Blog

Note new time for Friday, May 8 Better Normal discussion on systems transformation. We will meet from 1:00-2:00 and hear from RYSE Associate Director, Kanwarpal Dhaliwal, about the rapid emergency community response initiative, West Contra Costa Covid Community Care.

From California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, May 2020 Coronavirus (COVID-19) is serious respiratory disease that continues to impact communities worldwide, and has officially been named a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Below, we’ve included a number of resources that can slow the rate of transmission, and support our Members as they serve survivors and advance prevention in their communities. Most importantly, programs should monitor and follow the guidance of your...

By Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California, Berkeley, May 6, 2020 The latest Berkeley IGS Poll reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic is having especially large effects on the safety and economic well-being of people of color in California. Racial minorities are significantly more likely to report having jobs that place them in regular contact with others and they are more concerned that their jobs place them at risk of contracting the disease. When it comes to safety in...

By Sasha Khokha , Asal Ehsanipour Apr 17 As front line health care workers dedicate long hours to caring for patients during the COVID-19 crisis, life has changed for their own families — especially their children. Some hospital workers are staying away from their families to protect their kids. Others are living in the same house and taking extra precautions to avoid passing along the virus. Many children of nurses and doctors are navigating the unpredictability of life without regular...

By California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, May 2020 The Office of Emergency Services (OES) has announced $5.3 million dollars in emergency response funds intended to support the needs associated with providing safety and services for victims of interpersonal violence – domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and child abuse during this time of social distancing. To facilitate the distribution of these funds, OES has contracted with the California Partnership to End...

The following information is from a tip sheet created by Sacramento County, for the full tip sheet, please access it at the below link: The outbreak of COVID‐19 is a concern on everyone’s mind. While we may be comforted to know that the risk to our children’s physical health from the outbreak itself appears to be low, child and family serving agencies are worried about the increased risk for child abuse and neglect during this time of crisis and economic insecurity . Reports to child abuse...

Antioch Middle School seventh-grader Alyssia Garcia was accustomed to scanning the cafeteria during lunch for kids who might need her assistance. “I’d look for kids who looked sad, kids who were sitting alone, kids who looked angry,” says Garcia, a peer advocate at her school. Alyssia Garcia When she’d spot students sitting alone or looking sad, she’d approach them and ease into conversation. “If it’s a sad person, I’ll try to cheer them up or ask them what the problem is,” she says. “If...

By Magnus Lofstrom and Brandon Martin, Public Policy Institute of California, May 6, 2020 In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, California has sought to reduce county jail populations through a range of actions, including a “zero bail” emergency measure . This means that most misdemeanor and lower-level felonies currently have no bail amount associated with them, and that suspects are more likely to be cited and released instead of booked into jail. This new practice, along with...

By Mycelium Youth Network, May 2020 Mycelium Youth Network prepares youth in the Bay Area -- who are most vulnerable to and already feeling the effects of environmental racism -- for climate change. We use a merger of indigenous environmental traditions that emphasize youth environmental stewardship and relationship building alongside a rigorous STEAM curriculum that focuses on practical hands-on skills for climate resilience and mitigation that youth create and implement in their homes and...

By Ryan Sabalow and Dale Kasler, The Sacramento Bee, May 6, 2020 Sherry Scott joined the rebellion in some parts of the state against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order at a protest with dozens of others in Crescent City on Friday. The next day, buoyed by the experience, Scott and her business partner invited customers to eat at her Log Cabin Diner in Klamath, an outpost along Highway 101 at the mouth of the river that gives the town its name. “In those three days, we’ve had people...

By Del Quentin Wilber, Los Angeles Times, May 6, 2020 Nurse Camille Davis has watched more than 30 patients die from coronavirus infection, and has sobbed while holding her phone close to them so loved ones could say their goodbyes. Her long drives home are filled with worry about transmitting the disease to her 8-year-old son. “I had a colleague who wanted to quit, it was too much for her, and I told her, ‘We can’t quit. We have to keep working until we get sick,’” said Davis, a nurse at...

Bay Area Early Childhood Funders have released a new brief, “The Power of Play for Addressing Trauma in Early Years,” available in both English and Spanish . The brief provides families, teachers and caregivers an easy-to-read, one-page online brief about the importance of play for addressing trauma in young children and tips for helping children cope. Additional materials on the importance of play are available here .