Brilliant Baby June Newsletter
Dear BB Community,
Hello Brilliant Baby Fam! Last month the Oakland Promise community celebrated over 900 scholars and their families as they received over $3.6M to continue their education in college. East Oakland native and NBA star Juan Toscano-Anderson joined us at our annual awards ceremony as our keynote speaker to recognize students' academic achievements across Oakland. This annual event showcases the honor and joy we have for supporting our young people on their journeys from cradle to career.
We want to encourage Brilliant Baby families to stay involved long after your child moves on to elementary school! Oakland Promise supports students from cradle to career by offering College Savings Accounts and scholarships to students of various ages. If your baby is starting kindergarten this year or you have a current elementary student at an Oakland public school, don't hesitate to email k2c@oaklandpromise.org to learn about Oakland Promise’s Kindergarten to College program. If you currently have a middle or high school student, send a message to collegeaccess@oaklandpromise.org to learn about our College Access program! If you were a Brilliant Baby parent in attendance at this year’s awards ceremony, thank you for your support, and congratulations to you and your scholar! We look forward to celebrating a new group of scholars next year!
1,500 Brilliant Babies!
We are excited to announce that we enrolled our 1,500th Brilliant Baby in April! Reaching 1,500 babies was a significant milestone for us, and as promised, we did not slow down. We are thrilled to announce we have surpassed our enrollment goal for this year! As always, we want to thank our community partners. This goal could not have been achieved without the support of our community. Thank you for your role in helping us reach this goal. We are grateful for your partnership and look forward to supporting families alongside you. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to the Oakland community.
Program Highlights
As of June 1st, 1,565 babies in Oakland (including yours) have opened a Brilliant Baby College Savings Account! We are super excited to have reached this milestone. We are happy you are all part of our growing Brilliant Baby family!
Community Connections happen every month on Zoom. You will have the opportunity to learn more about early childhood development while also continuing to get financial tips from BB Coaches and community-based organizations. On June 15th, our partners at Tandem will lead a workshop called “Talking About the Tough Stuff Part 1” for our English and Cantonese-speaking communities. On June 8th, Tandem will teach the same workshop in Spanish.
On June 13th, MUA will host a presentation for our Spanish-speaking families. To learn about their services, visit their website: https://mujeresunidas.net/. Finally, our Cantonese-speaking families can join Brilliant Baby Financial Coach rita on June 27th to close out this month’s events. If you have questions about Community Connections, please text “BBHelp” to our Customer Service Department at (510) 726-7809 or email us at brilliantbaby@oaklandpromise.org.
Apply for Medi-Cal before July 1st
Now is the time to renew your Medi-Cal! During Covid-19, you did not have to re-register. On April 1st California started to require yearly Medicaid eligibility reviews. They will use this information to determine if you or your family member(s) are still eligible for Medi-Cal. Make sure you read the steps below to get ready to renew.
According to the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), here are three steps to get ready to renew your Medi-Cal.
Update your information! Log into your account to make sure Medi-Cal has your current home address, phone number and email address
Remember to check your mailbox. The County will mail you a letter about your Medi-Cal eligibility. You may need to complete a renewal form. If you’re sent a renewal form, submit your information by mail, phone, in-person, or online, so you don’t lose your coverage.
Sign up for updates by clicking the button below. Get general updates about what is happening with Medi-Cal renewals by signing up for email and text messages.
Summer Programs at the Public Library
This summer, we want to encourage Brilliant Baby families to participate in the Oakland Public Library Summer Reading program. They have programs for various age groups for children from 0-14 years old. If you participate in the program and read to your child for 20 days during the summer, you will be eligible to win a free book and other prizes. Listed below are the rewards you may win by participating in the program. You will be automatically entered into a raffle after completing your 20 days of reading and turning in your reading sheet to one of the Oakland Public Library locations. We also encourage you to sign up by Wednesday, June 21st, to be eligible for the special Grand Prize.
Grand Prizes:
3-night family stay at Oakland Feather River Family Camp**
A Nintendo Switch
A family membership to Children’s Fairyland
Other Prizes Include:
Ticket vouchers to an Oakland A’s game
Passes to the MADE, Oakland’s all-playable video game museum
A Ukulele or a Science Kit
Folkmanis puppets
Bookmark Bookstore gift certificates
San Francisco Bay Ferry tickets
Lake Merritt boat rentals
East Oakland Sports Center pool passes
And more!
Click below to sign-up!
Summer Food Programs
In April, we were disappointed to report the temporary boost in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits ended in March 2023. We know this change may have impacted many Brilliant Baby families. Now that the school year is ending, we understand that families may need access to more free food services. In the previous newsletter, we included a list of food distribution services in Oakland. We wanted to ensure families know about Oakland's Summer Food Service Program. According to the City of Oakland website, "The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) delivers free snacks and lunch during summer break, providing access to nutritious meals at convenient locations throughout the city while school is out of session. Healthy meals help children get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow - and this makes children better prepared to start another school year."
Click below to see the full list of open food sites.
If you need additional support locating free food, please text "BBHelp" to our Customer Service Department at (510) 726-7809 or email us at brilliantbaby@oaklandpromise.org.
CalKIDS
California just started an exciting new program called CalKIDS that is a little like Brilliant Baby! They are opening College Savings Accounts (like my529) for every baby born July 1, 2022 or later as well as all for low income public school students in grades 1-12! California is using a company called Scholarshare rather than my529, but it works in just the same way.
According to their website, “CalKIDS is a program that helps children in California get access to higher education, especially those from traditionally underserved communities. Enrollment in CalKIDS is automatic. Eligible beneficiaries are identified by the California Department of Public Health and the California Department of Education. No action or financial commitment is required of families to participate.”
CalKIDS receives information on newborns approximately 90 days after they are born.
Eligible newborns receive a $25 seed deposit in a CalKIDS account. You will receive another $25 deposit in your CalKIDS account when you register on the CalKIDSonline portal.
To check your baby’s eligibility click the link below.
Do you know how to check the balance
of your Brilliant Baby CSA
at my529.org?
Before you go, let's check-in! We hope you check your child's CSA account periodically. Remember, when your baby graduates from high school, they can use this money for college or trade school! If you move, you can change your address online to keep receiving the statements at your home.
Additionally, getting in the habit of checking your account helps remind you that this account exists. We want to ensure every family knows how to access their account. Attached to the button below is a document to help you log into your account. If you have additional questions about your account, text "BB Help" at 510-726-7809, and one of our team members will respond.
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