Brilliant Baby December Newsletter
Dear BB Community,
Hello Brilliant Baby Family! Happy holidays to you and your family. This month we would like to formally introduce Erika Wei. She started with us many years ago when she enrolled her son in the program. She then became one of the parent producers for the Cantonese speaking community. As a Community Support Specialist, Erika’s new role is to assist clients for whom Cantonese or Mandarin is their preferred language. She enrolls new families into Brilliant Baby, responds to their questions and supports them during program events. She also provides translation services to the Brilliant Baby team and joins us at community tabling events. Erika is available Monday-Friday from 10am till 3pm. If you have any questions or need assistance from Erika please text or call her at 510-256-7177. You can also contact her on Wechat or through her Brilliant Baby email (erika@oaklandpromise.org). Finally, families may also reach her by texting "BBHelp" to our Customer Service Department at (510) 726-7809. The Brilliant Baby team is excited to have Erika helping the Brilliant Baby community in new ways, and we are looking forward to her supporting even more families in the new year!
Program Highlights
As of December 1st, 1,913 babies in Oakland (including yours) have opened a Brilliant Baby College Savings Account! We are super excited to have reached this milestone and 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 or resources from BB Coaches and community-based organizations. On December 5th, our partners at Tandem will lead a workshop called "All-Day Word Play" for our Spanish-speaking communities. On the same day, Parent Producer Yammie will host a workshop called, “Saving and Making Money with Crafts” for the Cantonese speaking community.
On December 12th Tandem will host the same meeting for our English-speaking families. On December 14th, the Alameda County Food Bank will host a workshop for the English and Cantonese speaking families. They will be sharing the resources that they offer. They will host the same meeting for our Spanish speaking community on December 15th. 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.
In-person Community Connection Appreciation
On behalf of the entire Brilliant Baby team, we want to thank everyone who participated at our in-person community connection events this November. Both days were filled with joy, community and learning. This was a significant milestone for the Oakland Promise Brilliant Baby Team, as it was the first time since 2019 that we had the pleasure of hosting any in-person community connection events. We are so glad you were there with us! Thank you for taking the time to bring yourself and your family and for spending the morning with us. We also want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Tandem and OUSD’s Early Childhood Education Department who played a part in making each event exceptional. We appreciate the information and resources you shared with our families. Above all, thank you to all our families for being in community with us.
TK & Kindergarten Application Process 24-25
Listed above is the transitional kindergarten & kindergarten application process for the
2024-25 school year in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). Learn about all of the schools and find their online enrollment application at this website: https://www.chooseousd.org/.
If your Brilliant Baby’s birthday falls within any of the ranges you see on the chart, they can be enrolled in an OUSD school. If you are uncertain about which program your child can attend, please read the age chart. Follow the instructions above and remember to collect all the required documents. You will need one current proof of address. The parent or caregiver who is enrolling the
child also will need a form of identification. You will also have to include the child's birth certificate.
We encourage you to start the application process as soon as possible. Listed below are important dates for the application process. If you need help enrolling your child, please call or visit one of the OUSD Enrollment Support centers included on the chart. Also, we are excited to let you know that on Saturday, January 27 and Saturday, February 3, OUSD will host special in-person events to help families with the enrollment process. We’ll keep you posted about exact times and locations for these events.
Enrollment Timeline
On time application window opens
December 1, 2023
On time application window closes
February 10, 2024
Late applications window opens
February 11, 2024
On-time offers released to families
March 6, 2024
Deadline to accept on-time offers
March 27, 2024
Community Connection Payments Ending
The Brilliant Baby team is very happy that families have been attending our Community Connections. We hope everyone will continue to join us at every session we offer in their preferred language! We want to make sure to update everyone about a major change. Our enrollment has increased, and more and more people are choosing to attend Community Connections each month, which is great news for Oakland families! With our expanded participation, however, we can no longer offer stipends for attending Community Connections starting in January 2024. We will continue giving families a $300 stipend for participating in financial coaching though!
We understand that these changes will have an impact on you. We want to make sure you know we are here to help you in any way we can. If you have questions about any of the changes described, please text “BBhelp” to our Customer Service Department at (510) 726-7809 or email us at brilliantbaby@oaklandpromise.org. Thank you again for being part of our Brilliant Baby Community. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming Community Connection!
As the holidays approach, we want to make sure our Brilliant Baby parents and caregivers can protect themselves from fraud or other scams. Although identity fraud and other scams can happen anytime, we hope that sharing this information before the holiday season can help our families. Con artists and criminals are targeting people whom they assume have access to money. These scams can happen on the phone, through the mail, e-mail, or over the internet. Beware - this is not something that only happens through the internet. Scams can also occur in person, at home, or at a business. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, here are some tips to protect you and your family:
Don’t share numbers or passwords for accounts, credit cards, or your Social Security number.
Never pay up front for a promised prize. It’s a scam if you are told that you must pay fees or taxes to receive a prize or other financial windfall.
After hearing a sales pitch, take time to compare prices. Ask for information in writing and read it carefully.
Too good to be true? Ask yourself why someone is trying so hard to give you a “great deal.” If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Watch out for deals that are only “good today” and that pressure you to act quickly. Walk away from high-pressure sales tactics that don’t allow you time to read a contract or get legal advice before signing. Also, don’t fall for the sales pitch that says you need to pay immediately, for example, by wiring the money or sending it by courier.
Put your number on the National Do Not Call Registry. Go to www.donotcall.gov or call (888) 382-1222.
If you have any more questions about popular scams to look out for, or if you would like to read more about ways to protect yourself, we encourage you to take a look at other CFPB questions regarding financial scams or check the FTC’s website.
CalKIDS
California just started an exciting new CalKIDS program a little like Brilliant Baby! They are opening College Savings Accounts (like my529) for every new baby born in California, and all for low-income public school students in grades 1-12! California uses Scholarshare rather than my529, but it works similarly.
Babies born between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023 receive a $25 seed deposit in a CalKIDS account plus another $25 deposit in your CalKIDS account once you register on the CalKIDS online portal. Babies born on July 1, 2023 or later get a $100 seed deposit! According to their website (www.calkids.org), "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 registering 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, please use our text help line to let us know so we can update your information in our system. 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 or need us to update your contact information, text "BB Help" at 510-726-7809, and one of our team members will reply.
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