1605 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95125 - www.kidsincommon.org - 408.795.3771
Bold Steps for Children Newsletter
JULY 2014  
Greetings!

Last week, Judge Len Edwards, the Children's Agenda Vision Council Co-Chair, had an excellent article published in the Mercury News about his participation in the Summer of 1964's voter registration campaign in Mississippi. While we have come a long way since 1964, we still have a long way to go.

Low-income children and children of Latino and African-American descent in Santa Clara County are still facing disproportionally poor outcomes in health, education, and the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The Children's Agenda works to change this outcome. Through our aligned vision and focus, we can create a community where every child is safe, healthy, successful in learning, and successful in life. Thank you for your continuing good work on behalf of Santa Clara County children and youth.
 
You can read Judge Edwards' article by clicking here

Have a wonderful Summer!
 
Dana Bunnett, Director
Kids in Common
Kids in Common wants every child safe, healthy, successful in learning, and successful in life!

Kids in Common advocates for policies, partnerships, and investments that improve children's lives in Santa Clara County. The cornerstone of our work is the Children's Agenda, a county-wide initiative working to create measurable, positive changes for Santa Clara County children and families.

Donations Needed!  Baby Shower for Pregnant & Parenting Teens
  
Hosted by Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Education Services, this baby shower lets participating low-income teen parents select donated items for their families. The following tax-deductible donations are greatly appreciated:
  • Toys and books (parenting, pregnancy, children's books)
  • Clothes for children, women, men, and maternity
  • Diapers, wipes, unopened formula, and baby food
  • Blankets, crib sheets, and burp cloths
  • New bottles and feeding supplies
  • Bouncers, swings, strollers, baby carriers, and high chairs (No car seats accepted due to legal restrictions.)
Here's how to donate items!
Date: Drop-off items Monday through Friday, prior to the baby shower on July 12, or arrange a pick-up by July 3.
Time: 8:30am - 5:00pm
Location: Education Training Center, 1746 The Alameda, San Jose, CA
For More Information: Call (408) 795-3732.
Community Events

Kidsdata.org Webinar: How to Put Legislative District Data to Work for California Children
Learn how to use legislative district data and maps on Kidsdata.org, a free, nonpartisan website tracking more than 500 measures of child health and well-being.
Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Time: 10:00 - 11:00am
Location: Webinar
For More Information: You can read about the webinar and register by clicking here. You can also visit Kidsdata.org.

Cracking the Code: Navigating the World of Corporate Philanthropy Webinar
This webinar is presented by The Chronicle of Social Change for organizations serving children, youth, and families.
Date: Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Time: 11:00am PST
Location: Webinar
For More Information: You can get more details and register by clicking here. You can also send email to [email protected] or call (510) 393-1344.

Save the Date! Latino-Latina Role Model Conference: Planting the Seeds of College-Going Dreams into the Minds of Our Students

This conference features doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, probation officers, police officers, firefighters, journalists, and other professions. All students welcome! Free breakfast burritos, free lunch, free raffle, and free registration.
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2014
Time: 8:30am - 2:30pm
Location: W. C. Overfelt High School,
1835 Cunningham Ave, San Jose, CA
For More Information: Send email to Esau Herrera, Conference Director, at [email protected] or call (408) 926-7163.

Inclusion Collaborative Early Learning State Conference
This interactive and reflective educational opportunity is for those involved in the care and education of children from birth to 3rd grade (with and without disabilities). Conference participants will learn to create or enhance inclusive practices in their programs. Onsite and online attendance are available.
Date: October 23 - 24, 2014
Location: Onsite attendance is at Santa Clara County Office of Education, San Jose, CA.
For More Information: Visit  www.inclusioncollaborative.org, or call (408) 453-6756.
For Your Reading Pleasure

Early Literacy in California's Immigrant Families

Read this report about disparities in exposure to book-sharing programs among California's immigrant families. The Chair of the Children's Agenda Vision Council is a co-author of this report. You can read it on Reuters by clicking here.

School Discipline Consensus Report
Recently released by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, this report presents a comprehensive set of consensus-based and field-driven recommendations to improve conditions for learning for all students and educators, better support students with behavioral needs, improve police-schools partnerships, and keep students out of the juvenile justice system for minor offenses. You can read the report by clicking here.

How "Stranger Danger" Hurts Kids: "Stranger Safety" Empowers Kids with Knowledge & Skills
This FREE Kidpower article describes the skills that teach kids how to stay safe around strangers, and that when they're having an emergency, they may need to ask for help from someone they don't know. Read this very popular article by clicking here.

The 2014 California Children's Report Card 
This study identifies how kids are doing in our state and what needs to be done about it
. Released by Children Now, it covers 27 critical education, health, and child welfare issues and provides a comprehensive evaluation of the current status of California's kids. You can read the Report Card by clicking here.
Volunteer Opportunities 

Be a Child Advocate! 
Child Advocates is currently seeking individuals, 21 years and older, to become a volunteer Child Advocate to one of the nearly 200 foster youth on our waiting list.
For More Information: Send email to Amalia at [email protected], or visit www.bemyadvocate.org.

Join the LPC Council of Santa Clara County 
The Local Early Education Planning Council (LPC) of Santa Clara County is seeking individuals who are interested in applying for membership to the Council. Funded by the California Department of Education and housed at the Santa Clara County Office of Education, the mission of the LPC is to assess, represent, and promote the early care and education needs of children and families in the community. Applicants must work or live in Santa Clara County, and exhibit a strong commitment to advocating for increased quality child care services; an ability to make information-based decisions; and excellent leadership skills.
For More Information: If you are interested in submitting an application, please send email to Michael Garcia at [email protected], or call (408) 453-6649.

Volunteer with Junior Achievement 
Inspire students at local elementary schools with Junior Achievement! Junior Achievement prepares youth for economic success through a short series of age-appropriate lessons on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work readiness. You can volunteer to work in schools to teach these lessons (the teacher will be in the classroom to provide support.) The dates, times, and locations are flexible, including any school or after-school program (i.e. public, private, charter, etc.) There is a one-hour mandatory training.
For More Information: Send email to Amanda Lopez, District  Manager, Silicon Valley, at [email protected], or call (408) 217-7906.
 
Be a Mentor for Elementary School Children
Collaborative Community Program (CCP) is seeking mentors for children from Washington Elementary School in downtown San Jose. Mentors meet with children in Kindergarten through 5th grade on Thursdays from 3:30-5:00pm at the Biblioteca Latinoamericana Branch Library.
For More Information: Send email to Rochelle at  
[email protected], or call (408) 634-2125.  You can also visit Collaborative Community Program on Facebook.  
We'd love to hear from you!
 
If you have a story or an opportunity that 
 you would like to share in a future newsletter, please send us an email!  [email protected]  
 

 Quick Links

 Have you signed the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth? 

Kids on Grass

For information about the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth go to:

www.kidsincommon.org/bill-of-rights 

  
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Community Resources

San Jose Summer Youth Camp

Youth who completed the 8th, 9th, or 10th grade in June and live in San Jose are eligible. This 2-week camp includes workshops about college/career awareness and personal/social responsibility, and college tours to Stanford University and UC Davis. Registration and mandatory parent/youth orientation are required. Other restrictions apply; please call for details.
Date: July 14 - 24, 2014
Time: 11:30am - 3:00pm
Location: Third Street Community Center, 160 N. Third Street, San Jose, CA
For More Information: Send email to [email protected], or call (408) 295-8722 ext. 303.

Now Enrolling: SJB 2014 Summer Day Camp
This 10-week program will run from June through August and will be filled with both academic and social activities for children to learn from and enjoy. Weekly themes will explore science, math, technology, engineering, history, and art. We also have exciting field trips planned throughout the summer. Hurry, space is limited!
Date: June - August 2014
Time: SJB Center hours are 6:30am - 6:00pm
Location: Facilities throughout San Jose
For More Information: Call (408) 414-2700 ex.0, and ask for Betty.

FIT (Fantastic Incredible Training) Camp
This summer day camp for ages 8 - 12 years is offered by the City of San Jose, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services. The evidence-based curriculum helps children develop a positive self-image, get physically fit, build confidence, learn new activities, make life-long friends, and have the time of their lives. Each camp session is two weeks long. Scholarships are available.
Date: June 16 - August 8, 2014
Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm, Monday through Friday
Location: Facilities throughout San Jose
For More Information: Visit www.sanjoseca.gov/prns, or call (408) 794-6289.

Camp San Jose
This summer day camp for ages 5 - 12 years is offered by the City of San Jose, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services. Children will play crazy-fun games, participate in sports, create cool arts & craft projects, sing funny songs, and go on a weekly field trip. Activities are both educational and fun! Each camp session runs for one week. Early morning care and scholarships are available.
Date: June - August 2014
Time: 8:00am - 6:00pm, Monday through Friday
Location: Facilities throughout San Jose
For More Information:
Visit www.sanjoseca.gov/prns, or call (408) 535-3576. 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley Summer Enrichment Program
Children ages 6 - 18 years can join us for an exciting summer filled with fun, friends, and adventure! And NEW for 2014, Teen programming: preparing our youth for college, career, and life!
Date: June 16 - August 1, 2014
Time: Ages 6 - 12 years is from 7:30am - 6:00pm; Ages 13 - 18 years is from 1:00pm - 5:00pm.
Location: Facilities in San Jose and Morgan Hill
For More Information: Visit www.bgclub.org, or call (408) 957-9685.

City of San Jose's Recreation of City Kids (ROCK) After-School Program
This program offers quality, safe, affordable, and fun after-school care for children in Kindergarten through 6th grade. The program consists of enrichment activities, homework assistance, healthy recreation, cooking projects, special events, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) curriculum. Scholarships are available. 
Date: Monday through Friday during the school year 
Time: End of school until 6:00pm 
Location: Schools throughout San Jose 
For More Information: Visit www.sanjoseca.gov/prns, or call (408) 535-3576.

FutureArtsNow! 
This program hosts weekly Open Dance Sessions at the Edenvale Community Center for $3/session. Youth and young adults are invited to come and hone their Hip Hop Dance skills during our weekly sessions inside the Edenvale Dance Studio/Gym.  
Date: Every Wednesday and Thursday  
Time: 8:00-10:00pm 
Location: Edenvale Community Center, 330 Branham Lane, San Jose, CA  
For More Information: Call Demone Carter, Program Director, at (408) 320-5022; send email to [email protected]; or visit www.futureartsnow.org.

Kidango Child Development Centers:
Open Enrollment for Infants to Five Years 
 
Early education matters for kindergarten readiness and future success in school! Kidango offers high-quality preschool education and child care in part-day and full-day programs with free or partially subsidized tuition for qualified low and very-low income families. Our multilingual teaching staff provides an academic and developmental curriculum individualized to meet children's needs; free assessments for learning and other developmental challenges; daily freshly prepared meals from the Kidango kitchen; and related mental health services.
Date: June through September for open enrollment
Time: 8:00am - 4:00pm 
Location: Kidango locations 
For More Information: Visit www.kidango.org, or call (855) 757-KIDS.

Summit Schools in San Jose Accepting 9th through 12th Graders for Fall 2014
Summit Schools is a public, tuition-free, charter school model with a track record of success. API scores for 2012 were over 820 for both Rainier and Tahoma, and 100% of students are prepared to enter a 4-year university. Classes are small and personalized in a physically and emotionally safe environment. 
For More Information: Visit www.summitsanjose.org.

Kidpower's Public Workshops for Children, Teens, and Adults
 
These workshops offer age-appropriate, experiential, personal-safety skills training relevant to the ages and life situations of the students. We have different workshops for ages 3 years to adults. Each dynamic, upbeat workshop teaches boundary setting, advocacy, stranger safety, help-seeking, and other skills to support safe, positive experiences with people, including strangers as well as friends, family, and peers. 
For More Information: See the Kidpower Public
Workshop schedule by clicking here.

Youth Facing Expulsion

If you know of youth facing expulsion, Legal Advocates for Children & Youth may be able to connect you with a free lawyer to represent your child in a school expulsion hearing.
For More Information: Call (408) 280-2416.

Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) Dollars
Looking for resources to help advocate for Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) dollars to support early learning and development? Children Now can help!
For More Information: Check out Children Now's new campaign with resources by clicking here. Sign up for The Children's Movement of California to receive more talking points, tips, and tools that will be released over the coming weeks and months by clicking here.

CalFresh (Food Stamps) Outreach and Application Assistance

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties can do pre-screening, answer questions, and help clients complete applications for CalFresh benefits. Application assistance can be arranged for weekdays, weekends, and evenings at community locations throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. 
For More Information: Call Second Harvest's Food Connection, 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, at (800) 984-3663, or visit http://www.shfb.org/getfood

Free Food for Low-Income Families
Free food resources are available to low-income families through Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Our region's Family Harvest, Produce Mobile, Pantries and Prepared Meal programs can accept more participants. Food distributions and meal programs are available weekdays and on weekends at community locations throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. 
For More Information: Call Second Harvest's Food Connection, 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, at (800) 984-3663, or visit http://www.shfb.org/getfood

For All of Our MFCC's and Other Professionals Under the Board of Behavioral Sciences
Kidpower is now certified as a Continuing Education Provider under the California State Board of Behavioral Sciences!
For More Information: Visit www.kidpower.org
.

Kaiser Permanente Child Health Program
Did you know that Kaiser Permanente in California insures low-income children who are not eligible for Medi-Cal or Covered California through its Child Health Program? With all of the confusion surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), many mixed status and immigrant families do not know that the program is an option for their child. The Child Health Program is pleased to offer a quality option in California that gives children the health care they need for just $0, $10, or $20 per child, per month, for up to three children, depending on the family's income. Additional children are covered at no extra premium. There are also no co-pays (no charge) for services at Kaiser Permanente facilities.
For More Information: Send email to Sarah Hurd at [email protected]. You can also get additional information, including eligibility guidelines and how to apply, by clicking here.

PARENT PROJECT
This 12-week program, which offers classes throughout Santa Clara County, is specifically designed for parents with difficult or out-of-control adolescents. Parents learn specific prevention and intervention strategies for destructive behaviors.
For More Information: Visit www.ParentProject.com; call (408) 808-3794; or send email to [email protected].

Silicon Valley Kids Climate Club
This club offers children (and grown-ups) important lessons about conserving energy and water, recycling trash, and finding new food sources.  Supervisor Dave Cortese started the Kids Climate Club to introduce children in 3rd through 12th grade to simple tips they can use to help protect the environment.
For More Information: If you would like Supervisor Cortese to give a presentation to your school or youth group, call (408) 299-3050, or send email to [email protected].