Tagged With "Communities of Color"
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SURVEY on Housing needs
The CA Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) wants your input on housing needs in our communities. Please complete the survey (also available in Spanish) and share with individuals you serve, as they are looking for input from a broad array of sources. See the email below for more information! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: July 19, 2019 Contact: Alicia Murillo Office: (916) 263-7400 Alicia.Murillo@hcd.ca.gov California's Department of Housing Asks Californians to Share Their...
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SURVEY on Housing needs
The CA Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) wants your input on housing needs in our communities. Please complete the survey (also available in Spanish) and share with individuals you serve, as they are looking for input from a broad array of sources. See the email below for more information! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: July 19, 2019 Contact: Alicia Murillo Office: (916) 263-7400 Alicia.Murillo@hcd.ca.gov California's Department of Housing Asks Californians to Share Their...
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Suspensions Plummet With New Discipline Policy in Santa Ana (CA) Schools [VoiceofOC.org]
Santa Ana Unified School District officials -- who as recently as five years ago were heavily criticized for being too quick to kick kids out of school for behavior problems -- are now being credited for a steep decline in out-of-school suspensions. While school suspensions and expulsions declined statewide by more than 33 percent between the 2011-12 and 2014-15 school years, in Santa Ana suspensions dropped by 58 percent during the same time period, The decline is due not only to a...
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Systems Transformation for the Better Normal: Follow-up Slides and Call Recording
Find in this post the slides from the Systems Transformation Better Normal call, featuring RYSE Youth Center's Associate Director Kanwarpal Dhaliwal. A link to the call recording is also provided.
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Telling a more complete story about child welfare
A new study from Berkeley Media Studies Group found that coverage of the child welfare system omits important context and connections to other issues. Here are four steps practitioners can take to improve the news.
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The Beginning of the End of Random Searches: Students Know What They Need Next [fixschooldiscipline.org]
By Ashley Ruano, Fix School Discipline, October 1, 2019 The #StudentNotSuspects coalition has long worked in Los Angeles to end the random searches policy that discriminate against students and create a hostile campus environment for students to learn. For many years, Los Angeles Unified School District implemented mandatory random metal detector searches in middle and high schools. The searches did not make campus environments more secure. Instead, the policy targeted, and criminalized...
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The Building Blocks of HOPE – Block #3: Engagement
We have been so encouraged to hear how HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) is resonating with the ACES Connection community. Here we present the third mini-blog in our series on the Building Blocks of HOPE. Children need ample opportunities for productive social engagement. Developing a connection to and sense of belonging in a community, as well as a sense that you matter to your community, describes the essence of the third of the 4 Building Blocks of HOPE . What are some...
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The Economics of Child Abuse: A Study of California
While the impact of maltreatment on a child and their family is devastating, child maltreatment also has serious effects far beyond those for the victim. Maltreatment results in ongoing costs to taxpayers, institutions, businesses, and society at large. Local communities bear the brunt of these costs in the form of medical, educational, and judicial costs, though more tragic signs are seen in homelessness, addiction, and teen pregnancy. To create a concrete understanding of the widespread...
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The Mental Health Context of California's new Stephon Clark's Law on Police Use of Force
With the passage of Stephon Clark's law, California has taken steps to address the mental and physical health risk posed by police violence.
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The Parent Defender Model Heads West [chronicleofsocialchange.org]
In many ways, the challenges of the child welfare field mirror those in the criminal justice system. Both disproportionately ensnare over-policed, underserved communities, especially people of color and those living in deep poverty. The difference between those systems, explain East Bay Family Defenders co-founders Eliza Patten and Zabrina Aleguire, is one of gender. Women fill these courtrooms. In September 2018, Patten and Aleguire launched East Bay Family Defenders with a team of 10...
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Thinking About Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Impacts Through a Science-Informed, Early Childhood Lens [developingchild.harvard.edu]
By Jack P. Shonkoff and David R. Williams, Center on the Developing Child, April 27, 2020 The COVID-19 virus is ruthlessly contagious and, at the same time, highly selective. Its capacity to infect is universal, but the consequences of becoming infected are not. While there are exceptions, children are less likely to show symptoms, older adults and those with pre-existing medical conditions are the most susceptible, and communities of color in the United States are experiencing dramatically...
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TIC, MTSS and everything in between!
Join us! Offered April 9th or May 7th in Sacramento California! Addressing Social and Emotional Learning by using research-based, behavior-focused strategies for staff, students & families, building resilience in our schools and communities. Anxiety and depression in students is running rampant. Workplace stress for educators and staff as well as rising litigation costs for schools are also top concerns for communities across the country. How can we reduce tension and improve how staff,...
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Trauma-informed Care: It Takes More Than a Clipboard and a Questionnaire
California is about to launch an ambitious campaign to train tens of thousands of Medi-Cal providers to screen children and adults up to age 65 for trauma, starting on January 1, 2020. It is well-established that the early identification of trauma and providing the appropriate treatment are critical tools for reducing long-term health care costs for both children and adults. Research has shown that individuals who experienced a high number of traumatic childhood events are likely to die...
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Trauma Transformed launches regional effort in San Francisco Bay Area
Nearly 300 impassioned and committed people crowded into the Green Room at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center last week to launch Trauma Transformed. Known as T2, the regional effort representing the San Francisco...
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Two Community Colleges Show How Students Can Succeed Without Remedial Math Courses [edsource.org]
By Ashley A. Smith, EdSource, November 15, 2019 A San Diego area community college that moved early to eliminate remedial math courses is drawing lots of attention across the state for success in teaching math. Not only are students at Cuyamaca Community College taking math classes that can transfer to four-year colleges, but Latino students are bucking a national trend by outperforming their white counterparts. Cuyamaca, along with College of the Siskiyous in Northern California, were two...
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Department of Community Services and Development Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the 2019
Notice of Funding Availability - 2019 CalEITC Education and Outreach Grant The purpose of this NOFA is to support CalEITC education and outreach activities and to increase awareness of the credit and free tax preparation assistance programs among low-income individuals and families. CSD seeks to engage established organizations that maintain an existing community presence and trusted relationships, demonstrate extensive experience conducting similar outreach campaigns, and regularly engage...
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Despite progress, California's teaching force far from reflecting diversity of students (edsource.org)
California has a far more racially and ethnically diverse teaching force than it had 20 years ago — and a more diverse one than is the case nationally. About about 1 in 3 of the state’s 305,000 teachers are teachers of color, compared to 1 in 5 teachers across the nation. But during the same period, California’s public school student population has also become more diverse. As a result, the diversity gap between teachers and students has barely narrowed, and in some cases widened. The...
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Dozens of stakeholders representing thousands of practitioners send public comments on Calif. ACEs-screening plan
Update: We posted this story on Tuesday evening and received a response from the Department of Health Care Services Wednesday that clarifies additional information. DHCS information Officer Katharine Weir said that subject to budget approval by the legislature and the governor: The reimbursement rate will be $29. Federally Qualified Health Centers will also be reimbursed for screening pediatric patients for trauma through Prop 56 funds and federal matching funds. In response to a question...
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DULCE helps pediatricians in Oakland, CA, prevent toxic stress in newborns
On a recent day in early March, Laura Lopez met a former patient of hers in the waiting room of Highland Hospital’s pediatric clinic in Oakland, CA. The patient had forgotten her Medi-Cal card and called Lopez asking for help. But in the brief conversation, Lopez, a family specialist with the DULCE program, learned about some dire changes in the patient’s life. Laura Lopez “Without me even asking, she shared with me that she had separated from her partner, that she needs to apply for food...
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Early childhood educators learn new ways to spot trauma triggers, build resilience in preschoolers
A hug may be comforting to many children, but for a child who has experienced trauma it may not feel safe.
That’s an example used by Julie Kurtz, co-director of trauma informed practices in early childhood education at the WestEd Center for Child & Family Studies (CCFS), as she begins a trauma training session. Her audience, preschool teachers and staff of the San Francisco-based Wu Yee Children’s Services at San Francisco’s Women’s Building, listen attentively.
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Early childhood educators learn new ways to spot trauma triggers, build resilience in preschoolers
A hug may be comforting to many children, but for a child who has experienced trauma it may not feel safe.
That’s an example used by Julie Kurtz, co-director of trauma informed practices in early childhood education at the WestEd Center for Child & Family Studies (CCFS), as she begins a trauma training session. Her audience, preschool teachers and staff of the San Francisco-based Wu Yee Children’s Services at San Francisco’s Women’s Building, listen attentively.
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Early Discount 20th Annual Families & Fathers Conference
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...
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Echo Conference Spotlight: Mental Health of Undocumented Students
Echo's conference this year is packed with great workshops for teachers, parents and anyone who works with children and their families. In addition to the not-to-be-missed keynotes (such as Susan Craig ), we are proud to present: Jose Ivan Arreola-Torres Workshop Spotlight: Holistic Healing for Immigrant & Undocumented Youth In this important workshop, Jose Ivan Arreola-Torres will talk about an often overlooked aspect of student mental health - the mental and emotional...
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El Dorado ACEs Collaborative’s 2nd Birthday Celebration: A Guest Speaker Better than Cake!
I recently joined El Dorado County as a Public Health Nurse for the Community Hubs program. The Community Hubs program, developed with awareness of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), is focused on bringing resilience to our community. There is so much about Public Health that I’m already passionate about and ACEs/resiliency is one of my favorite topics. Yesterday, I attended the El Dorado County ACEs collaborative for the first time. It was AMAZING! Around 80 members joined in Placerville...
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Elevating the Parent Voice at the February 27th SoCal Learning Community
Did you know? The Strategies 2.0 SoCal Learning Community is a free peer learning experience for existing and emerging leaders in the child abuse prevention and family strengthening field . The Feb. 27th convening focuses on elevating the parent voice in order to strengthen and improve services for families. It will include a presentation about Dads Matter, a Los Angeles based program, and a parent panel. Re-visioning Prevention: Exploring Systems Innovation and Best Practices in the...
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Ella Baker Truth and Reinvestment Justice Teams underway in 8 CA Counties
There are various forms of emergency preparedness for natural disasters. From an early age, one learns how to put out a fire, board up their home if a hurricane or tornado is coming, or drop under a desk if an earthquake hits—but low-income communities of color have little to no response to more frequent incidences of state violence in the streets and inside of jails. The Justice Teams for Truth and Reinvestment will be the local rapid response networks inside of eight different counties...
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Equity on the Mall
On behalf of the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund (SJVHF), we invite you to join state legislative and community leaders in a day of advocacy entitled Equity on the Mall, taking place on February 9 at our state capitol in Sacramento. Thursday, February 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. California State Capitol 1315 10th Street, Sacramento The day will include a powerful program at the West Steps of the Capitol on the movement being built in the San Joaquin Valley. Highlights will include remarks by elected...
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Expanding Community-Based Solutions to Heal Trauma (webinar)
Editorial by Gail Kennedy: Hi all. Please consider tuning into this webinar on Weds to listen to the great work happening in CA and support our colleagues! The following is a webinar announcement (Wed, Mar 22, 2017 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM EDT; read more about it here ) from the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color : Often, youth of color are punished in the classroom, workplace, penal system, and in community for misunderstood behaviors that are natural responses to trauma. The Alliance for Boys and...
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First on new California state superintendent’s long agenda: getting more men of color in the classroom Tony Thurmond reaches out for ideas on 13 education challenges [Ed Source]
our months into his first term, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is creating 13 work groups that he expects will recommend strategies for addressing some of the state’s thorniest education challenges. The issues include the need for an extensive student data system, college affordability, special education, teacher development, student health and safety, the teacher shortage and the issue he ran on but has little direct power to effect — more funding for schools.
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For Community Health Centers, a Hands-On Guide to Building Partnerships [chcf.org]
By Carlina Hansen, California Health Care Foundation, October 15, 2019 Before joining CHCF, I spent almost 20 years as executive director of the Women’s Community Clinic in San Francisco. In my time there, we forged some valuable partnerships to serve our clients and community, including our merger with another community health center, HealthRIGHT 360. It was during the merger process that I learned first-hand one of the biggest challenges to forging such partnerships — and it wasn’t what I...
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Fresno Project Offers Pregnant Mothers of Color Hope to Avoid Preterm Births [fresnobee.com]
By Emilia Reyes and Joseph Castro, The Fresno Bee, November 20, 2019 Over the last few years, our community has given birth to innovative solution-driven projects to combat one stark fact: Fresno County ranks No. 1 on the list of California counties, with the highest preterm rate of two-thirds of all births. More startling, African American babies continue to die in their first year of life at three times the rate of all other babies. Landing on what to do about our reality has been no easy...
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Funding will Boost Support for Human Trafficking Survivors [recordnet.com]
By Cassie Dickman, Recordnet.com, December 21, 2019 Community Medical Centers is set to receive more than $500,000 in federal funds starting next year to provide services tailored to human trafficking survivors in San Joaquin County. The three-year grant comes from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime and will enable CMC locations throughout the county to establish safe havens, according to a CMC news release. CMC began development on the Safe Haven Project in 2017...
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Kaiser Permanente Awards Grants in Napa & Solano Counties [patch.com]
By Chyresse Hill, Patch, October 24, 2019 Kaiser Permanente has awarded $1 million in grants to 42 local nonprofit organizations providing services and programs that improve the health of under-served communities throughout the Napa Solano area, including several serving the residents of Napa. Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit grants are awarded every year to local organizations working on specific programs and projects that align with Kaiser Permanente's mission and goals. Funding...
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Learning Community Recording Available: Building Family, Agency, and Community Resilience: Rural Policies to Improve Housing Affordability and Accessibility
The third Sierra Learning Community for the 2019-20 fiscal year focused upon Building Family, Agency, and Community Resilience: Rural Policies to Improve Housing Affordability and Accessibility. The power point and other materials distributed to attendees are attached to this post. View the recording by clicking here: 2.13.20 Sierra Learning Community ANNOUNCEMENTS Make sure to visit the Strategies2.0 YouTube Channel to access recordings of all the Strategies2.0 sponsored webinars and...
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Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Questioning, and/or Gender Nonconforming and Transgender Girls and Boys in the California Juvenile Justice System: A Practice Guide [nclrights.org]
If you are a child welfare professional working with youth in California, chances are this practice guide may be a useful resource! Developed by Impact Justice and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and published in January 2017, this practice guide is designed to provide probation department practice guidelines, and policy recommendations for working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, and/or gender nonconforming and transgender girls and boys who interface with the California...
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Let’s invest in the care of our young people instead of putting them in cages [Sacramento Bee]
BY CHET HEWITT AND SHANE GOLDSMITH SPECIAL TO THE SACRAMENTO BEE JUNE 13, 2019 02:40 AM, UPDATED JUNE 13, 2019 02:40 AM California’s young people need care, not cages. That call to action has become the drumbeat of a powerful movement of advocates working across California to push us to think bigger – and act boldly – to improve the health and wellbeing of our state’s biggest assets: our young people. A central theme and focus of this movement has been to encourage California to shift its...
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Let's work together to ensure everyone is counted! [childrennow.org]
By The Children's Movement of California, April 28, 2020 By now, every single household across the country should have received multiple mailers with instructions on how to fill out the 2020 Census. Many community organizations are grappling with how to engage members and families as on-the-ground, door-to-door outreach and engagement strategies -- that have proven to be effective in the past – have been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic at least until the end of May. Phone calls, text...
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Measure U-Funded "Pop-Up" Program Strives to Lessen Teen Violence With Safe Spaces, Job Opportunities [capradio.org]
By Sammy Caiola, CapRadio, February 12, 2020 A repurposed elementary school in South Sacramento served as a hang-out space for dozens of middle and high schoolers on Saturday morning. They danced, checked in with neighborhood leaders and played life-sized table games such as Jenga and Connect Four. Around the room, nonprofit groups and private employers sat at tables to discuss job opportunities. These “community pop-ups”, as organizers call them, offer low-income teens a place to spend time...
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Merced College NextUp Center Celebrates Foster Youth Services with Grand Opening [yourcentralvalley.com]
By YourCentralValley.com Staff, February 5, 2020 Merced College celebrated the grand opening on Wednesday of the NextUp Center to support current and former foster youth under the age of 26. Merced College says it was one of 45 community colleges to receive a NextUp grant from California Community Colleges in the amount of $643,840 to establish the program which offers support and resources including academic and vocational counseling, meal and gas cards, educational supplies, and more.
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Michael Pritchard came to visit us in Lake County
Michael Pritchard came to visit us in Lake County on December 8, 2018 for two shows about 90 minutes each. The 2 pm show was directed to children, parents and teachers. Most who showed up didn’t know what to expect, they knew he is a comedian and that he talks to kids about bullying, but they weren’t really sure what they were going to get from him. What Michael gave was his heart. While he sat and made funny noises stemming from his Star Wars character voice overs, children laughed, and...
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Monitoring Californians' Mental Health Population Surveillance Reveals Gender, Racial/Ethnic, Age, and Regional Disparities [Rand Corp Report]
Black Californians are more likely to experience mental health problems than other ethnic groups, and they are less likely to get the care they need, according to a study released Tuesday. The study , by the Rand Corp., shows a connection between untreated mental health problems and multiple absences from work, which can take an economic toll on individuals and families in the form of lost pay and even lost jobs. That dynamic disproportionately affects communities of color. READ THE FULL REPORT
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New Brief on Play & Trauma Available
Bay Area Early Childhood Funders have released a new brief, “The Power of Play for Addressing Trauma in Early Years,” available in both English and Spanish . The brief provides families, teachers and caregivers an easy-to-read, one-page online brief about the importance of play for addressing trauma in young children and tips for helping children cope. Additional materials on the importance of play are available here .
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New Data on Children with Special Health Care Needs
Updated information on children with special health care needs, those who have a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional condition that requires more than routine health and related services, is now on Kidsdata. Discover the latest data on children with major disabilities by legislative district and by county, city and school district. Also, find special education enrollment by disability and race/ethnicity, the number of active California Children’s Services (CCS) enrollees...
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New Law Says Employers Can't Ask Applicants About Criminal Past [laweekly.com]
An estimated one out of three California adults has an arrest or conviction record, according to the nonprofit National Employment Law Project. If employers weed out applicants who check "yes" for the Have you ever been convicted of a crime? question on a job application, they could be preventing millions of Golden State residents from getting a paycheck. These applicants also tend to be people of color, since African-Americans and Latinos are arrested at much higher rates , often for crimes...
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New Prevention Institute Report Offers Framework for Preventing Community Trauma, Building Resilience
A new Prevention Institute report, featured Wednesday in USA Today , offers a groundbreaking framework for understanding the relationship between community trauma and violence. In doing so, the report provides insight into how we can overcome the inequities that contribute to a cycle of inner-city gun violence, poverty, unemployment, and poor health in communities of color. As additional treatment models are developed for individual trauma, there is a growing need for addressing trauma as a...
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New Rankings Show Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in California [March 19, 2019 Public Health Institute]
REPORT EXPLORES THE IMPACT OF SEVERE HOUSING COST BURDEN ON RESIDENTS Marin County ranks healthiest in California and Lake County is the least healthy county in the state, according to the annual County Health Rankings, released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI). The Rankings are available at www.countyhealthrankings.org . An easy-to-use snapshot that compares counties within states, the Rankings show that...
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New Report Calls for Statewide Coordinated Response to Protect New Jersey's Children from Adverse Childhood Experiences [finance.yahoo.com]
By PR Newswire, Yahoo Finance, July 30, 2019 NEWARK, N.J., July 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report released today details the challenges New Jersey faces in addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and sets forth opportunities and actions for a coordinated statewide response to mitigate their lasting effects on children's health and well-being. ACEs are stressful or traumatic events, including abuse, neglect, domestic violence, household mental illness, household substance misuse,...
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Obama Foundation Announces Local Winners of My Brother’s Keeper Challenge Competition [WitnessLA.com]
On Thursday, the Obama Foundation announced the winners of the My Brother’s Keeper Challenge Competition, naming 19 community organizations across the nation that will receive money and support for expanding and launching programs to reduce violence, and to establish clear paths to opportunity for young men and boys of color. The California winners were the Liberty Hill Foundation /MBK LA County, the Sierra Health Foundation /MBK Sacramento, and the Urban Strategies Council /MBK Oakland. Two...
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OCAP Kids' Day at the Capitol- April 11th
You are invited to participate in the second annual "Kids' Day at the Capitol" event put on by the California Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP) on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at the California State Capitol. Family resource centers, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, child abuse prevention centers, healthcare providers, and others working to strengthen families are invited to host a booth with a child-friendly activity and resources for families and community members. Help us...
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On Star Wars, and the Force -- Awakening for Social Change [HuffingtonPost.com]
Nearly four decades ago a buddy of mine and I settled into a movie theatre near Asbury Park, New Jersey, to check out some newly released film entitled Star Wars. We had just completed a grueling, demanding first year of medical school, and I thought some mindless science fantasy flick would be just what the doctor ordered: no thinking or higher-level analysis anticipated, just some popcorn, special effects, and occasional stuff blowing up on the big screen. I was immediately smitten with...