Every child should be given the opportunity to reach their full potential. And our work isn’t done until that happens. This is not just a look back at what we’ve accomplished—it’s a look ahead to how we’ll continue to support happy, healthy kids. We call it a Futurespective.
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FUTURESPECTIVE MORE JOY FOR MORE KIDS
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Every child should be given the opportunity to reach their full potential. And our work isn’t done until that happens. This is not just a look back at what we’ve accomplished—it’s a look ahead to how we’ll continue to support happy, healthy kids.
We call it a Futurespective.
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We were all kids once, so we know it’s hard enough to just be a kid. And when you don’t have the right resources and support, it’s almost impossible to focus on just being you. That’s something no kid should have to go through.
That’s why we do what we do.
We launched Eat. Learn. Play. as we saw the tremendous need that existed in our adopted hometown of Oakland. In our first five years we have been working with our partners to provide the resources and support kids need to live happy, healthy lives. Continuing to make a positive impact within the Oakland school system, providing access to healthy food, offering critical literacy support, and creating incredible spaces to play. In this Futurespective, we’re proud to share what we’ve been working on and how we’re going to deepen our partnerships, expand our Oakland community, and do more for kids. Thanks to your donations, volunteer time, and support, Eat. Learn. Play. has come so far. And with your help we can uplift an entire generation of Oakland youth. Because our plan is to keep it up— keep making more kids happy.
Stephen and Ayesha Curry
WHY WE’RE HERE
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
WHERE WE’RE GOING
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40%
So many kids don’t have what they need
Approximately 40% of students across the nation cannot read at a basic level. Struggling readers suffer socially and emotionally
In Oakland, 30% of rising 4 th graders are reading 3 grades below reading level
30%
Hunger shouldn’t be an issue for growing bodies. New and culturally appropriate books shouldn’t be scarce to growing minds. Run-down play spaces shouldn’t be the norm. Across the United States, children are not always provided the day-to-day resources required to live a happy, healthy life. In Oakland, many children need nutritious meals, support to become proficient readers, and better opportunities to play.
For Black and Latino/a students , the share
was over 40% 40%
Lower socio-economic status (SES), racial and ethnic minorities, and rural populations appear to have more limited access to playspaces for children’s play in neighborhoods, parks, and schools
9%
Nationwide, nearly 14 million kids are going hungry every day 14M
of middle school-aged girls report getting 60 minutes of physical activity daily
37%
19%
In Oakland, 37% of kids currently struggle with food insecurity
of boys report getting 60 minutes of physical activity daily
WHY WE’RE HERE
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
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EVERY KID
DESERVES
MORE
Every single child should be given the opportunity and support to reach their full potential. That’s why we’re on an indelible mission to uplift an entire generation of youth. Within the Oakland Unified School District, we support children’s wellbeing through access to nutritious meals, quality reading resources, and opportunities to play and be active.
Because everyone deserves the chance to live a happy, healthy childhood.
WHY WE’RE HERE
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
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Transforming the school experience for a generation of kids
Whole Child
Whole School
ESSENTIAL SUPPORT
TRANSFORMING SPACES
NUTRITIOUS FOOD
CAFETERIAS
HIGH DOSAGE LITERACY TUTORING
LIBRARIES
SCHOOLYARDS & GYMS
QUALITY SPORTS PROGRAMS
WHY WE’RE HERE
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
WHERE WE’RE GOING
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We’re here to create more joy
Everything we do hinges on transforming the public-school experience for an entire generation of kids. Providing healthy meals and fresh food. Helping kids learn to read—and getting them excited about the joy of reading, and making their dream play spaces a dream come true.
We take a whole child, whole school approach through:
Essential Support Providing resources, support, and experiences to kids and schools that allow them the chance to reach their full potential at school, at home, and in their community. Transforming Spaces Making dramatic physical improvements to school facilities to bring joy, excitement, and efficiencies to critical school and community spaces.
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WHY WE’RE HERE
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ESSENTIAL SUPPORT
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hours of free tutoring sessions for students 90K+
For the Whole Child We provide the resources and support kids need to thrive at school and reach their full potential. Including access to nutritious food, high-dosage literacy tutoring, and sports.
EAT
We provide healthy, fresh food to ensure kids have access to the nutrition they need to grow, learn, and play. And we deliver fresh produce, healthy snack packs and kid-friendly groceries directly to schools and community partners through the Eat. Learn. Play. Bus, and our deep partnership with Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB). Our initiative to provide easy access to clean drinking water protects kids from contaminated sources and helps them stay safely hydrated in school. Nutritious Food & Clean Water
of fresh produce provided to kids in free healthy meals and snacks 2,000,000+ LBS.
LEARN
We are deeply committed to providing high-quality dining
experiences, joyful spaces for our students to eat, learn, and play in our revamped school yards, expanded sports programs and culturally robust school libraries. We are well on our way to doing all that, and this enhanced partnership is going to turbocharge our efforts.
Closing the Literacy Gap
We help kids become confident readers, investing in high-dosage tutoring for Oakland elementary students who are the furthest behind, providing over 10,000 1:1 tutoring spots by 2029, including up to 3,000 1:1 spots and 4,500 small group tutoring spots annually at all elementary schools. We also provide schools with support for strategic planning, implementation, alignment, measurement, and evaluation for all tutoring programs.
PLAY
Quality Sports Programs
We provide Oakland students with access to high quality sports programming. And we are helping to revitalize the middle school program through investments with OUSD and community
Kyla Johnson-Trammell Superintendent, Oakland Unified School District
partners—aimed at increasing access, participation, and quality coaching.
WHY WE’RE HERE
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
WHERE WE’RE GOING
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TRANSFORMING SPACES
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For the Whole School We transform school spaces to ensure kids have equitable access to dignified, joyful places to eat, learn, and play. Including transformations to schoolyards, cafeterias, libraries, and gyms.
“My class completely changed!”
LEARN
“Do we get to read today?!’ is a question students have asked me every day of summer school since students selected a graphic novel as their independent reading book. Through independently reading books in the graphic novel library, students have developed the skills of choosing books that are interesting and level-appropriate for them, summarizing plots to pitch books to peers, and analyzing character development. The graphic novel library has truly created a culture of excitement and confidence around reading.”
School Libraries
We refresh elementary school libraries with books that spark the joy of reading in spaces they are excited to be. We are piloting 3+ libraries in 2025 while also supporting libraries with grants and providing books to 50+ free little libraries that will be planted throughout Oakland.
EAT
PLAY
Ms. Shirley Elmhurst United Middle School
Cafeterias
We provide all kids with access to safe places to play and be active. We are renovating 25 elementary schoolyards by 2026—adding new playgrounds, multi-sport courts, nature exploration areas, outdoor classrooms, murals, and trees. We are also renovating middle and high school gyms in partnership with Under Armour. Schoolyards & Gyms
We ensure kids have enjoyable spaces to eat with access to clean water. We are updating dozens of elementary and middle school dining halls, turning them into vibrant multi-purpose spaces that welcome students throughout the day—from drop-off to meals, special activities, and school assemblies.
OUR OAKLAND SCHOOLYARD TRANSFORMATIONS See all we’ve accomplished together for students and the surrounding school community
WHY WE’RE HERE
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
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The Bus has made many stops, delivering: books 85K+
healthy meals 25K+ kids reaching 10K+
IMPACT: ONE STOP AT A TIME
Spotting the Eat. Learn. Play. Bus in the street is a delight.
It makes a colorful entrance full of feel-good energy, and the resulting smiles cannot be contained.
Next stop for the Bus?
Launched in September 2021, the Bus brings grocery staples, locally produced meals, fresh produce, and a library of culturally affirming books to neighborhoods around Oakland in partnership with the Alameda County Community Food Bank, Oakland Literacy Coalition, and Community Kitchens.
Alongside Alameda County Community Food Bank, Eat. Learn. Play. is also working to improve and grow free food access at schools across the district. Building on the spirit and success of Eat. Learn. Play. Bus, we will help ensure schools can be places where food-insecure students and their families can access the nutritious food they need in a dignified environment.
The Bus brings joy, transforming the idea of a typical distribution service into an inspiring experience.
WHY WE’RE HERE
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
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Making more kids happy with our whole child, whole school approach
And we don’t plan to stop until every child in Oakland gets the chance to live up to their full potential. We’re making progress every day. Expanding our network, our reach, and our abilities to meet more kids where they are—in school, at home and in the community.
WHAT PROGRESS LOOKS LIKE
NUTRITIOUS FOOD FOR ALL KIDS AND FAMILIES
ACCESS TO THE JOY OF SPORTS FOR ALL STUDENTS
INCREDIBLE SPACES FOR ALL STUDENTS
CLOSING THE LITERACY GAP
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We’re deepening our partnerships with
We want to ensure that all Oakland middle school students have access to free, high-quality sports programming and equipment—with excellent places and equitable opportunities to play a variety of sports.
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nutritious food providers, like the Alameda County Community Food Bank, to ensure all kids have access to quality, healthy food at school. The Eat. Learn. Play. Bus will continue to make stops providing grocery staples, local restaurant meals, and fresh produce along its route.
We’re making a historic commitment to ensure all Oakland students learn how to read at or above grade level on an appropriate timeline, setting them on the path to reach their full potential and lifelong learning.
We will continue to transform libraries,
cafeterias, schoolyards, and gyms with dramatic improvements personalized to fit the needs of each school, until all Oakland students have access to incredible spaces to eat, learn, play, and grow.
WHY WE’RE HERE
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
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“The work of Eat. Learn. Play. is rooted in being a village for those who don’t always have one.”
Ayesha Curry
WHY WE’RE HERE
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
WHERE WE’RE GOING
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75+ Little Town Libraries planted providing kids easy access to free books
70K+ SQ.FT. of asphalt transformed into greenspace thus far helping to reduce schoolyard surface temperatures by up to 20 degrees
EAT. LEARN. PLAY. FUTURESPECTIVE
This is just the beginning!
LET’S KEEP THE GOOD
Counting on community
SOME OF OUR PARTNERS
schoolyard remodels 17+
13+ cafeteria remodels providing clean, secure, engaging environments for healthy mealtimes
Together, we can continue to imagine and bring to life a bigger and brighter future. A future where the amazing potential of every kid in Oakland is unlocked. WORK GOING
providing over one billion minutes of kids’ active play thus far
See our impact in the Oakland community
Check out where our Bus has already been driving impact!
distributions 80+
schools reached 25+
85,000+
25,000+ nutritious meal packs distributed
books distributed
WHY WE’RE HERE
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
WHERE WE’RE GOING
YTD 2024
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When kids thrive, we all succeed
school and community volunteers contributing 2.4K+ 19K+ hours to the planning and playful renovation of schoolyards
“Collaboration is at the absolutely heart of what we’re about.”
When we work together, we can give kids more.
And something incredible happens when kids are put at the center—the impact of our work soars through the community, creating positive change in every corner and a supportive environment for all those helping to put kids first. We are a kid-first organization, honoring and supporting children is our purpose.
That’s why we are so grateful for the Eat. Learn. Play. village—our extraordinary partners, community of donors, friends and families, and heartfelt volunteers. Your generosity is what gives kids the lift they need to soar higher. We count on you to make dreams come true every day. Because of you, we are all able to make a difference together and make sure every kid has an equal opportunity to reach their amazing potential.
Christopher Helfrich CEO, Eat. Learn. Play.
Kaiser Permanente is pleased to support Eat. Learn. Play. to ensure all Oakland Unified School District students have access to healthy meals in their school cafeterias and enriching playgrounds and outdoor learning spaces. We are a long-time partner of Eat. Learn. Play. because we know that enhancing the health
Putting us on track for
Oakland volunteers 4.2K+ 33.6K+ hours of service
Thank you for sharing in my dedication to Oakland students! To know that my students will now have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the world and their experiences through the literature available in my classroom fills me with pride. Ms. Hernandez Melrose Leadership Academy Maxwell Campus
and well-being of children is essential to improving the health of our communities. Yvette Radford Vice President, External &
Watch a Piedmont schoolyard come to life thanks to our partners and volunteers A NEW SCHOOLYARD IN 60 SECS
Community Affairs, Kaiser Permanente
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Together with our community, our partners, and our donors, we invest in kids to support their wellbeing every day. Thanks to you all, we’re able to give kids transformative resources and experiences that put them on the path to fulfill their amazing potential. We’re proud of the impact we’ve made so far. But this is just the beginning. We’re eager to keep making big moves, and thrilled to keep collaborating on inspiring investments that meet kids where they are. We know our ambitions are bold. That’s why we’re so grateful for our community. Thank you for helping us as we set out to transform the public school experience for an entire generation. So that every kid gets a chance to live big and bold, happy and healthy, and simply be a kid.
Your support gives kids more every day
NEWS
EATLEARNPLAY.ORG/NEWS
Christopher Helfrich CEO, Eat. Learn. Play
STAY IN TOUCH EATLEARNPLAY.ORG/CONTACT
DONATE NOW EATLEARNPLAY.ORG/GIVE
DREAM BIG
SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH OUR ANTHEM VIDEO
Stephen and Ayesha Curry cover all Eat. Learn. Play. operating costs, so 100% of your donation directly supports Oakland youth.
WHY WE’RE HERE
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
WHERE WE’RE GOING
THE EAT. LEARN. PLAY. VILLAGE
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EAT. LEARN. PLAY. FUTURESPECTIVE
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