Sacramento County Families & Children Digest

The Sacramento History Museum debuted “Meet May Woolsey,” an exhibit on the third floor in the Community Gallery that recounts a treasured story about a young Sacramento girl who passed away in September 1879.

With summer beginning, parents may be asking how old a child must be to stay home alone. Laws in the Golden State are relaxed compared to some states, but the Sacramento Bee reports that parental experts suggest assessing a child’s comfort level and maturity.

Not a single voting member of the Sacramento City Council, California Legislature or U.S. Congress identifies as ethnically Pacific Islander. A local community group hopes to change that with classes and activities, including visits to the state Capitol.

Single Mom Strong, headquartered in Citrus Heights, this year is pairing volunteer men with children of single mothers in a program that is re-starting after being on hold during the pandemic.

California Department of Social Services has fined Sacramento County for placing new foster children in a former juvenile justice facility even after the state barred it from doing so.

About 1,700 licensed child care centers in California—a quarter of the nearly 7,000 tested so far—have been serving drinking water with lead levels exceeding allowable limits, according to data that the nonprofit Environmental Working Group secured from the state.

Transitional kindergarten is an optional program for children between preschool and kindergarten that provides additional preparation for school. This support allows for students to build social and academic skills they will need for future educational success.

Live entertainment, food trucks, and a fireworks show are coming to Citrus Heights on July 1, as the city announces plans for its first-ever “Stars & Stripes Celebration” at Van Maren Park.

Hope. That’s what Josh Fryday, California’s chief service officer who oversees the California Volunteers state office, envisions its $6.9 million grant made to the city of Sacramento will provide to 600 local youth from underserved communities.

Citrus Heights will hold its first Stars and Stripes Celebration on July 1. It will include a fireworks show, food, and entertainment for the whole family. There will also be a Kids Zone.

The Fair Oaks Library is closed for renovations until mid-June. It’s the first major upgrade of the building since 1976, and improvements will include fresh paint, new carpet, and upgraded computer stations.

Sixteen years and an estimated 3.5 million visitors later, the Folsom Public Library is getting new carpet. The library will be closed from May 9-25 and will reopen just in time to kick off its Summer Reading Challenge.

To combat the barriers to attending the high school dance, some of Sacramento’s local organizations and schools are attempting to reframe the experience by reducing costs and allowing for self-expression.

From brainy write-ups to passionate pleas for reform, here are selected excerpts from CalMatters' Earth Day op-ed contest.

Alan Rowe’s organization, United College Action Network, was founded 35 years ago on the premise that anyone can go to college.

Some say the California Legislature must pass a bill to increase the monthly amount paid to youth in extended foster care, which could reduce homelessness and housing instability.

While California public school enrollment has dropped for the sixth consecutive year, new data shows the number of students leaving appears to be slowing down. “California has been going through demographic shifts from urban cores to outlying areas, dramatically altering demand in districts across the state,” said California Charter Schools Association President and CEO Myrna Castrejón.

When Nia MooreWeathers first heard about California’s sweeping plan to shutter its youth prisons and transform the state’s juvenile justice system, she hoped for a reimagining of how incarcerated youth are treated.

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.

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.

The Rancho Cordova Youth Center, which opened Nov. 4, is the first local center to provide a safe haven for year-round youth programs and show young people that the community cares about their success.

Sacramento Zoo head Jason Jacobs says the zoo seeks an endangered white rhino to potentially relocate in five years to the new 60-acre Elk Grove site, near Sky River Casino.

Folsom Historic District Association opens a seven-day-a-week ice rink with fire pits and concessions.

Mayor Donald Terry says “this dream has come true” as he dedicates the 9,000-square-foot building. It will be operated by the the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento.

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.

A youth funding measure once again is on the Sacramento ballot with Measure L. If passed by a majority vote Nov. 8, the Sacramento Children and Youth Health and Safety Act would allocate 40% of existing cannabis business taxes to youth-related programs. It would not raise existing taxes or create a new tax.

More than 3,200 student fellows during the 2022-2023 academic year will receive up to $10,000 for completing a year of community service. The College Corps program helps students graduate on time with less debt while benefiting the community.

As the Sacramento Zoological Society explores the option of moving the Sacramento Zoo to Elk Grove, community members were invited to share their thoughts with the City Council. The proposed site is in south Elk Grove.

These pandemic-related programs may have been able to reverse a trend that has been incredibly detrimental to Black families during past recessions, like in the Great Recession.

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.

Ron Rammer has been the principal at McCaffrey since it opened 19 years ago. He has been in the education field for 38 years, 36 of them in Galt.