Welcoming the New Year

From 4Cs

January 18, 2023

A Note From Our Executive Director

Dear friend of 4Cs,

Happy New Year! With a new year upon us, I’ve spent some time looking back on the incredible work of our team and, more importantly, the impact of that work. In December, during our annual toy distribution event, I met Ms. Johnson, a grandmother who attended the event to pick up a few special gifts for her grandchildren. While chatting, Ms. Johnson shared with me that her own children attended 4Cs’ Child Development Center program decades ago and how grateful she was for the life-changing impact that our child care site and the free care and education it provided were for her and her family. After a few minutes of sharing about how her children and grandchildren are thriving, Ms. Johnson pulled out her purse and insisted on making a meaningful donation to our agency. Her words and token of gratitude remind me of how much our work matters. Testimonials like Ms. Johnson’s keep us grounded and working every day to serve our community.

As I flipped my calendar to 2023, another parent shared their gratitude along with a generous donation: 4C was incredible with helping my family at the onset of COVID...as my wife was/is an essential worker, we qualified for tuition subsidies for our daycare so we could handle our work priorities while knowing our sons were in great hands with our daycare provider. It was a tremendous help and we are so grateful we were able to qualify for assistance. I hope this donation can be used to help other families like 4Cs helped us. Thank you! The work of our team and those that support us and the families we serve are critical especially in this time of great need.

Whether you were a client 50 years ago when 4Cs was just opening its doors, a current family receiving our support, a child care champion, advocate, or partner of 4Cs, we appreciate you. Your supportive words mean so much and we look forward to continuing our dedication to serving our Alameda County community as we welcome the new year.

Be well,

Renee S. Herzfeld

Chief Executive Officer

Community Spotlight

Edgar Chávez

Executive Director, Hayward Promise Neighborhoods

“I'd like to thank the 4Cs community for being champions of our early learning efforts, both on the ground and at the policy level. I'm a better leader for working alongside you all and look forward to expanding and deepening our work in a way that continues to improve systems and environments for families in our neighborhoods.”

Since 2020, when Edgar Chávez stepped into the Executive Director role at Hayward Promise Neighborhoods (HPN), he has become a close partner, advocate, and supporter of 4Cs of Alameda County. Raised in Hayward and now serving the community that he calls home, Edgar knows the importance of early care and education in shaping a brighter future for families. He acknowledges and thanks 4Cs of Alameda County for their role as a core partner of HPN at its inception in 2012 and as the collective’s Early Learning Network leader. Edgar is grateful for 4Cs staff’s expertise in early learning and community engagement and appreciates the deep partnership and connections that 4Cs has brought into the HPN work. Thank you, Edgar, for your unwavering support and leadership, and we look forward to continuing our partnership in serving the Hayward community.

4Cs provides a variety of programs and supports for families in Hayward. Learn more about the programs here.

News

Holiday Toyland at 4Cs

Our RISE program’s Holiday Toy Giveaway took place on December 16, with a follow-up event on December 21. And this year, it was bigger and better than ever! Thanks to generous donations, 4Cs was able to put brand new toys into the hands of 375 children ages 0-13 years. Some of the children attended the events, where they were able to choose their own toys. Others were surprised later by gifts their parents selected for them. Along with the two toys per child, families also had the opportunity to shop for gently-used clothing and food, including fresh oranges, sweet potatoes, and eggs, along with holiday favorites like cranberry sauce and green beans.

We are grateful for the many partners who made this giveaway possible, including Toys for Tots, Fremont Hospital, Park Day School in Oakland, Mizuho OSI, Lucid Motors, the Pioneer Bookstore at CSU East Bay, Alameda County Community Food Bank, and the many staff and friends of 4Cs that donated through our Amazon Wishlist and in person. The weather was cold, but the atmosphere in our little corner of Hayward was full of anticipation and excitement, collaboration and community. Those bright eyes and big smiles said it all!

View all the joyful photos of the Holiday Toy Giveaway event here.

Monthly Food Giveaways Support Families Despite the Weather

A little rain (or a lot of rain) hasn’t kept the 4Cs RISE program from offering our monthly food giveaway the first Thursday of each month. Thanks to our partnership with the Alameda County Community Food Bank, we are able to offer staples such as rice, beans, oats and cereal, pasta, canned fruits and vegetables, juice, and shelf-stable milk. We also provide fresh fruit and vegetable options, as well as eggs or other proteins, when available. Food is offered in our open-air garage, and shoppers must bring their own bags.

Two Open Seats for the Alameda County Early Care and Education Planning Council (ACECEPC)

The Alameda County Early Care and Education Planning Council (ACECEPC), also known as LPC (Local Planning Council), is seeking interested community members to apply for:

• Provider Representative seat appointed by the District 4 County Board of Supervisor

• Discretionary Seat for District 5 appointed by the County Superintendent of Schools

** For Provider Representative ** - we are seeking an individual who lives or works in District 4 (Oakland, Pleasanton, Ashland, Castlewood, Cherryland, Castro Valley, Fairview, Happy Valley, Hillcrest Knolls, San Lorenzo, Sunol) AND, who currently is a provider of a child/children between the ages of 0-12 years old. Early educators (teachers working directly with children in a classroom environment) are also welcomed to apply.

Application for Provider Representative:

https://forms.gle/rYBQeDZzPWUtDjuP7

** For Discretionary Seat ** - we are seeking an individual who lives or works in District 5 (Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Piedmont, and West Oakland, North Oakland, Rockridge, Grand Lake, and portions of the Fruitvale, Manzanita and Dimond District neighborhoods).

Application for Discretionary Seat:

https://forms.gle/YZxYtoekABAKbLPa6

Deadline: February 2, 5pm

Applicants will be notified by February 9 if their application will be recommended for consideration and vote at the March 17 Steering Committee meeting.

For any questions, please contact Council Coordinator, Susan Jeong at sjeong@acoe.org or (510) 670-4549.

Information about the ACECEPC can be found at https://www.aclpc.org.

Resources

Free Tax Preparation and Filing at 4Cs

4Cs of Alameda County is proud to bring free tax preparation and filing to our community beginning February 2, 2023 and until the (recently extended) tax filing deadline of May 18, 2023. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program volunteers at 4Cs provide free tax help to community members who made less than $75,000 in 2022. VITA services are available to families and individuals virtually, in-person, and through drop-off services. For more information and to make an appointment, visit 4calameda.org/parents-families/free-tax-preparation-filing.

Featured Events & Trainings

Play & Learn Playgroup

Wednesdays & Fridays | February 1 - 22 | 9:30am-12:30pm

Virtual

Are you a Grandparent, Aunt, Uncle, Family Friend or Neighbor? Join us for a morning of fun, activity, Storytime, and movement for children ages 3-5 years and their caregivers* (Grandparent, Aunt, Uncle, Family, Friend, or Neighbor). Participants will receive materials, incentives and might be eligible to receive a stipend. You can sign up for one or all of the sessions in this 4-week series.

If you have questions, contact playgroup@4c-alameda.org or (510) 736-2797.