History

Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network (PLAN) was founded in 2004 to build a diverse base of low-income parent leaders and parent-based organizations to organize and advocate on issues affecting children and families.

In its early years, PLAN worked to unite and strengthen parent-based organizations working on multiple issues, such as education, welfare reform, child care and the impact of state budget cuts on low-income families. We organized regional forums, launched the PLAN to LEAD training program and worked in coalition with education and antipoverty groups to fight budget cuts and advocate for a fair budget.

Several organizations played key roles in PLAN’s founding: Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, Parent Services Project, Parent Voices and Partnership for Immigrant Leadership and Action. Zellerbach Family Foundation provided seed funding for PLAN.

In 2008, PLAN’s grassroots leadership decided to focus on racial equity in public education and begin developing a parent organizing strategy. In the same year, PLAN became incorporated as its own independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Prior to that, PLAN was a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives.

Melia Franklin is the founder and executive director of PLAN.

Accomplishments

Since our founding in 2004, PLAN has:

  • Developed a unique, replicable model of parent leadership development, PLAN to LEAD, and built the capacity of more than 50 schools, school districts, public agencies and community-based organizations to develop parents as leaders for school reform and improvement
  • Launched Oakland Families LEAD, a parent-led organizing campaign that succeeded in prioritizing family engagement in Oakland Unified School District’s 2011-2016 strategic plan
  • Provided training and support to more than 1500 parents in six languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Mam
  • Brought PLAN to LEAD to more than six school districts, increasing the knowledge and leadership skills of thousands of parents of Bay Area public school students
  • Played a leadership role in grassroots organizing for statewide legislation and legal action for education reform through the Campaign for Quality Education