April 2019

Legislation that would significantly expand California’s subsidized preschool program cleared its first committee hearing Wednesday, leaving early childhood education advocates increasingly optimistic that at least the first phase of their long-sought effort will cross the finish line this year. For years, pressure has mounted at the Capitol to increase access to preschool for the state’s youngest pupils. Advocates say expanding early childhood services would have a powerful ripple effect in...

Editor’s note: Governor Gavin Newsom set aside federal funds and funds through Proposition 56 that will reimburse health care providers for screening patients in the Medi-Cal program for trauma beginning July 1 using the CPT code 96160. Notably the Department of Health Care Services recommended in March that only California providers using the PEARLS tool to screen pediatric patients will be reimbursed. ACEs Connection has made repeated public records requests for public comments submitted...

Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are up in California over the past five years, including in places like San Francisco county, where people are contracting chlamydia at nearly twice the rate of the rest of California. Gonorrhea among women is up 47 percent, and there’s a concerning spike in the number of babies being born with congenital syphilis. Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, says the rise in homelessness statewide has led to more unprotected sex.

Charlie Huddleson has always been a religious man, but it was one church service in 2013 that cracked him open. “When I hit my knees on that altar, it felt like my whole life had come out my eyes,” he says. “It felt like I had cried away every pain, every heartache, and everything, and that’s the day that my life started changing.” Huddleson was 53 at the time, and in a court-ordered drug treatment program. He’d spent the previous four decades in and out of prison, battling heroin while...

More than two years into the city attorney’s S.M.A.R.T program, which connects people who have a string of misdemeanor arrests with addiction treatment and housing, only a handful of clients have graduated and the city has struggled to expand the program despite significant investment. City attorneys say the outcomes reflect the challenges of an especially vulnerable population. In 2014, California voters passed Proposition 47, and law enforcement officials have complained ever since that...

On a typical day, thousands of homeless and mentally ill people are behind bars in Los Angeles County’s jails. But more than half of them would be good candidates to divert into housing with supportive services instead, according a new study from the Department of Health Services. If enough housing and services were available, nearly 3,000 people in custody at any given time would be eligible for release — either before their trials or before finishing their sentences. The study, released...

Funding proposed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to expand full-day kindergarten would not likely benefit many low-income communities, where the greatest need is more programs for 3- and 4-year-olds, according to a new analysis. Among Newsom’s sweeping budget proposals for early childhood is a one-time investment of $750 million for school districts to expand full-day kindergarten programs by building or renovating classroom space. “Attendance in kindergarten is beneficial to a child’s...

Cost: Free Location: Online GoToTraining Register: www.StrategiesCA.org TOPICS & DATES: PARENT & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DYNAMICS: May 7, 2019 from 10:00-11:30 AM PST LEVERAGING ACES CONNECTION TO BRING ACES SCIENCE INTO YOUR COMMUNITY: May 21, 2019 from 1:00-2:30 pm PST EMPOWER LATIN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES TO PREVENT SEX TRAFFICKING: June 13, 2019 from 10:00-11:30 AM PST ENGAGING FATHERS IN PRACTICE: June 25, 2019 from 10:00-11:30 AM PST For past webinars and Learning Communities...

Nemia with peacock used in therapy with children. Talking with an animal is often easier than talking with an adult for a child who's experienced abuse. _________________________________________ Toni Nemia, program and clinical director for the University of San Francisco Child and Family Center's School-Based Family Counseling, says that her graduate students are often surprised to hear that ACEs science (adverse childhood experiences) has an international reach. In fact, Scotland is an...

The purpose of this FOA from the federal Administration on Children, Youth and Families - Children's Bureau is to fund cooperative agreements that support the development, implementation, and evaluation of primary prevention strategies to improve the safety, stability, and well-being of all families through a continuum of community-based services and supports. During the project period, grantees will address site-specific barriers and mobilize communities to prevent child maltreatment,...

I am excited to relay that the Prop 64 Grant Solicitation for the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development’s (GO-Biz) California Community Reinvestment Grants program (CalCRG) is now available! More information, such as the Grant Solicitation’s online application portal, application user guide and frequently asked questions, can be found on the CalCRG website, www.business.ca.gov/CalCRG . Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button located on the CalCRG website to access the online...

Kris Perry to speak at Policymaker Education Day- Still time to register!