The Unity Council

One block off International Boulevard, on East 15th Street in Oakland's Fruitvale district, The Unity Council runs its Fruitvale Child Development Center. This directory record carries the organization's older legal name, the Spanish Speaking Unity Council, and a street number of 2619; the council's own website lists the center at 2615 East 15th Street, next door on the same block, so use that number when you plan a visit. The Unity Council is a nonprofit social equity development corporation, and this center is one of eight Head Start and Early Head Start sites it operates in Oakland and Concord.

Programs the council describes

According to its website, the work reaches well beyond preschool. The council lists Head Start and Early Head Start for young children, youth achievement programs, career and financial services for adults, affordable housing and property management, programs for families and seniors, and support for small businesses in the neighborhood. The East 15th Street site is the early-childhood piece of that picture: classrooms for infants, toddlers and preschoolers whose families qualify for the federal Head Start program.

Enrolling a child or asking about a program

Head Start places usually go first to families below the federal poverty guidelines, to children in foster care or experiencing homelessness, and to households receiving public assistance, with seats also set aside for children with disabilities. Bring your child's birth certificate, proof of income such as pay stubs or a benefits letter, proof of your address and the immunization record. Ask which classrooms have openings, whether the day is full or part time, and how meals, naps and home languages are handled. For housing, career or small-business help, the main office on Fruitvale Avenue is the better first stop.

Fruitvale and the East Bay

The center sits in the flatlands of East Oakland, a short bus ride from the Fruitvale BART station. Families in Alameda, San Leandro, Emeryville, Piedmont, Berkeley, Hayward and Castro Valley are within easy reach across Alameda County, and the council runs further Head Start sites in Concord, over the hills in Contra Costa County.

The phone number on this record, 510-535-9774, did not appear in any current source. The council's website gives (510) 535-2760 for the Fruitvale Child Development Center and (510) 535-6900 for the main office at 1900 Fruitvale Avenue, Suite 2A, so call one of those to confirm hours and the current address before you go.