The school year is in full swing, and LA County Library would like to remind our neighbors of the resources available at your local library to support children, teens, and adults in their educational and personal goals.
Since 1964, the Head Start program has been a lifeline for generations of women and families, providing free, high-quality educational, health, social-emotional, and nutritional services and opening doors to opportunity and economic justice that had long been kept shut. Now, as Head Start approaches its 60th anniversary, it’s a great time to look back on all that the program has achieved — and look forward to what our country could look like if Head Start was strengthened.
Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, covers one in three Californians, including more than 50 percent of the state’s youth. In California, nearly 300,000 youth are coping with depression, and 66 percent of them do not get the help they need, according to Governor Newsom’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health.
In 2023, the Oregon legislature launched the Early Literacy Success Initiative to help all students learn to read, as only 46% of students read proficiently by the end of grade 3. To support the initiative, the Children’s Institute (CI) partnered with the Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest (REL Northwest) to compile accessible, evidence-based resources to support this effort and strengthen literacy practices for young children.
Houston, a leading national non-profit organization working to transform the lives of underserved, under-resourced families, has experienced two major natural disasters in recent months: a derecho and then Hurricane Beryl. The executive director, Luz Flores, shared that out of their 18 centers, only six had power. Staff and families were similarly affected, with many lacking basic utilities during a time of an extreme heat warning.
The National Black Child Development Institute is the only national organization focused solely on the unique attributes and needs of Black children, birth through age 8. We exist to fight for the creation of an equitable and just future for Black children and families. We mobilize communities and ignite movements on the strength of Black excellence. NBCDI is engaged in the process of building the world into which Black children deserve to be born. The work of building a future in which Black people exist is ours to design, and we take seriously the charge to lay the bricks and smooth the mortar to implement ideas that will change the world for Black children and families.
For grade-school teachers, keeping up with student slang is a race as old as the teaching profession itself, and one they can never win. Changing as quickly as the weather, the hot slang word or phrase of the moment — the one that’s so lit everyone in the caf is using it — is usually hella dead by the time most adults they know catch up.
Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) recently published Child Care at a Standstill: Price and Landscape Analysis, an annual report assessing the national, state, and regional trends in child care.
At this time of year, many preschool parents are worrying about whether their child will be ready for kindergarten. What are the things their child should learn? Do they need to make alphabet flash cards? Invest in worksheets so kids can practice math. I talked with kindergarten teachers to find out what they think kids need to know to be kindergarten-ready. You may be surprised: Readiness for school, teachers say, does not mean that your child will have mastered all the kindergarten skills on Day One. Instead, it means that your child will take pleasure in learning how to do things on their own.
Babies’ brains grow rapidly during those earliest days, weeks, and months, forming 1 million neural connections every second. Understanding the significance of these early stages lies at the heart of ZERO TO THREE’s mission. As the premier organization that translates the science of early childhood into action, we recognize the profound impact these early experiences have on shaping the trajectory of a child’s life and our collective future.
With little pomp, California launched two apps at the start of the year offering free behavioral health services to youths to help them cope with everything from living with anxiety to body acceptance.
Racial prejudice and bullying, a lack of funding, inadequate mental health support, and inexperienced teachers — those are just some of the challenges Black students face in America’s K-12 public schools. We see some of these issues show up on television on “Abbott Elementary,” but representations of Black students and schools are a mixed bag on the big screen. Some films — we’re looking at you, “Dangerous Minds” — dive right into the stereotype of the white savior teacher who rescues bad Black kids from their terrible neighborhoods and families.
In the ongoing debates about book bans in American schools, there is one narrative that dominates the discussion: those who oppose certain materials in school libraries are merely “book banners,” seeking to censor and limit the free exchange of ideas.
California State Controller Malia Cohen and several other State officials — including Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) and State Superintendent for Public Instruction Tony Thurmond – are backing a ballot measure that will make California Students more financial literate.
facebooktwitterinstagram Program Funded by the American Rescue Plan Provides Free Hotspots Laptop and hotspot loans are available to borrow for six weeks. (Courtesy photo)
California has enacted a law mandating the inclusion of media literacy education in the K–12 curriculum, which state officials called a proactive approach to address the growing challenge of misinformation. The legislation, known as Bill No. 873, received approval from Gov. Gavin Newsom in October and is set to take effect in January 2024.
facebooktwitterinstagram The “Coach of the Year” accolade is a testament to the Los Angeles Chargers’ ongoing dedication to supporting local high school football programs. Throughout
In communities across America, the disparity in high school graduation rates between Black students and their counterparts of other racial backgrounds has long been a point of concern. Officials and activists have identified the deeply rooted issue of excessive student suspension as a significant contributing factor. The systemic problem not only hampers the immediate educational prospects of affected students but also casts a long shadow over their prospects as Black Americans.
Numerous studies have shown that Black teachers can improve Black students’ academic outcomes, but in California, where Black Students are the lowest performing sub-group of all ethnic groups, the state has an extremely low count of African American instructors working in school districts across the state
McKinley Elementary School students, parents, guardians, and teachers were welcomed to class by Bakersfield High School’s (BHS) cheer team and community volunteers. Friday was a Walk to School event that encouraged students to come to school while gaining community awareness regarding the lack of bus routes to take participating students to school like many other Bakersfield elementary schoolers utilize.
