Good child care lasts a lifetime.

Our Mission

The mission of BlueSkies is to practice and teach an optimal approach to education and care of young children based on the interrelated disciplines of human development. Such an approach sustains and supports today’s children and families and provides an educational center for caregivers and the community.

The history of the organization began years before official incorporation, when the founder ran a center in East Oakland caring primarily for the children of young teen mothers in residence. The center served babies starting life in the most fragile circumstances, lacking financial resources and institutionalized with their teen mothers seeking parenting skills.

During the founder’s six-year tenure she developed the philosophical foundation of BlueSkies, blending the nurturing of home with the enrichment of preschool. The program, developed for an extremely underprivileged population and now in place at BlueSkies for children from varied socioeconomic backgrounds, proves that all children thrive when they are given respectful, developmental support by educated, caring adults in a healthy environment.

We continue to give back to our community and honor our foundation through the Liisa Hale Scholarship Program, offering significant financial support to families who qualify for aid; our partnership with Castlemont High School, offering training and course credit for volunteering in our program; and valuing the efforts, education, and tenure of our staff, providing courses toward their degrees for no or low cost and making this a viable long-term career choice in a field dominated by hardworking women of color.