Santa Cruz County Families & Children Articles

An update on the $100 million allotted to California schools to provide healthier meals

By Julie Horner A new book is available at the San Lorenzo Valley Museum: "When the Mission Bells Rang" by Dr. Judith Scott, illustrated by Lydia Gibson and in consultation with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Written for children as …

WATSONVILLE—Since the Covid-19 pandemic forced the closure of schools nationwide, education officials have been struggling to rebound from the significant—and unanticipated—academic and emotional toll at-home learning wrought on young people. Pajaro Valley Unified School District has since boosted its ranks …

The Supreme Court is keeping in place, for now, Title 42 — the pandemic policy that OK’d migrant expulsions. California has yet to figure out how to meet the needs of an influx of migrants when it does go away.

The Santa Cruz Gives organization is helping to increase the visibility of local LGBTQIA+ youth

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Two youth programs of United Way of Santa Cruz County (UWSCC) will get a boost of funding in the new year after receiving a grant from Elevate Youth California, a statewide program aiming at addressing substance use disorder. …

A recent expansion of resources for the Child Development Resource Center, a program of the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, has produced two interactive mapping tools that show the location of licensed child care centers and family child care …

Plus: Free holiday parking starts.

‘Thrive Hive’ provides employment support, health and housing services

SANTA CRUZ—For the purposes of this article, Maya and Sebastian Laing’s story begins on Oct. 20, when a group of strangers paid a late-night visit to their grandmother’s house where they had been staying.  After trying unsuccessfully to convince the …

Parents of students in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District on Friday morning received a text from the district saying there would be no bus service for regular students.

WATSONVILLE—As thousands of students throughout Pajaro Valley Unified School District bid farewell to their summer and prepare for a new year, educators and school employees are readying classrooms, sharpening pencils and honing their lesson plans. Such back-to-school preparations have always …

California has some top-notch tourist attractions—with top-shelf prices. Here are some that won’t break the bank.

What do you think of when you think of Silicon Valley? Something sleek? Google, keycards and lanyards? You probably don’t think of furrowed fields of strawberries, and you certainly don’t think of the old post office in Watsonville. But here, …

When it comes to live parody musical theater, no other group brings it to life like Little People’s Repertory Theater (LPRT) in Ben Lomond. The Park Hall-based crew of kids and parent volunteers begin work the minute school adjourns for …

Opponents cite environmental concerns

The Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds are more than the annual one-week autumnal event, which itself undoubtedly takes a Herculean amount of work. There are also numerous events throughout the year including horse shows, conventions and celebrations such as quinceañeras and …

California’s first-in-the-nation task force to identify reparations said business loans, housing grants, tuition, wage and job protections could provide redress for African Americans.

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville-based nonprofit Digital NEST announced it will open a new location in Stockton next year.  The expansion into the Central Valley kicks off plans to scale up to a total of nine communities in Northern California by the end of …

WATSONVILLE—A new community center is set to open in Watsonville on Wednesday, with the goal of supporting local at-risk youth and their families. The Luna y Sol Familia Center at 14 Madison St. is a program of the Community Action …