Posts Tagged: parents

Opinion

Education: Attack on parent choice awakes a sleeping giant

A school bus awaits to pick up children at a California school. (Photo: Debbie Ann Powell, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: The accumulation of harmful public policy proposals which would have eliminated parent choice in California demonstrates what happens when Sacramento’s public education establishment awakes a sleeping giant.

News

Survey: Eight in 10 say children falling behind academically

A student in class during the pandemic. (Photo: Siday Productions, via Shutterstock)

PPIC: One year after the state’s schools halted in-person learning due to COVID-19, more than eight in ten Californians think children are falling behind academically during the pandemic. Most Californians approve of how Gov. Newsom is handling the state’s K–12 public education system, though six in ten are concerned that California’s K–12 schools will not be open for full-time in-person instruction this fall.

News

Poll: Kids will be worse off than parents; rich-poor gap grows

A check-cashing outlet in Los Angeles, often used by low-income families. (Photo: image_vulture, via Shutterstock)

A solid majority of Californians say children growing up in the state today will be worse off financially than their parents, while more than two-thirds say the gap between rich and poor is widening. In the past year, more than four in ten households with annual incomes below $40,000 had work hours or pay reduced, and an equal share had to cut back on food.

Opinion

Strong schools mean healthy recovery from current crises

Illustration of school children, education and the pandemic. (Photo: Felipe Sanchez, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: California is dealing with cascading crises the likes of which have never been experienced before. Between February 2020 and today, California’s unemployment rate rose from a record low of 3.9% to 13.3%. Nearly two million Californians who were working then aren’t working now.  And California’s clean energy economy — which employed 3% of the state’s workforce before COVID-19 — has also taken a hit. 

News

Education vs. COVID-19: The shift to online learning

A student works from home via a computer and online instruction. (Photo: Motortion Films, via Shutterstock)

Schools, parents and children in California are facing a steep learning curve as they switch to remote learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools shut down abruptly in mid-March, forcing teachers to scramble to come up with online or distance learning materials. Meanwhile, parents had to figure out how to set up home schools while balancing jobs.

News

Vaccination bills signed amid angry protests

Demonstrators outside the governor's office in the state Capitol protesting vaccination legislation. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

Amid shouting and pounding on doors by hundreds of vaccination opponents, Gov. Gavin Newsom late Monday signed two bills designed to limit medical exemptions for school vaccinations. Hundreds of vaccination opponents delayed state Senate action on the bills for two hours by shouting from the gallery and displaying an upside-down American flag.

Opinion

Good child care: Listen to parents, kids, providers

An illustration of children at play. (Image: Nowik Sylwia, via Shutterstock)

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and that may be true. But this much we know for certain: for working families in today’s economy, it takes, if not a village, at least a solid team. The backbone of that team is parents, children and caregivers. Parents must work to afford housing, food and other necessities. Children require a safe, nurturing place to be when mom and dad are at their jobs.

News

California vaccination fight, Part 2

A youngster receives a vaccination., (Image: JPC-P:ROD, via Shutterstock)

Passions were high as a bill meant to tighten the state’s already strict child vaccination law was approved at its first policy hearing Wednesday before the senate health committee. Just four years after the state eliminated the personal beliefs exemption that allowed parents to skip vaccinations for their children, the new bill would require the state public health department to review all requests for exemptions for medical reasons.

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