CALIFORNIA schools will once again be able to offer mental health programs for students in kindergarten and grades one to three who are struggling with anxiety and other trauma or stress related symptoms, if a bill introduced in the legislature earlier this week passes. AB 1644 was introduced by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) and is co-sponsored by Children Now, a statewide youth advocacy organization headquartered in Oakland, and by state Attorney General Kamala Harris. “The...

The lowest of 31 grades issued in the  2016 California Children's Report Card released on Wednesday was for dealing with the effects of childhood trauma. In Children Now's biennial assessment of the status of California kids, researchers gave the state a "D-" for how it deals with childhood trauma. The report contends that children who experience traumatic problems such as abuse, neglect and witnessing violence at home can suffer serious long-term consequences, including health...

California Essentials for Childhood has just released its second newsletter. The full newsletter can be found attached. Check it out!

Interesting report from Futures Without Violence: Safe, Healthy, and Ready to Learn: Policy Recommendations to Ensure Children Thrive in Supportive Communities Free from Violence and Trauma

If you haven't already seen this, please take a look! Attached is the Center for Youth Wellness' Data Report: A Hidden Crisis - Findings on Adverse Childhood Experiences in California

Interesting report from a combined AEI and Brookings "think tank" on reducing poverty with a mix of recommendations Link: http://www.brookings.edu/blogs...w&_hsmi=24360312

Assembly member Rob Bonta sent out this email: As Chair of the Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color, I invite you to join Chair Assembly member Reginald Jones-Sawyer and me for a screening and discussion of the moving documentary "Wounded Places" at the Elihu Harris State Building in Oakland on  Monday, December 14th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. "Wounded Places" describes how structural racism has ravaged communities and exposed children and families to multiple adversities...

California Essentials for Childhood released its first newsletter in November. The full newsletter can be found attached.

More than five million children under the age of 18 — approximately 7 percent of all children in the United States — have at least one parent who has been incarcerated, a report from  Child Trends  finds.  ...

For those of you in or around Sacramento, please join us at an upcoming community conference!     Beyond Trauma: Building a Resilient Sacramento October 16-17, 2015 www.ResilientSac.org   Join us for two informative and inspirational...

Ad vo c ate s and policymakers in public health are paying more attention to the impact of exposure early in life to trauma or chronic adversity, since it is now known to impair brain development in children and have rippling effects on c aregivers...

The  Center for Youth Wellness  released a new report “Children Can Thrive: A Vision for California’s Response to ACEs”.     This report is a follow up to last November’s Children Can Thrive Summit.  ...