Children's Institute

We are HONORED to be featured in the Los Angeles Times report on the Community Public Health program, an initiative we are involved in alongside the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. In order to remove barriers to accessing healthcare & resources, the Community Public Health Teams are knocking on doors across Watts. "This is bringing healthcare to the door of the individual, versus waiting for someone to make an appointment," said Monica Dedhia, LCSW, Director of Community Health at Children's Institute. To learn more about this initiative, please read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gT66z8du

Although it is now well into July, we want to reflect on the month of June as "Fatherhood Well-being Month." This month was officially declared as such by the State Assembly of California, the Los Angeles City Council, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Assemblymember Mike Gipson - in partnership with our own Project Fatherhood and Government Relations & Advocacy teams. The purpose of this declaration is to advocate for and ensure that fathers have a presence and a voice in meaningful forums. Recognizing the essential roles fathers play, our advocacy efforts have led to a county motion calling for a report to identify service gaps and recommendations to improve public social service access. This collaborative effort underscores the importance of supporting fathers & their well-being to have far-reaching impact. To learn more about Fatherhood Well-being Month, please read the full blog: https://lnkd.in/g2F6yBPE

Children's Institute's Project Fatherhood program is overjoyed to share that, since then, we have co-hosted multiple listening sessions with fathers in our community leading to several recommendations that better support fathers in accessing county services that help them be fully engaged in their children's lives. Thank you to our elected representatives and champions for this work Assemblymember Mike Gipson, City Councilman Tim McOsker and Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. Most importantly, thank you to all of our fathers who showed up and spoke out on behalf of their children, families and communities.

Thank you to the more than 200 community members and more than 50 CII and LA LGBT Center staff, volunteers and partners that came out to support the 2nd annual We Are ONE Community, LGBTQ+ Family Resource Fair. SO much fun was had with workshops like "My Home is Safe Space" and "The Genderbread" to Drag Queen Story Hour with Demi Moscato and Free Mom Hugs! We couldn't have put on such a special event without the generous support of our sponsors Anthem Health, Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and Councilman Tim McOsker. THANK YOU!!! #PrideSavesLives

Earlier this week, we submitted a letter in support of AB 1799, a bill that’s aimed at addressing issues stemming from over-reporting of families, disproportionately affecting families of color, in California's child welfare system. As Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of California Health & Human Services Agency states, “This is not just an average vote that we turn our backs on. This is a vote with a commitment that we all stay involved and support a mindset shift to make this happen.” The changes contained in the bill flow from a set of recommendations recently presented by the Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting (MRCS) Task Force, convened by the Child Welfare Council and led in-part by Dr. Diane Elias, VP of Behavioral Health and Wellness Programs at Children's Institute. Through a rigorous selection process, Dr. Diane Elias was chosen among hundreds of applicants to serve on the task force as the sole Mental Health Representative. Diane continues to play a critical role in this task force by providing a unique perspective as the expert in the mental health field and through this initiative, she is committed to eliminating the Mandate of General Neglect reporting, to prevent further separation of children from their families in unnecessary circumstances where poverty is the main condition. Diane states, “I am passionate about mitigating the lifelong trauma that happens from separating families because of over-reporting, as a result of structural racism embedded into our child and family systems. The goal should be to create pathways for community resources and supports with a commitment to seeing communities keep their children safe and families together.” At Children's Institute, we have always believed that change is possible when we lean on our expertise in close partnership with the community. We hope that this is the first of many positive changes to ultimately provide lasting pathways to economic mobility and lifelong health to our children and families. For more information on the full list of recommendations, please view here: https://lnkd.in/gGs_StjW

ATTN: We’ve received a generous offer from a donor to match donations, dollar-for-dollar, up to $150,000 to support the launch of our foster youth program! We're getting closer to our goal, but we still need your help to meet the full match - and we only have until June 30! What makes our foster youth program different? We serve a broader range of foster youth - from 14 to 27 which encompasses multiple transition stages, with each transition posing its own set of challenges. From high school to college, college to career and all the transitions in between. We've also partnered with foster youth to listen to their needs first while co-developing the program to best suit their needs for long-term success. Please consider giving to make a lasting impact on our foster youth! Thank you! https://lnkd.in/gCsWs3Sv

We're proud to announce the addition of Andrew Vogel from KPMG to Children's Institute's Board of Trustees! Andrew brings over 20 years of extensive experience in finance - all the way from Australia here to Los Angeles. He brings his personal mission and vision to Children's Institute to ultimately make an impact to the most underserved children, families and communities across Los Angeles. We are thrilled to have him on board! To learn more about Andrew, read his deskside interview here: https://lnkd.in/gpn4GxEk

As we await on a negotiated final budget, Children's Institute continues to advocate for investments across early childhood education, health, social services, and other critical safety nets supporting children and families. Through advocacy days and letters like this one from Children's Institute's Government Relations and Advocacy Team, our coalitions called on the Legislature to pass a budget that prioritizes the well-being of all children and families.

Thank you Sarah Bane, CFE and the Marsh team for volunteering at our food distribution! The work we do for our community is largely possible because of volunteers like you. 👏

Happy Pride Month! Last year, we hosted our first LGBTQ+ Resource Fair and we are excited to announce our SECOND annual "We are One Community" LGBTQ+ Resource Fair on Saturday, June 22nd at our Watts Campus (10200 Success Ave, Los Angeles) from 10am-2pm. In partnership with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, there will be workshops for families, resources for youth and lots of fun surprises. RSVP now at https://lnkd.in/gKynJkyM