ollison from UC Berkeley Center for Research on Expanding Educational Opportunities (CREEO) will be joining the program in her place.

Did you order your Literacy & Justice for All shirts and bags yet? The deadline was extended to Feb. 13 for pre-orders - order now to guarantee your size will be available:  https://www.literacyandjusticeforall.org/shop

Announcing our #LJ4All opening reception program for March 6! We’re thrilled to have the 2025 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate opening our program, followed by an incredible Fireside Chat. Registration required, and space is limited. https://www.literacyandjusticeforall.org/register2026

We're excited to announce the afternoon plenary session for the 2026 Literacy & Justice for All symposium! Maryanne Wolf, Esther Quintero, and Yolie Flores will discuss "Language and Literacy: Connecting Policy, Practice, and Possibility."

New #LJ4All sessions just announced: Cristina Howery of @Fishtank Learning will host a lunch table talk on Promoting Equity Through Close Reading

We’re very close to meeting our $25,000 goal! If you’ve been considering a year-end gift, we invite you to make your 2025 tax-deductible donation by the end of today. Now is the perfect time to join our community in supporting Oakland’s young readers! Http://Bit.ly/GiveOLC25

New #LJ4All sessions just announced: Dr. Antonio A. Fierro of @95PercentGroup will present on Pathways to Literacy Equity: A Focus on Phonemic Awareness, Sound/Spelling Walls, and Cross-Linguistic Connections

Shoutout to our Silver Sponsors! 🌟 Huge thanks to @AIMInstitute, @CurriculumAssociates, and @AlbertShankerInstitute for making Literacy & Justice for All 2026 possible. Together, we're transforming literacy learning. March 6-7, 2026 → https://f.mtr.cool/dblnbghche #LiteracyAndJustice2026

Grateful to 95 Percent Group for becoming a Gold Sponsor of the Literacy & Justice for All Symposium! Your support helps make this symposium possible for educators & leaders working toward literacy justice for every child. Join us March 6-7, 2026 → http://www.literacyandjusticeforall..org

Thank you to @fulcrumliteracy.bsky.social  for supporting the Literacy & Justice for All Symposium! We are honored to partner with you and grateful for all the ways you stand up for kids' right to read!