Ian Leui, Jazmin de Luna, Manual Lopez, Samantha Galindo and Samarea Johnson were honored in December at our 28th annual CDF Beat the Odds® gala. They mingled with celebrities and enjoyed an evening where they were the center of attention, and their hard work – at school, home and in their community – was recognized. Now we are accepting applications for our next cohort of students to be a part of the CDF Beat the Odds family. Our online application portal is open through March 29. The program honors outstanding young people who demonstrate academic commitment, are involved in improving their community while overcoming adversity. Through a competitive review process, we will select five deserving high school freshmen from the greater Los Angeles area to receive academic support geared towards college enrollment and completion. In order to apply students must write a personal statement that describes their hardships and how they have overcome them and get a letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, casework or any other unrelated adult. Other requirements can be found online. Application deadline is March 29.
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Thank you for answering the call
A couple of weeks ago when President Obama made a courageous step and banned solitary confinement for juveniles in the federal prison system, we put out a call to action.
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Statement from Alex Johnson, Executive Director of the Children’s Defense Fund-California, on LAUSD’s new superintendent
In response to the selection of Michelle King to lead Los Angeles Unified School District, Alex Johnson, Executive Director of Children's Defense Fund-California, issued this statement: "We congratulate Michelle King on her appointment as the new superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and as the first African American woman to lead the nation's second largest district. As a leader who has worked her way up the ranks at LAUSD, Superintendent King understands the district, its challenges and the needs of the more than 600,000 students who call LAUSD home. While LAUSD has made some important progress over the last several years – more students are testing at proficient or advanced in the core subjects on standardized tests, and high school dropout, suspension and expulsion rates are declining – much more work is needed to ensure success for LAUSD's students. The [...]
Governor’s Budget Must Do More to Address the Needs of the Whole Child
Alex Johnson, Executive Director of Children's Defense Fund-California, released the following statement in response to Governor Jerry Brown's 2016-17 budget proposal:"With California's fiscal health improving, now is the time to invest in the health and well-being of California's children and rebuild our tattered social safety net. Unfortunately, the Governor's proposed budget falls short of providing the resources necessary to end child poverty in California and fully support crucial programs for our most vulnerable children and families.The historic investment in K-12 education is a critical step, but we also need a budget that addresses the root causes of educational gaps. Quality health care, child care and early education are important family supports needed for children to survive and flourish. If we want our investments in California's public schools to be successful, we need to be making investments to ensure that our children don't live [...]
Children’s Health Coalition Commends Dr. Ross On His Covered California Board Leadership
The California Children's Health Coverage Coalition (consisting of Children's Defense Fund-California, The Children's Partnership, PICO California, United Ways of California, Children Now, and California Coverage & Health Initiatives) released the following statement on Dr. Bob Ross's decision to step down from the Board of Directors of Covered California: "We thank Dr. Bob Ross for his service on the Covered California Board of Directors. Under Dr. Ross's leadership as a founding member and key architect of the nation's most successful state health exchange, millions of Californians have gained health coverage, paving the way for a healthier California. Dr. Ross has been a tremendous advocate to ensure that the Affordable Care Act continues to be implemented in a way that works for California's children and families. "There is still a significant amount of work remaining in order to reach the goal of providing every California [...]
Statement from Alex Johnson, Executive Director of the Children’s Defense Fund-California, on Resignation of LA County’s Chief Probation Officer Jerry Powers
CDF-CA urges the county to seize opportunity to bring in a transformative leader committed to rehabilitating youthIn response to the resignation of Los Angeles County's Chief Probation Officer Jerry Powers, Alex Johnson, Executive Director of Children's Defense Fund-California, issued this statement:"We must quickly turn the page on the circumstances of Chief Powers' departure and remain steadfast in ensuring fair, positive and developmentally appropriate treatment for youth inside juvenile justice facilities while preventing youth from ever entering the system. As Los Angeles County is set to identify its sixth probation chief in ten years, it has never been more important to ensure this new leader is committed to investing in youth and uplifting promising, community-based solutions. While recent progress has been made – the Probation Department has reduced the number of young people incarcerated in the county's 14 juvenile camps from nearly 1800 in [...]