CDF-CA Freedom Schools Develop Strong Confident Children and Youth Through Literacy

Amid severe state budget cuts that have left families with few viable options to send their children this summer, Children's Defense Fund-California Freedom Schools® stand strong and, in collaboration with sponsor partners, will be providing approximately 1,100 children and youth with a program that aims to boost literacy skills, knowledge of civil rights history and self-esteem. Across the state, Freedom Schools will engage youth, parents, young adults, community leaders, and organizations to create a supportive and nurturing world that sets high expectations for all children, while strengthening their sense of self-worth, and affirming that they are loved and valued by caring adults. Throughout the summer, children read well-written books and engage in learning activities that match their developmental needs and interests. The program is free and will be in operation through August 10th from Monday to Friday, giving parents access to high-quality child care. Students receive two nutritious meals and a healthy snack each day. Visit our Freedom Schools webpage for a full list of California Freedom Schools sponsor partners or to volunteer to be a guest reader.

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California to Send 200 Advocates to CDF National Conference, Including Assemblymember Holly Mitchell and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas

Almost 200 California advocates, including Assemblymember Holly Mitchell, L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, PolicyLink President and CDF Board Member Angela Glover Blackwell, and leading foundations, will journey to Cincinnati, Ohio from July 22-25 to join more than 3,000 advocates, including 1,500 young adults, to discuss best practices and actionable steps to pursue justice for our country’s children. “All of us must recommit to continuing and expanding the hard work of building a transforming national movement to ensure economic, racial, and educational equity, to break up the Cradle to Prison Pipeline and the mass incarceration of black males, and to create a just playing field for every child,” said Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President of the Children’s Defense Fund. Registration for the conference is still open! For more information or to register, visit our conference website.

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Governor Brown Signs State Budget that Cuts Health and Human Services for Children and Families

On June 27th, Governor Jerry Brown signed a state budget that closes a $15.7 billion budget gap and includes significant cuts to safety net programs and services for children and families.

• Children’s Health: Despite significant opposition from a broad coalition of advocates, the budget eliminates the Healthy Families Program, and transitions nearly 900,000 children into the Medi-Cal Program. Read the 100% Campaign press release on the elimination of Healthy Families.
• CalWORKs: The budget includes $470 billion in spending cuts to CalWORKs and reduces the time limit for cash assistance from 48 months to 24 months for parents who are unable to meet federal work requirements. However, approximately 20% of the caseload may have the time clock extended if they meet specified criteria. There were no grant cuts within the program.
• Child Care and Development: The final budget includes $180 million in cuts to early childhood development.  While devastating, the cuts were less severe than the over $500 million in cuts proposed by the governor in January.  
• Public Education: While the budget does not cut K-12 education, it relies heavily on revenues that are expected if voters approve Governor Brown’s tax initiative in November. If voters reject this temporary tax hike, $6 billion in cuts will be triggered, largely to public education.

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Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act

On June 28, the Supreme Court fully upheld the Affordable Care Act, which will enable millions of California children to continue to benefit from the landmark legislation.  “The Affordable Care Act has already been a huge win for California children,” said Jamila Edwards, Northern California Director of Children’s Defense Fund-California. “Tonight, parents can rest easier knowing the law’s benefits will be there for their children tomorrow, and that more benefits are on the way." Learn more about the Affordable Care Act and how it benefits California children by downloading our family-friendly flyer and visiting our website.

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CDF-CA Youth Advocate in Sacramento to Protect Children's Health and Access to Education

CDF-CA’s Youth Policy Advisory Committee continues to represent children’s interests, this time at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. On June 27, Beat the Odds finalists Jerry Gonzalez and Alezhaivia Melendez joined other youth from across the state to speak to the state Senate and Assembly on a number of bills that would reduce the number of students pushed out of school by encouraging schools to use alternatives to suspension, expulsion, and truancy ticketing. Jerry was able to share his school experience with legislators: at his first high school, he was kicked out of class over 20 times, but now he is a model student at his new school, which has a non-zero tolerance environment. Many of these bills made it out of committee. To track the progress of the school push out legislation that CDF-CA has been supporting and to find out how to get involved in ensuring these bills pass and start improving our schools, visit www.fixschooldiscipline.org. Jerry and Alezaihvia also visited offices to ask state legislators to save the Healthy Families Program. Jerry shared how he has personally benefited from Healthy Families on the local NBC evening news.