Santa Clara County Local Families & Children News Articles and Digest

Education Families & Children City of Gilroy

Enrollment Continues to Decline at Gilroy Schools

01/18/2024
Image for display with article titled Enrollment Continues to Decline at Gilroy Schools

The declining enrollment across Gilroy Unified School District has officials looking at ways to more evenly distribute the number of students across its elementary schools.

From Palo Alto Weekly...

Business, Economy & Jobs Families & Children City of Palo Alto

Google to Close Child Care Centers, Impacting 1 Palo Alto Site

01/17/2024
Google plans to close its employee child care centers later this year, impacting one facility near the border of Palo Alto and Mountain View that the tech company has operated since 2007.

From Mountain View Voice...

Business, Economy & Jobs Families & Children Health City of Mountain View

Kaiser Permanente Offers Last-Minute Enrollment for Health Program for Low-Income Families

01/16/2024
Kaiser Permanente is offering a program that provides affordable health care coverage to low-income adults and children.

From CalMatters...

Families & Children Health Sports

Parents’ Rights Groups Mobilize as California Advances a Ban on Youth Tackle Football

01/15/2024
The Assembly has until the end of January to decide the fate of the youth tackle football bill, which would prevent kids under 12 from playing the sport to protect them from brain trauma.

From Morgan Hill Times...

Education Families & Children State of California

Report Card Finds CA Struggles to Support Children’s Educational Needs

01/12/2024
Image for display with article titled Report Card Finds State Struggles to Support Children’s Educational Needs

Despite statewide efforts, California is still struggling to support the personal and educational needs of its students, according to the 2024 California Children’s Report Card conducted by the organization Children Now, which “grades the State on its ability to support better outcomes for kids” and evaluates progress made on California policies and investments.

From SFGate...

Business, Economy & Jobs Families & Children Parks & Recreation Government

Fourth Graders Might Lose Free Access to California State Parks

01/12/2024
California’s projected budget deficit of close to $38 billion likely means some cuts are coming. Among them, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed ending the California State Park Adventure Pass, which offers free access to some state parks for fourth graders.

From SFGate...

Art, Culture & Media Families & Children

Pasadena Named Travel Destination for 2024 by NY Times

01/09/2024
Pasadena is the only California city named a travel destination for 2024 by The New York Times. This comes despite the Los Angeles-area city being just the 45th-largest city in the state.

From EdSource...

Education Families & Children

California Still Struggling to Support Young Students, Report Finds

01/08/2024
The 2024 California Children’s Report Card from an organization called Children Now noted that the state has failed to improve economic disparities for students. The report also dings the state for things like STEM offerings, early intervention and special education.

From Silicon Valley Voice...

Families & Children Community Service & Support City of Sunnyvale

Winter Wellness Fair Welcomes Hundreds to Sunnyvale Community Services

01/05/2024
Sunnyvale Community Services (SCS) partnered with 40 local agencies to create the Winter Wellness Fair. Not only did families receive holiday gift cards and food, but it was a festive atmosphere that included health services along with a visit with Santa Claus.

From Voice of San Diego...

Business, Economy & Jobs Education Families & Children Health Crisis & Personal Support

San Diego County Schools Face Post-Pandemic Funding Woes

01/04/2024
San Diego Unified School District has received more than $700 million in federal and state relief funds since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with these funds ending, some schools could be facing serious deficits.

From EdSource...

Education Families & Children Resilience

California Community College Students Helping Peers

01/03/2024
Two-thirds of community college students in California admit to struggling to meet basic needs. The California Community Colleges’ Student Ambassador Program has empowered more than 50 students to act as resource guides to help them.

From CapPublicRadio...

Families & Children Health Elections & Politics

Group to Sue California AG Over Title of Ballot Initiative Seeking to Prohibit Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth

01/03/2024
Leaders of a parental rights advocacy group announced they’re planning to sue California Attorney General Rob Bonta over the way his office has characterized a 2024 ballot initiative they authored.

From New York Times...

Business, Economy & Jobs Families & Children Government

CA Minimum Wage Hits $16 an Hour

01/02/2024
The dawn of 2024 meant that California’s minimum wage rose from $15.50 to $16 an hour. That puts the Golden State at the second-highest minimum wage for a U.S. state, trailing only Washington state at $16.28 an hour.

From Los Angeles Times...

Public Safety Families & Children Government

Law Goes Into Effect Blocking Guns in Many California Public Places

01/02/2024
A law passed by the California legislature in 2023 has gone into effect banning licensed gun holders from bringing their firearms to places like playgrounds, churches and casinos. The law faces an ongoing challenge in the federal court system.

From CNN...

Business, Economy & Jobs Families & Children Government

Gender-Neutral Toy Law Goes Into Effect

01/01/2024
A 2021 law passed by the California legislature went into effect Jan. 1, requiring major retailers to maintain an aisle of toys marketed to people of either gender. The bill’s author, Evan Low, said the legislation will help kids “express themselves freely and without bias.”

From CalMatters...

Families & Children Health Government

Californians Can Now Save Money on Vasectomies, Other Birth Control

12/31/2023
California adopted several laws to increase access to contraception and abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. The latest one eliminates out-of-pocket charges for birth control for millions of Californians.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Families & Children Health Community Service & Support Government

All Undocumented Californians Eligible for Medi-Cal for First Time

12/28/2023

Image for display with article titled All Undocumented Californians Eligible for Medi-Cal Health Coverage for First Time in 2024

Undocumented immigrants over 50 became eligible in 2023. Now the program expands to all adults.

From CalMatters...

Business, Economy & Jobs Families & Children Health State of California

Happy New Year, California Workers! You Now Get More Paid Sick Days

12/26/2023
Under a new law, employees in California are guaranteed five paid sick days a year, two days more than previously. Worker advocacy groups say the benefit is needed, but business groups warn of additional costs.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Education Families & Children

Science Doesn’t Yet Support Broad Restrictions on Teens’ Access to Social Media

12/26/2023
In a report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, researchers instead lay out a plan for what society might do to improve adolescents’ interactions with social media.

From Silicon Valley Voice...

Families & Children Community Service & Support City of Santa Clara

SCFD Hosts Holiday ‘Toy Store’ for Local Families in Need

12/26/2023
The Santa Clara Fire Department, in conjunction with the Firefighters Foundation, worked with the Santa Clara Unified School District to identify local families in need.

Santa Clara County Local News: Families & Children