The Sacramento Political and Policy Landscape Around Equitable Supports for Children - Ted Lempert, President Children Now

The Sacramento
Political and Policy
Landscape Around
Equitable Supports
for Children
Ted Lempert, President
Children Now

Santa Clara Challenge Team

2018
CALIFORNIA
CHILDREN’S
REPORT CARD
A review of kids’ well-being &
roadmap for the future.

Infant & Toddler Care   The cost of child care
Grade: D+               is out of reach for
                        many families.

Preschool & Transitional   Too few California
Kindergarten
                           3- and 4-year-olds
Grade: B
                           have access to
                           preschool.

Early Learning Workforce
Compensation & Training
Grade: C-

 Early child care providers are responsible
 for kids during the period of their lives with
 the most rapid brain development, yet they
 are poorly compensated.

TK-12 Funding
Grade: C-

The ratio of teachers
and other trained
adults to students is a
prominent factor in
education quality.

Academic Outcomes
Grade: D
          California has large disparities in
          academic achievement.

STEM Education
Grade: C

California students are not meeting grade-level
expectations in math and science, and the
performance gap is most pronounced for
students who are Black and Latino.

School Climate &   Suspensions
Discipline         disproportionately
Grade: B-          affect kids of color.

Chronic Absence
Grade: B-

                  Low-income schools have
                  higher rates of chronic
                  absence.

California needs to
Access to Higher
                   expand college
Education
                   access for high
Grade: C
                   school graduates.

Home Visiting
Home Visiting
Grade: D+
                programs reach
                fewer than 3% of
                California families.

Health Insurance   California is making
                   steady progress towards
Grade: A
                   ensuring all kids have
                   health insurance.

Mental Health &       California kids aren’t
Building Resilience   getting the mental health
Grade: D+             services they need.

Oral Health
Grade: C-

While cavities, tooth decay, and associated
tooth pain are nearly 100% preventable, poor
oral health is one of the leading causes of
school absences.

School-Based      The American Academy of
                  Pediatrics recommends 1
Health Services
                  nurse per school, but CA is
Grade: D+
                  far from that goal.

Placement Stability       Too many kids in foster
& Permanent Connections   care experience frequent
Grade: C                  placement changes,
                          adding to their trauma.

Health Care for Kids   Health coverage helps
in Foster Care         ensure critical supports for
                       kids aging out of care.
Grade: C-

Education Support for     School transitions and trauma
Students in Foster Care   cause students in foster care to
Grade: D+                 struggle to stay on track in
                          school and graduate on time.

Why are kids   Because they
losing out?    lack power.

The Pro-Kid Advocacy              1   Cover the Full Range of
                                      Issues Affecting Children
Model to Give Kids Power

                                  2   Two-Word Messaging
All 4 of the following
components are essential for
                                      “Inside” Research &
successful kids’ advocacy at      3   Policy Expertise
any level (national, state, and
local).

                                  4   “Outside” Grassroots
                                      Pressure

Healthier Kids Foundation

                                  Krause Center for Innovation        Parents Helping Parents

                                                        Child Advocates of
                                                          Silicon Valley
Advocacy:                            Educare California at                FIRST 5 Santa Clara
Outside Grassroots                      Silicon Valley                          County

Pressure                                                      Silicon Valley
                                                             Children's Fund
                                       Kids in Common, a
                                       program of Planned              Mountain View/Los Altos/
                                      Parenthood Mar Monte           Los Altos Hills Challenge Team
More than 2,400 organizations
have joined the Movement                               Silicon Valley Council
already, including 183 in Santa                             of Nonprofits

Clara County:                                                             Valley Medical Center
                                         Santa Clara County
                                         Board of Education                    Foundation

                                                          Silicon Valley
                                                        Leadership Group

                                          The Tech Museum               Hispanic Foundation of
                                            of Innovation                   Silicon Valley

                                                      YMCA of Silicon Valley

Pro-Kid Model
in Action:
Passing Historic School
Equity Reform

Pro-Kid Model
in Action:
Multi-Year Effort (2015-
2017) Led to Nearly $1.1
Billion in Early Learning
Funding

Pro-Kid Model
in Action:
Protecting Former Foster
Youth Health Care (2017 &
ongoing)

Pro-Kid Model   Protecting CHIP and achieving near-
                universal health care coverage for kids
in Action:      (2015 & ongoing)

Pro-Kid Model
in Action:

Protecting the
DREAMers

Thank You!

           Children Now
Los Angeles • Oakland • Sacramento
       www.childrennow.org

        Join the Movement
 www.childrennow.org/themovement