Making the North State a Better Place for Children

Making the North State a Better Place for Children

The first years of life play a crucial role in learning and development. Parents, grandparents, siblings and friends all contribute to setting the stage for healthy adulthood. Many organizations in the North State invest time and talent toward giving children their best start in life. By working together to promote children’s physical, mental and emotional well-being, we can benefit not only today’s families but tomorrow’s world making the North State a better place for children.

Siskiyou Community Services Council (CSC)

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Kathy Suvia serves as the executive director of Siskiyou CSC, an organization that works toward child abuse prevention at the policy level. The root causes of child abuse, according to Kathy, include poverty, substance abuse in the family, exposure to previous domestic or child abuse, unsuitable housing and lack of access to quality behavioral or health care. Siskiyou CSC addresses these root causes by partnering with various organizations to provide quality healthcare for all citizens.

Preventing childhood abuse, however, requires more than a handful of coalitions and committees. “Any change has to start with awareness,” says Kathy, “and one of the tools we use to promote awareness is the Pinwheel Project.” This national campaign dedicates the month of April, Child Abuse Prevention Month, to planting “gardens” of pinwheels at schools, businesses and homes. “Pinwheels are fun and lively, so they represent the kind of childhood all children should be entitled to,” explains Kathy. The diversity of pinwheel garden sites depicts the community effort required to prevent child abuse and neglect. “Research shows abuse as children leads to adults who become problems in society. These kids are going to grow up. They are our future,” says Kathy. “We want to give them the best start as kids, so they can have healthy adulthoods.”

First 5 Shasta

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Among its many efforts for kids, First 5 Shasta celebrates Week of the Young Child (WOYC), a nationally designated week of awareness about the needs of children from birth to eight years old. To jumpstart the celebration, First 5 Shasta developed the Paper Doll Project. Local preschoolers decorate paper dolls which businesses then display. The displays help create awareness of young children’s needs and identify the businesses as family-friendly.

WOYC activities begin on April 14 with Rev, Rumble and Roar at Shasta County Library. This union of vehicles and literacy helps set the tone for what Deborah Peel describes as a “week of fun with a serious purpose.” Deborah, marketing and communications coordinator for First 5 Shasta, says nearly all the 42 activities offered in Shasta County during WOYC offer free children’s books. “Literacy,” Deborah explains, “is one of the most important skills for young children. Before third grade, kids learn to read, but after third grade, they read to learn.” Giving children a solid literacy foundation, therefore, primes kids for success in school and beyond. First 5 Shasta’s activities throughout WOYC provide age-appropriate developmental activities, but also give parents practical models for talking, singing and playing with their children. Deb says that this “human-to-human engagement” proves essential to children’s healthy growth and development.

Valley Oak Children’s Services (VOCS)

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“When a loving, supportive home environment is missing, or if parents must work, high-quality childcare is in high demand and short supply,” says Connie Roberson, program manager for Valley Oaks Children’s Services (VOCS) in Butte County. Among its many free services, VOCS connects families with childcare through avenues like its Childcare Payment Program, which subsidizes childcare for qualifying families. Though parents’ own upbringings influence their definitions of “high quality,” Connie describes high-quality childcare as providing plenty of age-appropriate activities that foster literacy and social competence. “Children grow up to be our leaders,” says Connie. “Kids who enter kindergarten prepared to share, be patient, and communicate their needs already have the foundation to be assets to the community.”

VOCS offers a lending library of books and literacy kits, coordinates a USDA-sponsored meal subsidy plan for childcare providers, and connects families with resources like meals and dental care through resource counselors. Monthly Parent Cafés in Chico, Oroville and Gridley provide free dinner, childcare and an opportunity for parents to discuss challenges and support one another. VOCS also hosts the popular annual Children’s Faire in the Chico Plaza (April 21st, 2018), gathering organizations like CalFresh, the Hmong Cultural Center and Far Northern Regional Center to offer fun activities for children and connect families with helpful resources.

Red Bluff Library

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“I always tell kids reading is the most important skill they will learn. We have to read to do everything in life,” says Red Bluff librarian, Sally Ainsworth. “To read a cookbook, to take a driver’s test – all the big milestones they will have in their lives will require reading.” To kickstart this foundational skill of literacy, Tehama County Library offers a weekly reading program, complete with a story and a craft, at both the Red Bluff and Corning branches. For children just learning to read, Sally encourages reading with parents, of course, but also promotes reading with grandparents and older siblings. “When a big brother or sister reads to a younger sibling, it gives both reading practice and has the added benefit of becoming a sibling bonding experience,” Sally explains.

She also emphasizes fostering a love of reading over summer vacation, helping kids maintain their reading and comprehension skills so they do not fall behind between academic years. The theme of this year’s summer reading program is “Reading takes you anywhere you want to go” and will highlight California’s travel destinations. “I always tell the kids to read, no matter what they’re reading,” says Sally. “Even a Hotrod Cars magazine is reading!”