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The Sacramento Bee and Nehemiah Leaders Programs are celebrating this year’s 60 Change Makers. Join them at our gala at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at the Grand Sheraton in downtown Sacramento. Buy tickets at sacramentochangemakers.com.
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Education was the core of Adonai Mack’s upbringing.
His father was a superintendent in the Del Paso Heights School District. His mother was the head education coordinator for SETA Head Start, a nonprofit that offers learning and development resources.
Growing up, he learned about the value of education. Nowadays, he follows in his parents’ footsteps.
In 2023, after spending 20 years in public education policy, Mack changed careers. He said that instead of shaping policy, he wanted to implement it firsthand.
Mack is the chief executive officer for Child Action, a Sacramento County-based nonprofit that provides affordable childcare resources to low-income families. The nonprofit offers referrals to childcare facilities and affordable care for families.
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Under Mack’s leadership, Child Action has served nearly 20,000 children in Sacramento County, working hand-in-hand with 4,500 providers and 11,000 families, he said.
Mack said he sees his role as reshaping a child’s academic outcome. He’s bridging learning gaps for Sacramento’s youngest residents, from birth to 5-years-old.
Through providing childcare, families can focus on a child’s education, he said. And by affording childcare, parents can focus on employment, drawing them a step closer out of poverty, he said.
“There are children who look like me that aren’t performing well in school,” said Mack. “At a minimum, we’re going to close achievement gaps by focusing on the earliest of learners.”
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