Blog

By Rebecca K. O'Connor, The Press-Enterprise, March 5, 2021 Parents Anonymous was founded 52 years ago by a mother who was struggling with parenting and could not find the help and support that she needed. “Jolly K.” launched a weekly support group and it expanded into the nonprofit group that it is today. Parent’s Anonymous envisions a society in which everyone has the support to thrive. The organization, based in Claremont, believes that building resiliency mitigates negative impacts and...

By Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, March 16, 2021 UC Merced announced Monday that it would guarantee a freshman seat to eligible local students, the first University of California campus to do so in an effort to expand college access in one of the state’s most underserved areas. University officials are aiming to motivate more students in the San Joaquin Valley — which lags behind other California regions in high school graduation rates — to pursue college. Only 30% of Merced Union High...

By Andrea Lopez-Villafana, The San Diego Union-Tribune, March 17, 2021 The San Diego Black Nurses Association is trying to vaccinate Black residents in San Diego by securing vaccines from the county and targeting churches and community centers. So far the association has vaccinated nearly 1,100 residents in southeastern San Diego since mid-February. Around the county more than 715,000 San Diegans have gotten a coronavirus vaccine. But health experts said they are concerned about low...

By Karen Pearlman, The San Diego Union-Tribune, March 17, 2021 Grossmont Healthcare District on Friday will award 44 scholarships to students from 22 East County high schools for the 2020-21 school year. The district is a public agency that supports health-related community programs and services in East County. Its five-member board of directors are set to approve more than $108,000 in scholarships at the March 19 Grossmont Healthcare District Board meeting. School administrators chose...

Trauma-transformed is hosting a series of virtual sessions for supporting and promoting Healing Networks in the Monterey/San Benito; Sacramento; and San Bernardino/Riverside/Inland Empire regions. The sessions are open to those who support the community in the focus regions and are designed to recognize, reclaim, and lift up our inherent and collective blessings and resilience. The first session “Recognition and Restoration” is being held on March 25 from 10:00 am-1:00 pm for those in the...

By Sarah Bohn, Public Policy Institute of California, March 17, 2021 Thank you to the chair, Assemblymember Dr. Arambula, and committee members, for inviting me to speak with you today. I would like to make four main points based on my experience as a researcher studying long-term trends in the economy, poverty, and the social safety net. First, the defining feature of the current recession is of economic bifurcation and disparities in opportunity. The unemployment rate stands at 9% but is...

By John Fensterwald, EdSource, March 17, 2021 O n Thursday, the State Board of Education will adopt an Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum for high schools that is four years, four drafts, three public vetting periods and 100,000 comments in the making. Had they more time and an endless reservoir of patience, the board, the California Department of Education and the Instructional Quality Commission, which reports to the state board, could have continued to refine what and how ethnic studies...

CA must make kids our top priority in the upcoming State Budget More than a year into the pandemic, learning loss, isolation, serious mental health issues and lack of preventive health care threatens this entire generation of kids. These outcomes are especially dire for Black and brown children, kids in poverty, students who are English Learners, youth in foster care and children who are in unsafe situations, all of whom face significant systemic barriers to accessing the services and...

During February the Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP) and the Child Welfare Policy and Program Development Bureau (CWPPDB) , worked together to host a two-day FFPSA Summit. Stakeholders from across the State were invited to learn more about FFPSA and engage in conversations pertaining to candidacy, evidence-based practices, evaluation methodologies and fiscal considerations. The summit featured keynote speakers: Robin Jenkins PhD., Khush Cooper PhD., Clare Anderson MSW., Daniel Webster...

Many counties and Prevention Planning Teams are engaged in conversations to uplift and improve equity, diversity, and inclusion. These topics are essential in addressing the disparity and disproportionality that exists within systems. Moreover, issues can be complex and tough to address within systems and communities. Below are some helpful resources from the Center for States that can support counties in their exploration and next steps. Please see the Center for States website for more...

Since the Prevention Planning Summit at San Diego in 2019, many Prevention Planning Teams have focused on crafting mission and vision statements, reviewing a variety of data sets, developing asset maps, sharing resources, establishing partnerships and developing community engagement strategies. Kern County Network for Children (KCNC) was established in 1992 and harnesses the power of community action in identifying and addressing the most critical children’s issues in Kern County, including...

Planting Prevention Seeds: Santa Cruz and Father Engagement Engaging fathers as early as possible prior to child welfare or during the child welfare process can be a critical prevention strategy to keep children and youth from entering the foster care system. In this context, Santa Cruz County Family and Children’s Services (FCS) embarked on an ambitious initiative to increase father engagement. To make this happen, the FCS implemented the following: invited male line staff in FCS to join...