The Oakland-Based Charity Showcases Innovative ‘Whole Child, Whole School’ Approach to Transforming the School Experience for a Generation of Oakland Students
Oakland, CA (February 15, 2025) — Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play.partnered with the NBA, NBA Players Association (NBPA), the Golden State Warriors and donors including Kaiser Permanente, to host a 2025 NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service at East Oakland Pride Elementary. This marks the 17th and largest schoolyard transformation for Eat. Learn. Play. to-date, and the first of seven the foundation has planned for 2025, as well as one of the projects the NBA is conducting as part of its 17th NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service.
This impactful event brought together more than 300 volunteers to outfit the school with a new schoolyard featuring a nature exploration area, a new and improved library stocked as part of the NBA Cares State Farm Assist Tracker program, with culturally affirming books and a refreshed cafeteria to provide joyful, high-quality environments where kids eat, learn and play every day. Revitalizing and transforming the school’s campus, while also providing students with nutritious food and tutoring support, demonstrates Eat. Learn. Play.’s innovative ‘Whole Child, Whole School’ approach, designed to foster student success by addressing both their individual well-being and the environments where they learn and grow.
“We believe every child deserves the opportunity to thrive in an environment that nurtures their well-being and fuels their academic success,” said Stephen and Ayesha Curry. “We are amazed at the work that our village of volunteers completed in order to make this our largest schoolyard build. We’re committed to a ‘Whole Child, Whole School’ approach that helps us best support the needs of Oakland’s students and ensure they have access to the resources and opportunities they deserve.”
Eat. Learn. Play. collaborated with leadership and students at East Oakland Pride Elementary and focused on revitalizing key areas. Volunteers planted trees, shrubs and garden beds; created a nature exploration area; painted murals; and built tree benches in the schoolyard. Additionally, the cafeteria underwent a transformation with fresh paint, murals and new furnishings to create a welcoming multi-purpose space for students; the library was enhanced with new furniture, shelving, lighting, fresh paint and additional books to inspire a love of reading; and the gym and multi-purpose room were upgraded with new flooring, murals, improved lighting, sound systems and new sports equipment to promote physical activity and teamwork.
“This 2025 NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service is an incredible example of what can be achieved when strong partnerships come together with a shared vision,” said Chris Helfrich, CEO of Eat. Learn. Play. “By transforming schools into vibrant, supportive spaces and addressing the fundamental needs of every child, we are working to break down barriers to success and build a brighter future for Oakland’s youth.”
Kaiser Permanente has been a longtime partner of Eat. Learn. Play. since its inception in 2019. The non-profit healthcare organization has been a vital supporter of the many schoolyard transformations across the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), ensuring students have access to vibrant, inspiring and well-equipped environments. For more than five years, Kaiser Permanente and Eat. Learn. Play. have invested in improving the health outcomes for Oakland students by providing them with access to safe and clean drinking water, nutritious food at school and through the Eat. Learn. Play. Bus and safe places to play and be active—including revitalizing schoolyards and hosting the Oakland Marathon’s Kids Fun Run.
“Improving the health of the communities we serve is core to Kaiser Permanente’s mission, and we are committed to ensuring Oakland students have access to healthy food and safe places to play and stay active,” said Yvette Radford, Vice President of External and Community Affairs at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. “Through our ongoing partnership with Eat. Learn. Play., we are working to improve the overall well-being of Oakland families—mind, body, and spirit.”
Built on more than five years of work supporting Oakland students and public schools, this Eat. Learn. Play.’s ‘Whole Child, Whole School’ approach reframes how the foundation serves the needs of children by addressing their well-being and the environments where they learn and grow. This new framework includes expanding access to healthy and nutritious food, closing the literacy gap with professional one-on-one tutoring for over 10,000 students and providing access to hundreds of thousands of free, culturally affirming books and revitalizing school sports programs so that all students can experience the benefits and joys of youth sports. With ‘Whole Child, Whole School’ focused on transforming school environments where kids eat, learn and play every day, Eat. Learn. Play. has helped redesign 14 cafeterias, modernize 3 libraries and remodel 17 schoolyards and six gymnasiums across OUSD schools, to date.
Eat. Learn. Play.’s 17th school transformation was made possible by dedicated supporters including the NBA, Golden State Warriors, Kaiser Permanente, OUSD, Curry Brand, Under Armour, Workday, Google.org, 2K Foundations, JPMorganChase, Ripple, Joie, Lineage, DGDG Does Good and PG&E Corporation Foundation.
About Eat. Learn. Play.
Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is an organization dedicated to unleashing the potential of every child, paving the way for amazing kids and opening doors to bright futures. Founded by Stephen and Ayesha Curry in 2019, Eat. Learn. Play. launched with a focus on improving the lives of kids and families in Oakland, the Bay Area and across the country. Rooted in three of the most vital pillars for a healthy childhood—nutrition, education, and physical activity—Eat. Learn. Play. is working to ensure that every child in Oakland has access to the nutritious food they need to be healthy and thrive; resources to learn and love to read; and safe places and equitable opportunities to play. Follow Eat. Learn. Play. on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
