Blog

By Zaidee Stavely, EdSource, August 24, 2021 As students return to in-person classes, some California teachers are focused on giving English learners lots of time to talk and write about their feelings. In order to learn to speak, read and write fluently in English, those students need many opportunities to practice interacting with their peers in the language. A lot of English learners didn’t get enough of that practice during distance learning. During the pandemic many school districts...

By Steve Pitman, Cal Matters, August 26, 2021 Even before the pandemic, mental health disorders were among the most common chronic illnesses Californians face. The COVID-19 crisis — and the resulting isolation and economic downturn many have experienced — have intensified these challenges. More than one in five American adults reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder in the last year — a 20% to 40% increase from the pre-COVID period. The good news is that mental health parity...

From Governor's Office of Planning and Research, July 9, 2021 New state budget investments signed by Governor Newsom on June 28, 2021, expand the state’s funding for preventing and treating Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) by $12.4 million to drive innovative, community-driven research. This additional funding will support seven collaborative demonstration projects total across the state for three years, building on the first round of awards announced by the California Initiative to...

PACEs Connection's Race & Equity Workgroup is examining historical trauma in the United States of America and its impact on American society in a series of virtual discussions. This series, which began in July 2021, highlights each unique region within the United States and outlines how unresolved historical trauma has impacted every aspect of American life and directly shapes the socio-political landscape of today as well as the overall well-being of Americans. The purpose of these...

As schools across the US start the new school year and welcome students back, whether online or in-person, many continue to adapt to the challenges and uncertainty created by COVID-19. Many students going back to in-person learning are adapting to the difficulties that come with entering a classroom for the first time in over a year, and many students continuing distance learning are adapting to being away from their sources of support and resiliency (e.g. classmates, activities, adult...

Rental Assistance Is Now Available for Renters and Landlords Many families are having trouble making rent payments. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for renters and landlords to cover housing costs. Fortunately, new housing financial assistance is now available. This letter from Aysha E. Schomburg, Associate Commissioner of the Children's Bureau, calls on the child welfare field to spread the word on these emergency rental assistance resources . The Consumer Financial Protection...

By Alejandra Salgado, Cal Matters, August 23, 2021 This past school year, Madeline Waters struggled to find a way to pay for food while also studying for classes. As a nutrition major at Sacramento State, she wasn’t unfamiliar with what skipping meals could mean for her academic career. So this spring she applied, yet again, for food stamps. “I was really hungry, and my brain cells were barely functioning,” she said. “I was trying to get food and I’d fill out the paperwork and I was trying...

Panelists will lead a discussion about how emotional well being strategies have shifted and evolved before and since the Covid19 pandemic.

Por Ana B. Ibarra, Cal Matters, August 16, 2021 El condado de Imperial, ubicado en la esquina sureste de California, aprendió desde el principio lo que significaba ser una zona caliente de COVID-19. El virus arrasó el condado agrícola la primavera pasada y luego nuevamente en el invierno. Aproximadamente uno de cada seis residentes se ha infectado y 745 personas han muerto. Pero el condado de Imperial tiene una estadística que está dando esperanzas a los funcionarios de salud locales: el 86%...

Following a brief mindfulness check-in, PACEs Connection staff meetings begin with the review of our Vision, Mission, and Values statements, as well as our Equity and Inclusion Statement. At a recent meeting, top row, L-R, Ingrid Cockhren, Carey Sipp, Donielle Prince, Jane Stevens. Middle row, L-R, John Flores, Porter Jennings-McGarity, Jenna Quinn, Gail Kennedy. Bottom row, L-R, Rafael Maravilla, Natalie Audage, Alison Cebulla, Samantha Sangenito. A couple of times last week I felt my body...

By Anita Sircar, Los Angeles Times, August 17, 2021 My patient sat at the edge of his bed gasping for air while he tried to tell me his story, pausing to catch his breath after each word. The plastic tubes delivering oxygen through his nose hardly seemed adequate to stop his chest from heaving. He looked exhausted. He had tested positive for the coronavirus 10 days ago. He was under 50, mildly hypertensive but otherwise in good health. Eight days earlier he started coughing and having severe...

By JJIE Staff, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, August 19, 2021 Juvenile offenders participating in a 30-year-old project diverting youth from detention to community-based programs were less likely to cycle back into incarceration than those not enrolled in such projects, according to an evaluation recently released by the San Francisco organization launching that pioneering program. By comparison, 51.3% of youth in the diversion program and 73.7% of those on probation recidivated ,...