DISRUPTING INTERGENERATIONAL POVERTY BY ACTING EARLY,
WHEN IT MATTERS MOST

OVERVIEW

The Birth through Eight Strategy for Tulsa (BEST) represents an exciting opportunity for Tulsa. BEST is a comprehensive, continuous and integrated approach that focuses on families with supports in the earliest years of a child’s life to help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. A network of programs and services, knitted together to create a seamless continuum of support, join community agencies and philanthropies to partner with Tulsa’s families and build a cycle of opportunity that will significantly improve children’s success for life.

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THE BIRTH THROUGH EIGHT STRATEGY FOR TULSA’S FOUR MAIN GOALS ARE

TO INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN: 

Born healthy

On a positive developmental trajectory by age three

Ready to enter kindergarten

Achieving success by third grade 

REACH AND IMPACT: BEST IS PROJECTED TO REACH…

THE STRATEGY IS DEEPLY INFORMED BY WHAT DECADES OF BRAIN SCIENCE RESEARCH TELLS US ABOUT THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO COMBAT POVERTY: ACT EARLY, WHEN MOST BRAIN DEVELOPMENT HAPPENS. 

OUR PARTNERS

BEST partners with more than two dozen agencies and organizations to ensure all of Tulsa’s children, regardless of their background, achieve lifelong success. By bringing together a diverse network of public agencies, health and child care providers, local non-profits and philanthropic organizations, BEST partners work together to develop a seamless multi-sector continuum of high-quality programs and services for children from birth through age 8 across Tulsa County. Through ongoing partner convenings, Collaborative Action Networks and a cross-sector Advisory Committee, BEST works to create the conditions necessary for our partners to increase coordination, collaboration and shared learning in pursuit of dramatically improving outcomes for children in their earliest years of development.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

If you want to learn more, or have any questions or suggestions, please email BEST@gkff.org.