For immigrant students, graduation discussions have an extra layer of complexity this year.
At one northern California school, recently arrived immigrant students are thinking about safety, politics and the culture of belonging – considerations that weren’t front of mind as they filled out their applications in the fall, before President Donald Trump took office.
Thousands of families lost their homes that swept through Los Angeles County in early January. Local and state disability advocates said they have been checking in with families and trying to provide support as they adjust to life after the fires.
Medicaid — which provides health coverage for almost 15 million Californians and about half of the state’s children — could face billions of dollars in federal cuts under a budget proposal from House Republicans.
That’s alarmed families like the Pequeños, who rely on Medicaid, called Medi-Cal in California, to pay for medical care and other support for their children with chronic conditions.
More than 10,000 unaccompanied youth have entered California each year since 2020, most of them leaving violence or insecurity in Mexico and Central America.
Even after resettling in their new homes, many struggle to access culturally competent mental health care. In response, Community Justice Alliance has helped its youth clients build community and express themselves creatively.
More than 188,000 families rely on California Children’s Services to help manage their care for their children. But when that care is cancelled, few families understand their rights.
A new toolkit hopes to explain families’ due process rights and provide practical advice for moving forward.
Amidst a nationwide shortage of pediatric specialists, families caring for children with special health care needs in rural areas are often forced to travel long distances for care.
Physicians and parents agree that on top of bringing more specialists to rural areas, increasing the flow of information between agencies and making travel reimbursements easier to attain would ease some of this burden on families.
A new Medi-Cal benefit called Enhanced Care Management is designed to improve coordination and access to care for children with complex health and social needs.
Enrollment in the benefit has grown since it launched in July, 2023. But some advocates and parents are concerned about the benefits’ reach and effectiveness.
The recalls have shaken parents whose children depend on ventilators due to health conditions that affect their breathing.
Doctors and children’s advocates are asking federal officials to better track the health of patients exposed to the recalled ventilators. They also want stronger oversight of medical devices in general.
California has a severe shortage of pediatric specialist doctors. The state has only one pediatric medical toxicologist for all 8.7 million children in California, for example, and one child abuse specialist for every 258,000 children.
The shortfall puts medically fragile children at risk for worsening health and missed opportunities for life-changing treatment and support. Many families wait months — and in some cases a year or more — to get appointments.
While the threat of lead exposure via paint and water is well documented, soils aren’t systematically tested and mapped to prevent exposure to this invisible neurotoxin.
Journalists have created a toolkit to help fill these information gaps and arm community members with the skills needed to do their own testing and analysis.