Oakland Elementary Schoolers Get a Taste of UC Berkeley Life

BAY AREA, CA -- More than 1,000 students and families from 30 Oakland Unified School District elementary schools escorted around the University of California at Berkeley campus on Saturday as part of a special program by Oakland Promise.

The program, which began in 2016, aims to increase the number of college graduates from Oakland. It's a partnership between the City of Oakland, the school district and other organizations.

Saturday's college tour was part of the Oakland Promise "Kindergarten to College" initiative. Bringing young children to the campus helps them visualize themselves as college-bound, according to Tina Linarez, whose daughter Camara participates in the program.

"Oakland Promise Kindergarten to College demonstrates the power of creating a college-bound identity in our youngest students," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement.

The initiative provides an early college scholarship of $100 to every student and encourages teachers to promote a college-bound identity for students. Also, it provides technical assistance to families to open college savings accounts, offering up to $100 in incentives.

The money is deposited in what is known as a 529 plan, which are specifically designed to encourage early and affordable college savings. All withdrawals from the account used for higher education expense are tax-free.

The Oakland Promise program has helped send about 1,100 students to college, in concert with the East Bay College Fund, spokeswoman Maggie Croushore said. The program also provides support to the students while they are in college, and has awarded more than $8 million to its students.

Bay City News journalist Janis Mara contributed to this report.