December 2018

It’s the best news you’ve probably never heard. Oakland, long synonymous with gun violence, is suddenly emerging as a national leader in the field of violence prevention. Since 2012, shootings are down more than 50 percent and are on pace to reach their lowest levels in decades. California leaders have much to learn from how people in Oakland came together to rewrite the violence reduction playbook. [For more on this story by Reygan Cunningham and Mike McLively, go to...

Beyond the usual confusions and questions of freshmen year, low-income students who are the first in their families to attend college may arrive on campus with personal fears that they just don’t belong and will never fit in. However, slightly older students from the same background can ease that uncertainty with advice and friendship, helping those freshmen stay on track in school and eventually graduate, experts say. That is the philosophy of an unusual and growing mentorship program...

(click to download) We love science at Echo. It has been my greatest pleasure to share the science about the impact of trauma, including the changes that happen to the various systems of the body in our Trauma and Resilience trainings . The list is pretty exhaustive, and to try to make sense of it all, we’ve developed another of our popular infographics. Nervous system: This is where we focus a lot of our attention in trauma and recovery. The nervous system takes a beating when we live with...

Call to action- Fathers and Families Coalition of America is nearing the 20th Annual Families and Fathers Conference, March 4-7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California with a comprehensive program that hosts presenters from the United Kingdom, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Bolivia and throughout the United States. We are providing the conference information for your consideration to participate. We are asking you to share this conference information with your community...

Recruitment is open for members of the Equity Advisory Group for the All Children Thrive - California initiative! They invite you to apply to be a member and to share this invitation with anyone you know who may be an asset to the Group. All Children Thrive - California (ACT-CA) is a three-year initiative (2019-2021) to expand the role of cities and counties in preventing childhood trauma, countering its effects, and fostering community healing and resilience. ACT-CA is a partnership of UCLA...

The rapid rollout of a hugely ambitious plan to reduce elementary school class sizes in California over two decades ago should serve as a cautionary tale for how quickly the state should implement universal preschool, a long-sought-after goal of children’s advocates and their allies in the Legislature. It may also give incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom some cover for not moving aggressively to implement universal preschool, which he said he was committed to on the campaign trail. He articulated...

Thanks — for nothing, Mr. Reiner. When I started my reporting on the 20th anniversary of California’s Proposition 10 — now known as First 5 — I fully expected to have filmmaker Rob Reiner’s quotations and retrospective as a central piece of the package . After all, he was the sponsor of the ballot measure that created the tobacco tax-funded system for programs serving young children from birth to age 5. And, he welcomed me into his Beverly Hills office for an interview when the measure was...

Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of trauma, such as physical or sexual abuse, neglect or family dysfunction. And what is one of the most important factors in building resilience? Healing, hopeful, honest and trusting relationships. Those relationships are the heart of the work we do and the people we serve. The National Council for Behavioral Health’s 9th Trauma-Informed, Resilience-Oriented Approaches Learning Community is a year-long initiative that provides you with...

Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom has made early childhood development one of his signature issues . We at First 5 Los Angeles and First 5 organizations across California stand ready to help him turn that pledge into reality. The new governor’s goal of prioritizing funding for “cradle-to-career” programs gives me hope that in 2019, we will finally see the passage of legislation that makes quality early learning available for all California children. California is a national leader on climate change...

G et involved in the statewide distribution of the second round of Proposition 47 funding ! The Proposition 47 Grant Program is administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) to provide funding for mental health treatment, substance use disorder treatment, diversion programs, housing-related assistance, and other community-based supportive services for justice-involved individuals. To ensure these funds are allocated effectively, the top priority is to have...

Dear California Community Reinvestment Grants Program interested parties, The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) has concluded an initial round of webinars and community workshops across the state to discuss the California Community Reinvestment Grants Program (CalCRG). These workshops were beneficial in soliciting input and feedback from interested stakeholders on the details of CalCRG which is vital in assisting GO-Biz staff with development and implementation...

In the aftermath of recent hurricanes and wildfires, the Sesame Street in Communities team wanted to reach out to provide information on our available resources to help families cope in the aftermath of natural disasters, and other traumatic experiences. Bilingual videos, articles, printables and more, are all available for free on our website at www.sesamestreetincommunities.org . Here are the links to a few topic pages that may be most useful to you as you work with families in the...