San Benito County Families & Children Digest

The state will offer a free mental health app beginning Jan. 1 for people ages 13-25. It is currently being tested in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

California kids have some of the lowest-ranked dental health in the United States, with challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. Here’s a look at the problem and what’s being done to address it.

More than 40 states are suing the social media giant. The legal actions allege that Meta has deceived the public about the harms of Facebook and Instagram, which the attorneys general say “exploit and manipulate” children.

Signed by the governor in September 2022, AB 2881 aims to help student parents in California by offering them priority registration. Advocates are optimistic the law will formalize data collection, allowing them to better serve this student population that represents 1 in 5 students nationally.

Despite an influx of money to counter learning loss during the pandemic, English language arts and math test scores remain low.

The student body at Cerra Vista Elementary School looked on as Hollister School District leaders held a ribbon cutting to officially open the much-improved playground.

Kaiser patients waited 19 days for follow-up mental health appointments in 2019, nine days longer than state law permits. The settlement includes the largest-ever penalty issued by California’s behavioral health regulator.

Newsom rejected Senate Bill 799, which would have paid striking workers California unemployment benefits after two weeks, and SB 686, which would have extended workplace safety protections to domestic workers, such as housekeepers and nannies.

Several anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers are advertising abortion pill reversal. California Attorney General Rob Bonta calls the claims false advertising that mislead vulnerable patients.

A small group of activists want California voters to decide whether transgender minors should be allowed to receive puberty blockers, hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries.

Many California caregivers are aging immigrants making near-minimum wage. Two bills to improve pay and safety could benefit elderly Californians facing a caregiver shortage.

Hollister School District trustees agreed to a new memo of understanding with the Youth Alliance and the YMCA to allow them to continue administering afterschool programs on most campuses, reversing the district’s plan to take over those programs.

Established as a 20-member student club, the Baler Gazette aims to share current events and encourage students to voice their opinions and spread school spirit.

Young adults are not behaving like their parents: They are not drinking as much, they are facing more mental health challenges, and they are living with their parents longer. On top of that, computer games and social media have become a sort of stand-in for physical relationships.

Summer Art Camp allows students to try different artistic styles, mediums and techniques in a condensed workshop format. Art Camps take place at the Art Depot, located in the historic train depot in Hollister.

Over a dozen households turned Jacaranda Circle in Hollister into their own festival as they celebrated Children’s Day on April 30, complete with homemade foods, sweet treats, games of skill, tables filled with prizes, and a castle-themed bounce house.

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

It’s been just over a year since 12 families first began learning how to build their own homes during the first stage of the Riverview Estates project in Hollister.

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 San Benito County Free Library announced it will lend Chromebook computers and Mi-Fi hotspots starting in January 2023. This adds to the collection of books, movies, video games, and other items they lend to the public.

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.

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.

State auditors say more than half of substantiated California child abuse reports in recent years were not in the state’s database, which could result in child abusers being allowed to care for children. The database is used by state and county social services and welfare departments, adoption agencies and other organizations.

On Feb. 26, Hollister Downtown Association in partnership with the American Legion Post 69 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9242 held its first Youth Expo, featuring more than 60 different local organizations.

Assembly Bill 1728, introduced by Assemblymembers Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) and Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), would exempt single parents receiving CalWORKs benefits from “welfare-to-work” requirements for the first three years of their child’s life.

San Benito High School is seeing an increase in disciplinary issues, and the district has responded with a presentation on the support and interventions currently available.

Partnership for Children has received a $105,000 grant to bring assistance to Central Coast families. The group provides transportation and medical care for children and their families.

Following a COVID-19 exposure that shut things down, San Benito Stage Company is anticipating holding early November performances of “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” with local youth.

The Hollister School District implemented two new programs this year. At the Sept. 28 Board of Trustees meeting, Assistant Superintendent Kip Ward said these programs are already having a positive impact on the social-emotional needs of students.

San Benito County Superintendent of Schools Krystal Lomanto announced that students participating in the 2021 Summer Reading Challenge collectively read 9,224,796 words from June 1 through July 31.

California teenagers are looking for help from friends, parents and teachers, according to a survey released by Blue Shield of California. The survey polled 500 students ages 13 to 18 about their mental health before and during the pandemic.