Newsletter: February 2026
Fighting hate with love
February is traditionally a month dedicated to love – for our loved ones on Valentine’s Day, for our Black communities with Black History Month – and this year, for our Asian communities with Lunar New Year and for our Muslim communities with Ramadan. Also this year, The Children’s Partnership joins a growing chorus of diverse voices to show our love and support for California’s children in immigrant families, many of whom have intersectional identities spanning race, religion, culture, gender, economics, immigration status, and much more.
TCP is dedicated to advancing equity that uplifts the health and well-being of children and families, especially those whose identities and needs have been and continue to be marginalized. That’s why, under this frightening federal administration, we are focused on children and families from immigrant communities – to be a part of that village that defends and protects them from attacks, ideological and physical, that separate families and cause lasting harm to child well-being.
As this year’s budget and legislative season ramps up, we continue to advocate for policies and programs that back the health of all our children and families – whether we’re fighting for a budget that funds legal services for immigrants detained by ICE, advocating for policy that supports youth peer mental health services, or championing efforts that encourage the use of the Community Health Worker Medi-Cal benefit.
Love is an act of resistance. Together, we can defend and celebrate all California’s children.
Join Choose Children gubernatorial candidate conversations
Choose Children 2026 will be hosting conversations with candidates for California’s next governor in the coming months, as we work to ensure our state’s next leader prioritizes young children, pregnant people, and their families. These conversations are designed to foster meaningful dialogue and provide insight into each candidate’s priorities on child care, early learning, family economic stability, maternal health, and related issues. Conversations will be followed by an audience Q&A.
Save the following dates:
Bay Area
Tuesday, March 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
East Palo Alto Art Center, East Palo Alto
Confirmed: Betty Yee, Former California State Controller, and Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Register here
Los Angeles Area
Thursday, March 12, 6 to 9 p.m.
Location, candidates and registration to be announced.
Tuesday March 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location to be announced.
Confirmed: Ian Calderon, Former California State Assemblymember, and Chad Bianco, Sheriff of Riverside County
Register here
San Diego Area
Thursday, March 19
Location, candidates and registration to be announced.
ICYMI: ALL IN for Safe Schools resources
“Creating Safe and Inclusive Schools: A TK-12 Toolkit” brings together key strategies and trusted resources to help educators, administrators, and community partners create inclusive environments where all students can thrive.
“How to Create Safe Spaces in Early Care and Education for Children in Immigrant Families” offers ECE providers a concise, practical guide for implementing safe-space guidance into site policies by highlighting the rights of ECE sites and the families they serve.
Food4All coalition launches 2026 campaign, CA-PIF webinar on CalFresh
Oscar Sandoval, TCP’s health care community engagement manager, joined the Food4All coalition for its 2026 campaign launch and press conference at the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank on January 29. The coalition is calling on Gov. Newsom to mitigate the harm done by H.R. 1 by fully expanding CalFresh to include all Californians, regardless of age or immigration status, and addressing the new exclusions of immigrants with humanitarian statuses.
Oscar also co-produced a webinar, “Understanding Access to CalFresh & Public Benefits in California for Immigrant Communities,” as part of TCP’s work with the CA-Protecting Immigrant Families coalition. The event held February 11 was well attended by a large group of people representing cross-sector organizations. Presenters covered new restrictions on immigrant eligibility for federally funded CalFresh/SNAP, changes to federal tax credit eligibility, updates about intrusions into the privacy of public benefits recipients, and the current status of the public charge regulation. View the presentation slides here and a recording of the training here. (Password: i.GsC0Sb)
Faith Colburn speaks at CCRC early childhood-focused conference
Faith Colburn, TCP’s advocacy director of health care, spoke on a panel, “Whole Child, Whole System: Aligning Health and Early Childhood Services,” at the Child Care Resource Center’s 2026 policy conference in late January.
The panel focused on how health care and early childhood systems can better work together to support young children and families through a “whole child, whole system” approach. They discussed challenges families face in accessing care, including fragmented systems, enrollment barriers, and gaps in coordination.
TCP at United We Stand summit
TCP President Mayra E. Alvarez and Liza M. Davis, advocacy director for children in immigrant families, joined hundreds of advocates from philanthropy, business, labor, faith, nonprofit, and civic organizations at the summit United We Stand: Defending Democracy and Each Other. Mayra spoke on a panel discussion on policy and politics, specifically looking ahead to the 2026 and 2028 elections in California, and highlighted TCP’s role on the Choose Children 2026 steering committee.
TCP co-hosts Prop. 1 implementation webinar
On February 11, TCP, Children Now, First 5 Association, and California Alliance of Child and Family Services hosted virtual office hours on the implementation of Proposition 1, also known as the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), and its implications for children, youth, and families. We hope the materials below are helpful, as implementation moves forward locally and statewide.
- Webinar recording with transcript and chat
- Slide deck (includes resource links and speaker contact information)
- Advocacy kit (includes talking points and suggested county/state contacts)
California Children’s Caucus kicks off in Sacramento
On February 17 in Sacramento, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, founding chair of the California Children’s Caucus, announced the launch of this bipartisan and bicameral caucus of 40 legislators alongside invited advocates, including Angela M. Vazquez, advocacy director of mental health for The Children’s Partnership. The California Children’s Caucus represents more than 8 million children across California and will organize around key pillars, including child care access, foster youth, children’s health, education, civic engagement, youth justice, housing security, environmental sustainability, economic security, financial literacy, and overall child welfare.
TCP peer-to-peer youth mental health program featured in EdSource
EdSource featured Antioch High School, one of the participating sites in our Peer-to-Peer Youth Mental Health High School Pilot Demonstration, and referenced TCP’s year-one impact report on the program. “Once I joined this program, it made me realize that I wasn’t alone in my situation,” said one student serving as a peer-mentor.
