Newsletter: January 2026

Our response to Gov. Newsom’s 2026-27 budget proposal

With the Trump administration gutting critical programs that Californians rely on to be healthy, drastically diminishing federal funding to the state, our state budget leaders must establish new revenue streams. The Governor and Legislature have plenty of options to raise revenue – including increasing the percentage ultra-wealthy corporations contribute to our state and closing loopholes that allow them to avoid paying their fair share. Instead,our state leaders continue to balance the budget on the backs of children, families, and hard-working communities.

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Child care funding freeze: What’s happening and what you can do

Child care providers face the threat of a federal funding freeze, putting children, families, and child care providers at risk.

In response to racist claims of child care fraud that have since been proven false, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) attempted to freeze federal child care funding for five states, including California, and instigate a new process to review child care funding of all states. And while a judge ordered federal child care funds temporarily unfrozen while the states’ case is pending, the threat to long-term cuts is still real.

Providers can:

• Understand and exercise their rights.
• Create and implement “safe space” policies that safeguard early childhood education programs against immigration actions, as well as protect families’ safety and privacy.
• Educate stakeholders about the potential impacts of the freeze.
• Urge Congress to release all federal child care dollars and funding for critical programs that help families meet basic needs.

Families can: 

• Educate themselves on their rights as legal guardians.
• Learn ways to talk about these difficult topics with their children using guides, including “When children are afraid of a parent’s deportation” and “Seeking Safe Haven: Supporting Immigrant Children & Families Facing Detention or Separation.”
• Equip themselves with self-care and safety planning tools in the face of heightened attacks against immigrant communities; this Love Letter to immigrant parents offers mental health advice.

Everyone can: 

• Urge members of Congress to restore child care funding to support families, and reject additional funding for ICE to harm families.

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Sign letter: California must act now to protect Medi-Cal
(CPEHN)

Our partners at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network have written a letter to the chairs of the state Senate and Assembly Budget Committees demanding the Legislature take action to protect full-scope Medi-Cal for our state’s refugees, asylees, domestic violence survivors, and holders of visas for crime victims. The Governor’s 2026-27 budget proposal would not backfill Medicaid funding lost in HR 1 for this group of immigrants, further reversing California’s commitment to Health4All and putting the health of families – and the children who depend on them – at risk.

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Protect health care for transgender youth
(Human Rights Campaign)

Deadline to submit comment is Tuesday, February 17.

The Trump administration has proposed two federal regulations that would severely restrict access to health care for transgender youth:

• Medicaid and CHIP Funding Rule — would prohibit Medicaid funds from covering transition-related care for transgender youth under age 18 and bar Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funds from covering that care for transgender people under age 19.
• Hospital Conditions of Participation Rule — would bar any hospital providing transition-related care to transgender youth under age 18 from participating in Medicare and Medicaid.

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Minor consent resource page
(NCYL)

As a complement to our shared AB 665 fact sheet, the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) has launched a new resource page featuring six short video trainings that explain key aspects of minor consent in California, including consent law, confidentiality, school-based services, and more.

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National Parents Union report on policy failures affecting children

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ICYMI: Peer-to-Peer Year One Impact Report,
ALL IN for Safe Schools TK-12 Toolkit

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Reflecting on 10 years at The Children’s Partnership

By Mayra E. Alvarez

Ten years ago, I moved from Washington, D.C., back to my home state of California to lead The Children’s Partnership. I was inspired by the opportunity to serve families like my own and to hold family, community, and culture close as guiding values in our work to advance real policy change.

I grew up outside of San Diego as the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents who worked hard to make sure my sisters and I were safe, warm, fed, and loved. But no matter how hard my parents worked, we were never able to own a home or have steady access to health care. These parts of the American Dream were just out of reach for us. Even as I grew up in a loving community, I could see how systems were designed to exclude families of color and low-income families like mine. 

That understanding, rooted in my own family’s story, has guided my leadership as president of The Children’s Partnership. It has deepened my belief in what is possible when we work together to change the systems millions of families rely on for their health and well-being

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Liza M. Davis writes about community supports for children traumatized by immigration actions 

Mass deportation and hostile immigration actions are causing serious emotional and developmental harm to young children, particularly those in immigrant and mixed-status families. With nearly half of California’s children connected to immigrant households, fear and instability are disrupting access to early learning, health care, and the safe environments children need to thrive. This piece, developed in partnership with the First 5 Center for Children’s Policy and with key contributions from Liza M. Davis, TCP’s advocacy director for children in immigrant families, outlines the urgent need for stronger safe-space protections, expanded early childhood mental health services, and sustained investment in trusted community-based supports.

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We’re hiring: Communications Manager

💼 Full-time | CA-based | $70–85k + strong benefits
🗓 Apply by Feb. 27

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Peer-to-peer youth mental health program report in Los Angeles Times, KALW
TCP’s Peer-to-Peer Year One Impact Report was featured in the Los Angeles Times, via EdSource, highlighting the positive impacts of our Peer-to-Peer Youth Mental Health High School Pilot Demonstration. Bay Area public radio station KALW also featured the report.

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