Good Cents for Oakland is non-profit organization dedicated to empowering and inspiring pre-k and elementary school children to help their local communities. Founded in 2005, we now serve over 2,000 children at 10 schools in the Good Cents for Oakland Penny Roundup Program in both Oakland and Piedmont, California.

Much more than a penny drive. The Penny Roundup Program is a service learning program. Service learning combines meaningful community service with instruction. Research shows that children involved in service learning are twice as likely to remain involved in their communities as adults.

In our 10-week Penny Roundup Program, children learn about and discuss issues affecting their community, vote on an issue to support and round up pennies and other coins to make a grant to an organization they've chosen. A leadership group interviews non-profit organizations working on that issue and selects one to receive a grant from the school.

Throughout the program, teachers use our enrichment activities and program materials to reinforce academic subjects, including language arts, social studies, math, financial literacy and civics. Children write letters, create posters and read inspiring profiles of people who made a difference in their communities and vote.

See our classroom materials

Good Cents is free to schools. We believe messages of empowerment, community involvement, leadership and civics belong in all schools, no matter their ability to pay. Good Cents for Oakland provides its turn-key program, including classroom enrichment activities, program materials, armored truck services and bank-verified coin counting to local preschools and elementary schools at no cost.

Good Cents for Oakland
2865 Broadway, Suite 1 Oakland, CA 94611

Mailing: P.O. Box 21290, Oakland, CA 94620-1290
Phone: 510-444-7100
Fax: 510-649-5162
Email: pennies@goodcentsforoakland.org

Good Cents for Oakland and its licensors
Copyright 2008
All Rights Reserved

Our Fall 2007 newsletter      Our Fall 2006 newsletter

Good Cents empowers children.  At Good Cents for Oakland, children are the decision makers, because we believe community service becomes truly meaningful when children are given both a chance to change something they care about and significant responsibility over the process. 

Read about us in Oakland Magazine:  www.oaklandmagazine.com/Empowerment

Good Cents teaches leadership.  We believe leadership is not just for older children.  Kindergarten through second grade students have the opportunity join our Penny Roundup Team, where they're responsible for sorting, weighing and bagging all the coin collected by the school and preparing it for an armored truck pickup.  Third through fifth grade students can join our Advocacy Team, making posters for school elections or can join our Student Roundtable, responsible for selecting two ballot issues for the school, educating the school on those issues and interviewing and selecting the non-profit organization to support with the school's grant.   

Good Cents supports the local community. Community service is often inspired by events and disasters around the world.  We want kids to know that they can help every day, in their own communities.  100% of what the children raise goes to an organization they've chosen working in the local community.

Good Cents for Oakland believes in the effectiveness of family volunteering in teaching children the importance of supporting their communities.  We launched our City-wide Service Day for the Planet at Dimond Park last October with the support of many organizations including PG&E's Greening of Oakland project.

View our family community service opportunities  available now.  

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