El Dorado County Families & Children Digest

More than 300 local students participated in the SAGE Map Contest hosted by the El Dorado County Surveyor’s Office and the El Dorado and Georgetown Divide Resource Conservation District.

El Dorado County will increase compensation to environmental consulting company Dudek by more than $142,000 for additional analysis and planning on the Diamond Springs park project. The park is will be adjacent to Charles F. Brown Elementary School.

The Sacramento Zoo is opening an exhibit 65 million years in the making. Dinosaur Safari at the Sac Zoo runs through March 2024, featuring more than 20 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs.

About 300 South Lake Tahoe youth celebrated the end of their winter season with the youth development nonprofit SOS Outreach.

The Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe received a grant from the Vail Resorts Epic Promise program.

Cheyanne Lane has been appointed as interim executive director of Tahoe Youth & Family Services. Lane began working for TYFS in 2006 and has filled many roles during her tenure.

Tahoe Tessie isn’t real but climate change is. That’s the tagline for “Find Tahoe Tessie,” an augmented reality game app developed by UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

The mission of the Kiwanis International organization is to strengthen the community and serve children. In meeting these goals, Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra participates in various service events.

Georgetown School of Innovation sixth-graders created StoryCorp-type podcasts about different agencies that helped during the Mosquito Fire. The class came up with 10 different agencies to interview.

SCOTUS rejected a last-minute plea from the tobacco industry and cleared the way for enforcement of a statewide ban that includes menthol cigarettes.

In online pregnancy discussion groups, dozens of California women have detailed their long waits for results and the anxiety it has caused.

“Ski Patrol Pups’ follows the story of the author’s puppy, Walter, as he and his friends learn what it takes to become ski patrol dogs.

The prospective Cameron Park Lake splash pad became a hot topic during the Oct. 19 Cameron Park Community Services District Board of Directors meeting, with some concerned the project isn't the best use of CSD funds.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control decided to list COVID-19 among the vaccines it recommends for children, but each state decides whether to adopt those guidelines. It's unclear what California will do.

Through a series of events Joe Carson was confronted with a unique opportunity. His story began when his mom was searching in the El Dorado Hills area for a theater company suited for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities.

The California Highway Patrol is marking the two-decade anniversary of the Amber Alert system. Hundreds of abducted children have been found and returned safely to their families following its implementation in 2002.

Just because school is out doesn’t mean students don’t need essential social and emotional resources. Black Oak Mine Unified School District has a partnership with Sierra Child & Family Services to provide 24-hour help for families who struggle.

For the first time in three years, the California State Fair will return. This Sacramento tradition of food and carnival rides is now four months away.

El Dorado County Fair Association CEO Kathy Dunkak stepped into her new role after about five years as the fairgrounds’ deputy manager, and she’s looking forward to its return in June—the first time the event has been held since 2019.

Child Advocates of El Dorado County’s board of directors has appointed Amy Pooley as executive director. Prior to joining CASA El Dorado, Pooley spent 15 years serving the community in a variety of roles.

Established in 1992, Child Advocates of El Dorado County has provided support, empowerment and a voice for at-risk youth for 30 years—and it can always use more volunteers.

Brian Conway, an experienced leader in public service, has accepted the position to head up Tahoe Youth & Family Services, a nonprofit that has been serving South Lake Tahoe and Douglas County since 1975.

The El Dorado Hills Library recently unveiled its new play center—a place where children can learn through playing.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Northern Sierra and Sacramento agencies raised nearly $40,000 with a fundraiser that featured donors rappelling down the side of the Residence Inn by Marriott.

Canceled in 2020 and then pushed from June to September by COVID-19, the El Dorado County Fair has now been called off for 2021 due to the Caldor Fire.

Ponderosa High School senior Madisen Berry, who serves as the Hands4Hope Youth Board PR coordinator, reports that the organization pulled together COVID-safe, in-person leadership camps for both middle and high school youth.

The El Dorado County Youth Commission is seeking new members for the 2021-22 school year. Applicants must be enrolled in grades 9-12, reside in El Dorado County, and be at least 13 years old. Applications must be submitted online or via email by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 10.

This summer in South Lake Tahoe, the theater group will be working on acting, singing, dancing, auditioning and theater skills under the direction of Nannette Niven and Marcia Sarosik.

More than 40,000 California child care providers will get at least a 15 percent pay raise starting in 2022 through their first-ever collective bargaining agreement.

Advocates say demand for care has been up during the pandemic, and services are inadequate.