Educational Opportunities for Children and Families (EOCF)

Today, we walk in honor of Ruby Bridges, a brave six-year-old who changed history just by walking to school. 🚶🏾♀️ Join us in celebrating Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day by talking with your children about courage, fairness, and standing up for what’s right. Together, we can help build schools and communities where every child feels safe and valued. 💜 #RubyBridgesWalkToSchoolDay #EOCFWA #HeadStart #CommunityStrong

✨ We’re Hiring: Cook / Bus Monitor 📍 Long Beach | ⏰ 30 hrs/week | 💵 Starting @ $20/hr + Benefits Do you love cooking and enjoy being part of a team? Does spending time with young children make you smile? Join us as a Cook / Bus Monitor and play a key role in supporting our pre-K program. You’ll prepare daily meals for our students and assist with bus monitor duties — helping ensure children arrive safely and start their day ready to learn. Schedule: Monday–Friday, daytime hours during the school year Pay: Starts at $20/hr with benefits If you’re reliable, enjoy variety in your day, and want a job that truly makes an impact, we’d love to meet you. 👉 Apply today and help us nourish and support little learners! www.eocfwa.org/careers

Welcome back, EOCF scholars and staff! We are excited to share that EOCF has returned to full operations thanks to a significant donation from a private anonymous donor. We are deeply grateful to all of our donors for their continued support of our children and families. We want to give a special note of thanks to WSA Head Start and ECEAP for their support.

We are so grateful for the amazing community support that helps make special moments possible for our kiddos 🎃💛 Over Halloween, Dawning Day Farm in Battle Ground donated pumpkins for our afternoon ECEAP Blended class. The pumpkins came right to the classroom and the kids enjoyed a pumpkin patch experience at school. Each child got to take home a pumpkin they picked all by themselves. HARDIE DENTISTRY FOR KIDS showed their appreciation for our staff by dropping off a thoughtful goodie basket. Emler Swim School hosted a sock drive to support our families, and Savior Socks generously donated a large number of Bombas socks to keep our kiddos cozy last month. These generous acts of kindness remind us how strong our community partnerships are and how much they help our families and programs thrive. Thank you to everyone who shows up for our kids. You make these moments possible 🫶 #CommunitySupport #ThankYou #EOCFImpact #PumpkinPatchFun #PartnershipsMatter #GratitudeInAction #FamilySupport

Today is Outdoor Classroom Day! 🌳🍁 It’s a global movement that encourages making time outdoors part of every child’s day. At EOCF, our scholars love every minute outside. We find creative ways to enjoy the outdoors, whether it’s a field trip to Bi-Zi Farms, getting the trikes out of the shed, or seeing the world from a new perspective, sometimes upside down, while asking questions like what is this bug and what does that cloud look like. These photos are from over the summer and fall, showing some of the ways our kiddos have been playing, exploring, and learning in the fresh air. #OutdoorClassroomDay #LearningOutside #PlayAndLearn #FreshAirFun #EOCFImpact #FallFun #NatureLearning

Over the last two days, our community came together in a big way. With the help of SHARE, Walmart, WinCo, and a generous anonymous donor, we packed pantry staple bags for our families. Each bag included items like soup, chili, canned chicken, rice, beans, mac and cheese, bread, pasta, and other essential groceries to help families through the week. These donations supported 177 families. Thank you to Simms Electric for donating supplies in a separate drive that supported an additional 15 families. We also want to highlight that Walmart donated 1,500 Crayloa crayons for our EOCF kiddos! A huge thank you to our EOCF staffers, and everyone who has worked this week to coordinate, procure, and transport these supplies. This is just one example of what our community and our organization continue to do to support families, even while many are working with limited hours. Your kindness helps our families feel supported and cared for. Thank you for showing up for our community. 🫶 @ShareVancouver Walmart WinCo Foods @SimmsElectric #CommunityCares #FamilySupport #EOCFImpact #GivingBack #CommunityStrong #StaffInAction #FoodForFamilies #SupportingFamilies #GratitudeInAction #NeighborsHelpingNeighbors

🌟 Congratulations to our CEO, Rekah T. Strong, for receiving the Marian Wright Edelman Award for Children and Families from the NAACP Vancouver Branch! The award was presented at the NAACP’s 80th Anniversary Gala & Awards Dinner on November 1 at Hotel Indigo, recognizing local community partners and individuals for their dedication to creating positive change in our community. We’re so proud of Rekah’s leadership and her ongoing commitment to empowering families and strengthening our community. 💙 #CommunityLeadership #InspiringChange #EarlyLearning #FamilySupport #CommunityImpact #NAACPVancouver #EOCF #LeadershipInAction

Huge thanks to Champ Pizza for donating 15 pizzas for one of our recent fall family engagement events. We appreciate community members! 💙

We’re excited to join WellPoint and partners across Southwest Washington for Wellnesspalooza, a free community health fair focused on connection, care, and wellness. 💫 Enjoy free screenings, produce, and valuable local resources to support your family’s health. Everyone is welcome! 🗓️ Saturday, November 8 | 11 AM – 1 PM 📍 Living Hope Church, Vancouver #EOCF #CommunityCare #VancouverWA #HeadStart #Wellnesspalooza

When Head Start programs pause, the ripple effects reach every part of our community. Here at EOCF, 177 children are not receiving their typical Early Head Start or Head Start Home-Based or Part-Day services. Another 110 children are getting only half of their regular class hours — and three classrooms have no bus transportation. https://loom.ly/KKt7YaY When families lose reliable child care, parents may miss work or lose income. Employers lose valued staff. The ripple effects touch housing, food security, and the overall well-being of our region. 💛 Early learning is the foundation of strong families and a strong economy. 👉 You can help. Your donation today supports children and families impacted by the shutdown — keeping learning going and hope alive. 🔗 https://loom.ly/cXZRkXU 📣 And add your voice: urge Congress to restore and protect federal funding for Head Start programs. #HeadStart #SupportFamilies #InvestInEarlyLearning #EOCF