People ask us all the time: “How can we possibly end child poverty?” Here’s the good news: In California, we have the answers. We just need the courage and will to finally bring proven methods to bear state-wide.

In many ways, Fresno is a model for this state-wide approach to fighting child poverty. Thanks to our friends at the Fresno Equal Opportunities Commission, I recently visited the Central Valley and saw first-hand how advocates on the ground are working together to help kids and working families get ahead.

Here are some solutions that work:

#1. Early Head Start

Early Head Start students at the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission center on Divisadero Street, downtown. “We’re getting calls constantly. We’re only just scratching the surface,” said program director Kathleen Shivaprasad.

Eighty-five percent of the brain develops by age three. That’s what makes Early Head Start programs so critical. The numbers prove that these two perfect kids pictured above will develop language skills quicker and learn better concentration in class. Programs like Early Head Start work. The challenge is funding. The state budget opened 16,000 new childcare slots. That’s great. But 1 million kids still need access. The richest state in America must do better.

#2. Housing

“We need more. We need more housing for these youths. Our model is working, we just don’t have enough resources,” Chrystal Streets at the Sanctuary Youth Shelter in Fresno.

Chrystal Streets manages the Sanctuary Youth Shelter in Fresno, the ONLY youth shelter for kids ages 12–18 in the entire Central Valley from Merced down to Bakersfield. The shelter provides not only a safe place to stay, but mental health counseling as well as guidance navigating a frustrating bureaucracy. The model works—over 90% of kids return to their families or find a permanent home to stay within one month.

The problem: out of 20 beds in the shelter, eight were empty when we visited. These beds could have helped take kids off the street. Instead, they were left vacant because of a lack of funding. We’re the fifth wealthiest economy on the planet. This is shocking, and there’s no excuse not to invest in helping kids in need get back on their feet.

#3. Workforce Training

Photos of graduates from Fresno EOC’s Valley Apprenticeship Connections. Many of these graduates of the 12-week bootcamp went from no jobs to earning $31/hour. “Working makes them think differently about their whole future,” said program director Lydia Gutierrez.

Fresno EOC Valley Apprenticeship Connections is a 12-week bootcamp guiding adults, many of them parents, through the skills need to attain better paying jobs. Director Lydia Gutierrez told us that some participants slept in their cars in the parking lot after overnight shifts at the local Farmer John’s slaughterhouse. All so they could arrive for class at 7am. That dedication pays off—literally. Graduates of the program earn as much as $31 an hour with a staggering job retainment rate of 82 percent after one year. That’s almost double the state average for such programs. These kinds of programs are crucial to making parents and their children independent.

While all of these programs from Fresno EOC have been successful, one thing I kept hearing time and again was this: “We need more.” The staff of Fresno EOC are literally changing lives every day — and they could change more if they only had more. More support. More funding. More help. As the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force continues to make its comprehensive child poverty plan, we will look into expanding programs just like these that empower children and families to take their future into their own hands.

As Jeff Davis of Fresno EOC told us: “We like to think of ourselves as hope merchants. We’re giving the community hope.”

That’s exactly what we aim to do for children across this entire state with this campaign. Thank you for being part of our journey, and bringing hope to the next generation. In order to be successful, we need 100,000 Californians like you to join our movement. Please ask your friends and family to join now. We need you.

http://www.endchildpovertyca.org/signup/

Towards a better future for all kids,

Conway Collis
End Child Poverty in California

Dear Fellow Californian,

Last Friday, we took a step forward in our movement to end deep child poverty once and for all in our state. Thanks to the work of the California State Legislature and the Brown Administration — as well as the voices of concerned Californians like you — our new state budget strengthens the safety net for children and families in communities across California.

Here’s how the new budget helps children in need:

– A $360 million increase in CalWORKs funding to help keep food on the table for working families

– An extension of the Earned Income Tax Credit for Californians working at the new state minimum wage

– First-time state funding of $158.5 million for home visiting programs that provide vital pre- and post-natal services care to low-income children

– Expanded childcare opportunities so parents can get to work supporting their families

–$200 million in reserve to protect against future cuts during a recession

While this budget brings us closer to our vision of a California that gives opportunities to all children, it’s only the bare minimum. For instance, 1.4 million disadvantaged children still lack access to subsidized childcare. California’s new budget only provides for 16,000 additional slots. How can parents work without it?

Now is the time to create a comprehensive plan to end deep child poverty in our state. That begins by showing the many legislators who fought for these increases to the safety net that we stand with them and support their efforts. Real and sustained commitment to ending deep child poverty requires an army of Californians who demand it.

Please ask your friends and family to join this army and speak up for children. More than 35,000 Californians have joined the movement—with hundreds more joining every week. As the new budget shows, we’re starting to make our voices heard. Imagine what we can do to truly end deep child poverty once we reach our goal of 100,000 Californians by year’s end. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Conway Collis
End Child Poverty in California

I’m frustrated and you should be, too. Here’s why: We know how to end child poverty in the fifth largest economy in the world. Yet 1 in 5 California children still wakes up hungry or on the edge of homelessness. Every. Single. Day.

The good news: There’s a simple way you can make a big difference today. Share this petition in support of Senator Holly Mitchell’s bill to raise CalWORKs in our state.

Please urge your community to expand this life-saving benefit for working families. Today, a family of three receives nine dollars less in CalWORKs than they would have 10 years ago. That makes no sense.

CalWORKs works, full stop. It puts food on the table, keeps lights on overhead, and gives children of hardworking parents the opportunity to become the best Californians they can be.

Change takes courage, compassion, and political will. We want to live in a California where every child can dream of becoming the next doctor, scientist, or governor of our state. Don’t you? Stand up for children. Share our petition today and give all kids a chance.

In solidarity,

Sandra Sanchez
End Child Poverty in California

When you were a child and needed help, who did you call? Maybe you leaned on a parent, an aunt, or an uncle for some much-needed advice or simply a comforting voice.

Ask a foster kid this same question, though, and you’ll most likely get a very different answer: nobody.

As former foster youth, we know this painful truth firsthand. We’ve experienced the struggle foster kids face as they try to navigate a complicated world completely on their own. We’ve seen with our own eyes how this lack of support can lead foster youth to homelessness, deep poverty, or worse.

It doesn’t have to be this way. If we want to truly make a difference, though, it’s going to take all of us.

Please, take a minute to share our video with your friends, family, and colleagues. Your voice will inspire more concerned Californians like you to join our movement to end child poverty. Let’s give our state’s most vulnerable kids the support they need to be healthy, happy, and safe.

Sincerely,

Laura Lomeli & Andre Shirley
Former foster youth

 

You know the statistics. Nearly two million California children — that’s one in every five kids — lives in poverty. As a native Californian and a Christian, that pains me, as I’m sure it pains you and everyone who cares about the future of the state we call home.

But my message to you is one of hope, not pain.

We know how to fix this problem. We can change the statistics, we can change lives, and we can end child poverty for California’s children.

True change rests in our hands. For child poverty to end, we must start inspiring compassionate Californians like you to join the movement and finally speak out.

Please share this video and urge your friends, your family, and your co-workers to join with you in saying “enough” to child poverty. Together, we will make sure California’s leaders do the right thing and bring hope to millions of children.

Blessings to you and your family,

Sister Julie Kubasak
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul

 

Here in California, we encourage our children to be anything they want to be. Maybe they dream of being a doctor, an astronaut, or even an actor. No matter who they are, though, one thing no child dreams of being is hungry.

That includes children from low-income families and especially children who live, breathe, and struggle with poverty. As a social worker, I see the challenges these kids face every day. Will there be food on the table? Will they have a place to sleep at night?

These are children just like your sons, daughters, nephews, neighbors. They want a chance to thrive in life. But they need the basic resources to get where they dream of going.

That’s why I’ve joined the campaign to End Child Poverty in California — our movement to give every kid the chance at a better future.

We can’t do it alone, though. To truly end child poverty, we need every concerned Californian in this state to join with us and put pressure on our elected leaders to develop and carry out the systems of support for our young people who need it most. So please share my video with your friends, your family, and your co-workers and help grow our movement.

Onward,

Sharonda Wade
Supervising Children’s Social Worker
Child Protection Agency

If budgets are tight in your family—and for most Californians, they are—then you probably dread tax season. But if you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, taking the time to claim a good return can keep food on the table.

It takes an expert’s eye to get it right, but not everyone can hire an accountant. Luckily, our partners are forward-thinking organizations around California that provide low- or no-cost tax-prep services to community members.

So, embrace this tax season. Take a look to see if you’re eligible for services in your area, which could potentially save your family thousands of dollars.

CalEITC4Me
CalEITC4Me offers information on the Earned Income Tax Credit and a tool that finds free tax-prep services.

United Way of California
The United Way offers free tax software for households earning less than $66,000 annually. They’ll also help you find an IRS-certified tax expert at a volunteer income tax assistance site near you. Shout out to our partners United Way of Greater Los Angeles, United Way Bay Area, and United Way Capital Region for their tireless tax-prep work!

Rubicon Programs
Financial coaches through Rubicon Programs in the Bay Area coordinate volunteer income tax assistance.

Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County maintains a list of local parishes that host free tax-preparation services.

YPI
So you got your refund. Great! Check out these tips on how to make the most of your EITC from our friends at YPI.

If affordable tax-preparation services help you save money and make ends meet each year, let us know. Tweet us, Facebook us, or email us to show how your tax savings made a difference. Use the hashtag #ItsYourMoneyGetIt. When we can point to the successes of anti-poverty tools, politicians listen. Even better, it pushes them to sustain or even expand the benefits—and make real progress toward ending child poverty.

 

 

A mere six minutes into her life, an infant born in poverty in California is already five times more likely to drop out of school and has a 70 percent chance of staying trapped in poverty as an adult.

For a state that prides itself on being a place of big dreams and limitless opportunity, California can and must do better.

Here’s the good news: You can make a difference.

Please share this video to raise your voice and inspire more compassionate Californians like you to join our movement. Together, we can rally support and demand change from our elected leaders, including our next governor.

Onward,

Sandra Sanchez
End Child Poverty in California