Mission and Approach
Building Blocks for Kids Richmond Collaborative is a place-based initiative with the mission of supporting the healthy development and education of all children, and the self-sufficiency of all families, living in the BBK Collaborative zone located in Richmond, California.
Areas of Focus
The Collaborative is organized into working groups, in which representatives from member organizations work with residents and elected officials to develop and provide a cradle-to-college continuum of support for families in the Collaborative zone in the following areas:
Education: We focus on establishing top quality academic environments for every child and providing holistic, youth and family-centered, research-based support to ensure academic success for every child.
Health and Wellness: We work to ensure that all families have easy and consistent access to a continuum of high-quality physical and mental health services.
Early Childhood: We focus on getting children and their families into a “pipeline” of high-quality community and classroom experiences that support the development of Iron Triangle children from birth to college.
Community Engagement and Advocacy: We provide capacity building opportunities and support local residents to bolster their social and economic standing so that they may facilitate the healthy development and education of their children.
Digital Literacy and Access: The absence of strong digital literacy skills compounds existing challenges faced by local parents and their children as they are unable to harness the power of 21st Century tools to address their needs. The Collaborative is going beyond a focus on internet access to supporting families to acquire the digital literacies necessary to use the internet as a tool for social, educational, and economic advancement.