Community Highlights

Alameda County’s Write to Read program, a collaboration between ICPC members including the Alameda County Office of Education and the Alameda County Probation Department has surprising results for incarcerated male teens at Camp Sweeney. Read the write up from Oakland Magazine here.

Alameda County Transportation Commission: Affordable Student Transit Pass Pilot. The Alameda County Transit Commission is in the middle of implementing the second year of its pilot program to provide free transit passes to students and some Alameda County schools. Check out the recent report on outcomes.

News You Can Use

From Children Now: California Children’s Report Card

From EdSource: Suspension, expulsion rates fall sharply in California, but racial and ethnic disparities remain

From EdSource: Positive Rewards to Reduce Student Discipline

Research on link between 9th grade readiness and its impact on graduation

From EdSource: Food pantries, loaned textbooks and child care: California's community colleges help needy students 

From Child Trends: 5 Ways that Neighborhoods of Concentrated Disadvantage Harm Kids

From EdSource: LGBTQ Youth Disproportionally Impacted by Homelessness

Tools: Four Ways to Incorporate a Gender Lens in Your Measurement and Evaluation Efforts

Report: Families and young adults are not receiving the CEITC and EITC, “Left on the Table”

Report: Fighting Inequality Starts with Mothers

Upcoming Events

First 5 Child Health, Education, and Care Summit: California – Leading the Way for Children. April 10-12 in Los Angeles. The summit will feature a presentation by Alameda County Father’s Corps on barriers to African American and Latino fathers engaging in the lives of their children and support services.

Rise Together 2018 Opportunity Summit: Collaborating To Build A Region That Works For All. April 20 in Petaluma. Hear from local, state and national experts who are building collaborative and innovative solutions within the current landscape of housing, employment, and education in the Bay Area.

California Budget and Policy Center: Policy Insight 2018. March 22 in Sacramento. Annual conference provides a unique opportunity for hundreds of stakeholders from around the state to come together and share the latest policy ideas, research, and stories from the field

February was National Children's Dental Health Month

Alameda County Public Health Department and the Community Health Services Division used social media to raise awareness about an easily overlooked aspect of oral health, the importance of dental care for expecting mothers. Resources and more information can be found on the Alameda County Dental Administration website.

ECE Initiative will be included on June 2018 Ballot!

Congratulations to the large and diverse coalition including First 5 Alameda County, SEIU Local 1021, SEIU Local 521, Parent Voices Oakland, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Supervisor Wilma Chan, and Supervisor Nate Miley for the 5-0 vote from the Board of Supervisors to include the Child Care and Early Education Initiative on the June 2018 Alameda County Ballot! Check out Alameda County Early Care & Education Program for more information on the Initiative.

ICPC Indicator Update: Healthy Weight

ICPC focuses on ensuring positive and equitable outcomes for children and youth through cross system collaboration within County departments and agencies. At each of our Council meetings, members receive an update on one of the headline indicators of child and youth wellbeing selected by members. Our January meeting featured an update on our indicator relating to childhood obesity. Key data points (all data from California Department of Education Physical Fitness Testing data) :

• 66% of Alameda County 7th graders were at a healthy weight in 2015-2016, however there are specific populations of children more likely to be obese than others.

• 35.6% of Alameda County 7th graders were overweight/obese in 2015, which is the second highest rate of overweight/obesity for any Bay Area county (Contra Costa has the highest rate at 35.7%)

• Children who are economically disadvantaged are far more likely to be overweight or obese (45.5%) than those who are not (26%). 7th graders at Hayward Unified had the highest rates of obesity at 51.8%, over 3-times that of the lowest rate school district (Piedmont Unified, 16.5%)

• Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Fast Food consumption can greatly increase chances of a child becoming overweight or obese: Alameda County children are drinking less sugar-sweetened beverages on average (22% in 2013-2014) compared to previous years (43% in 2011-2012), however nearly 90% of 12-14 year olds consume fast food more than twice a week (data from the California Health Interview Survey).

Strategy Highlight: Healthy Food, Healthy Families, a project of ALL IN – Alameda County. Our Partners at All In Alameda County are working to implement this program that seeks to transform the demand for and consumption of healthy foods, particularly by children at risk for obesity and diabetes. The strategy includes creating food “farmacies” at community locations (schools, community centers, clinics) where families can access the fresh, healthy food essential for good health and wellbeing.

Policy Highlight - While just one factor, access to food, especially nutritious foods, is essential to ensuring that children and youth are healthy and at a healthy weight. Key food access policies include:

• Federal and state policies (including the Child Nutrition Act, the Every Student Succeeds Act, and the Local Control Funding Formula) impact food for children at school, afterschool, and during summer months. In Alameda County, 82,048 children are eligible for Free or Reduced Price Schools Meals, though only 57% are reached by school lunch, 24% reached by breakfast, and 28% reached during the summer months. Check out California Food Policy Advocates for more information on school food access.

• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), CalFresh in California, increases food-insecure families' ability to access fresh, nutritious foods. In Alameda County, an estimated 64% of eligible individuals are enrolled in CalFresh (an average of 57,000 households in 2017). 62,690 children in Alameda County were enrolled in CalFresh in 2017. (Source: CalFresh Data Dashboard)

Studies show CalFresh is an extremely important poverty-alleviating tool:

• CalFresh Reaches Millions of Californians and Reduces Poverty
• The Antipoverty Effects of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

The Farm Bill, the federal legislation that provides funding and regulations for SNAP is up for re-authorization in 2018. Check out the Food and Research Action Center for more information and tools for advocacy.