Our Story & Our Why.

What we do.

 The City of Milwaukee’s Office of Early Childhood Initiatives (OECI) opened its doors in 2018 with a vision to ensure every child has the building blocks for success in school and life. We know that supporting high-quality early learning in the first years of life is the most effective investment in human capital a community can make. And that a strong early learning community is the very foundation of a thriving city. 

OECI works collaboratively to ensure that all Milwaukee children from birth to three years old have access and exposure to learning environments that promote social-emotional development, cognitive growth, and lifelong success. We fulfill this mission by:

  • Connecting families and childcare providers with existing resources that support healthy development

  • Bringing best practices in early learning to Milwaukee 

  • Launching and supporting initiatives to foster healthy child development throughout our city

  • Working within government to advocate for policies that support early education

OECI Leadership

Dea Wright has been the Director of the City of Milwaukee's Office of Early Childhood Initiatives (OECI) since its inception in November 2018. Under her leadership, OECI has helped raise awareness around the importance of early reading and talking to children, emphasizing birth to age three.

Mighty Small Moments and Sponge Baby are a part of OECI's messaging used to connect the work of any organization that supports parents as the first teacher and provides education around healthy development, free or low-cost experiences, and free materials that encourage early talking, reading, and playing together. Mighty Small Moments was a recognized campaign by the Public Relations Society of America in 2024! The campaign has also been cited nationally. 

In 2020, OECI received the Outstanding Partnership of the Year Award from the Laundry Cares Foundation for the workaround creating literacy spaces inside laundromats and children's courts in partnership with Too Small to Fail, a Clinton Foundation Initiative and the National Council of Family and Juvenile Court Judges. 

Since 2020, Dea has been a Presidential Leadership Scholar learning from the presidential experiences of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

 In 2022, Milwaukee County Transit System unveiled the largest art installation in county history in partnership with OECI. Under Dea's direction, over twenty bus shelters had PopSpots installed. PopSpots are artistic, fun, relatable, and educational reminders to talk with children while waiting. Other PopSpots have been installed at WIC Clinics, Health Centers, and a hospital child care wait area.

In 2023, Wright was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks and Gruber Law Office to highlight OECI work during a 2024 home game. Wright serves on local and state-wide boards. Wright says her work will end when all children are academically performing proficiently.