September 2025 Newsletter
All Children are Our Children: The Children’s Partnership Continues to Advocate for Children in Immigrant Families
As this year’s legislative season in the California State Legislature comes to an end, we look back on some of the powerful factors that held influence on our state’s budget and bills: significant cuts to Medi-Cal (Medicaid in California), vitriolic attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, and traumatic immigration enforcement actions that continue to tear families apart to this day. The Children’s Partnership joined other organizations across the state and country to defend the policies and programs that support our children and families, combining our efforts to take a stand on federal actions that we all knew would affect our everyday lives at the state level.
Two bills that The Children’s Partnership has supported throughout this year’s legislative season – drafted in response to the cruel immigration enforcement tactics we’ve been experiencing here in California for months – are AB 49 and AB 495, both of which protect children in immigrant families and help create safer, more welcoming environments for all our children.
AB 49 was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on September 22. The Safe Haven Schools Act protects undocumented students and their families by prohibiting immigration enforcement from entering nonpublic areas of a school site for any purpose without providing a valid judicial warrant, judicial subpoena, or court order. The bill also prohibits schools from disclosing or providing, in any manner, the education records of or any information about a student or their family without their written consent without a valid judicial warrant, judicial subpoena, or court order. We thank the Governor for recognizing the urgency and importance in protecting children in their schools.
AB 495 prevents the unnecessary suspension of parental rights, building on California’s commitment to protect children’s access to education, health care and stability. The Family Preparedness Plan Act protects children by ensuring emergency contact information and plans for family safety are up-to-date at schools and licensed child care facilities, in case a family is separated due to immigration enforcement, incarceration or military deployment. The bill strengthens legal tools, including Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavits, guardianship nominations, and probate court guardianships, to provide families with clear, legally recognized options to ensure caregiving continuity during family separations. This bill helps reduce trauma and keeps children connected to their homes, schools and communities during times of family crisis. Gov. Newsom has until October 13 to sign or veto. We urge the Governor to sign and ensure California continues to lead in protecting children.
We know many and difficult challenges lie ahead in our advocacy for California’s children and families. But we will not allow threats to the foundations of our democracy, including our Constitutional right to free speech, hinder our efforts to ensure every child – no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, place of birth or immigration status – has the resources and support they need to grow up healthy and thrive in a safe community.
A Child Is A Child: Honoring Latine Children’s Health
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, and in solidarity with our Latine communities, we’ve partnered with Abriendo Puertas, Latino Health Access and the Latino Coalition for Healthy California to share a snapshot from our A Child is a Child series on the health and well-being of the 4.6 million Latine children in California. The data highlights inequities made worse by harmful immigration policies that traumatize families and deter them from getting critical services, while also uplifting the protective factors that support community well-being.
By understanding where systemic barriers exist in health care, food security, mental health and more, we can work together to ensure Latine children have every opportunity to live healthy, safe and successful lives.
For more information on how to support Latine children and children in immigrant families, visit allinforsafeschools.org.
New Medi-Cal Website Now Available
The California Department of Health Care Services has launched a new online experience at my.medi-cal.ca.gov to help current Medi-Cal members and potential new members quickly find the information they need. This new site is:
- Mobile-first – built for phones, where most users access the web
- Plain-language – written at a sixth grade reading level to ensure clarity
- Multilingual – 19 Medi-Cal languages, supporting California’s diverse communities
- Accessible – fully usable by people with disabilities and assistive technologies
- Streamlined – focused only on member needs, with no extra clutter
Whether you’re helping someone apply for Medi-Cal, understand their benefits, or find local support, you’ll find tools that make it faster and clearer to guide and connect them to resources. Useful functions include:
- The eligibility calculator helps people quickly see if they might qualify.
- The interactive map makes it easy to find a county office.
- Benefits pages explain coverage in simple terms, so members know what services are available and how to use them.
Court Blocks Restrictions on Immigrant Eligibility
On September 10, a U.S. District Court issued a preliminary injunction blocking the immigrant eligibility restriction for certain public programs in the notices issued in July by the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Justice. This means the immigrant eligibility restrictions in the HHS and DOJ notices do not apply in the 20 states and Washington, D.C., that sued the Department of Justice over the restrictions, including California.
Also, on September 11, a U.S. District Court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking immigrant eligibility restrictions in Head Start. This means that Head Start remains available nationwide to all children regardless of immigration status.
Learn more below from Protecting Immigrant Families and the National Immigration Law Center.
A Golden State for Kids Hosts Zero-to-Three Jamboree in Los Angeles
On September 20, The Children’s Partnership joined families and partners at the Zero-to-Three Jamboree, hosted by A Golden State for Kids, to celebrate the caregivers who keep Los Angeles moving and to remind everyone that California’s future starts with child care. Held at the Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park, the day was filled with music, crafts, food, interactive art and community joy. It was a reminder that child care is the rhythm that keeps Los Angeles thriving, and that behind every beat are the caregivers who make it possible.
A Golden State for Kids brings together families, providers, child advocacy organizations and businesses to build demand for accessible child care. Led by the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles in partnership with Children Now, Crystal Stairs, Inc., UNITE-LA, and The Children’s Partnership, the campaign works with partners to improve access to child care in Los Angeles and throughout the state.
Mayra E. Alvarez speaks at CPEHN’s Voices for Change Conference
TCP President Mayra E. Alvarez spoke at Voices for Change, the biennial conference from the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, on September 18 in Los Angeles. The conference brings together policymakers, elected officials, nonprofits and community organizations to share their thoughts and expertise on a wide variety of health equity policy areas.
Alvarez spoke on a panel titled, “Who Governs Health? Understanding Public Systems and Policy Levers,” which discussed how governments can begin to share their power with communities to achieve health equity. Alvarez and others talked about bright spots, challenges and lessons learned in partnering with Californians who have been underserved and poorly served to co-design, implement and evaluate initiatives, programs and services that will address the root causes of their needs.
CA-PIF Webinar on Public Benefits Impacts for Immigrants Draws 1,000+
Late last month, the Outreach and Communications Workgroup of the CA Protecting Immigrant Families coalition hosted a webinar for providers, advocates and community members called “Understanding Impacts of State and Federal Law Changes to Access to Public Benefits in California for Immigrant Communities.”
Over 1,200 community members joined and listened to presenters from The Children’s Partnership, Neighborhood Legal Services LA, Western Center on Law & Poverty, California Immigrant Policy Center, and Economic Security CA. Topics covered included:
- Restriction of immigrant eligibility for federally funded Medi-Cal, Medicare and ACA coverage
- Partial rollback of the CA Medi-Cal expansion for residents regardless of immigration status
- Imposition of work requirements to participate in federally funded Medi-Cal and CalFresh
- Developments and concerns related to data privacy for Medicaid and SNAP beneficiaries
- Other actions impacting access to public benefits and services
Watch a recording of the webinar here. Passcode: 9m0HY!e@
You can also find a collection of all the resources spotlighted during the presentation here.
Celebrating Black Maternal Health at San Diego Black Breastfeeding Week
Last month, Jamila Michael, policy associate with TCP’s early childhood development team, joined community partners and families for San Diego’s annual Black Breastfeeding Week drive-thru event.
Black Breastfeeding Week centers community-defined solutions to address racial disparities in maternal and infant health, and does so in a space celebrating community, support and collective care. Event attendees received baby essentials, breast pumps and health resources, including information about Bringing Up California. The event also honored fathers with “dad bags,” recognizing the vital role they play in nurturing strong families.
TCP is proud to stand alongside our partners in advancing the health and well-being of California’s Black birthing people and families.
Supporting Language Justice at Black ECE Symposium
Black Californians United for Early Care and Education hosted their second annual Black ECE Symposium in August, “The Path Toward Language Justice for Black Children in Early Care and Education,” celebrating the beauty, brilliance and resilience of Black English while calling for an end to systemic linguistic oppression.
The two-day gathering highlighted the importance of community-led solutions and affirmed Black English as a rich, rule-governed language rooted in history and identity. TCP Policy Associate Jamila Michael attended the event to support our Bringing Up California steering committee partner in advancing language justice, racial equity and well-being for Black children and families. We look forward to joining next year’s symposium in August 2026!
TCP Speaks at 2025 California Child and Family Services Conference
On September 3 in Anaheim, Angela M. Vázquez, TCP Advocacy Director of Mental Health, joined a session at the California Child and Family Services Conference to discuss the changing behavioral health landscape and what it means for children and youth in California.
The conversation focused on county implementation plans for Proposition 1, the Behavioral Health Services Act, and what advocates can do to ensure children and youth remain a priority; federal and state policy impacts of Medicaid cuts and other funding shortfalls; opportunities for advocacy; and collaborative solutions in preserving whole-child, whole-family approaches in behavioral health reform.
Liza M. Davis, TCP Advocacy Director of Children in Immigrant Families, co-led a session on supporting unaccompanied minors in California, providing an overview of the unaccompanied minor population in California—who they are, what makes their needs unique, and how recent federal policy shifts are impacting them. This session also included practical tools to better support unaccompanied children’s legal, emotional and social well-being, as well as key resources and best practices for providers.
Justice in Motion: Taking the Fight for Deportees Across Borders
Join Justice in Motion for an overview of their programming to ensure that deportees have access to justice for rights violations endured during their arrest, detention and removal. You’ll also learn about the Justice in Motion Defender Network and how community members and movement organizers can refer cases to them to support deportees post-deportation through legal screenings and monitoring. This event will also briefly cover the basics of repatriation processes and reintegration support and services in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
The struggle for justice does not have to end with deportation. Ensuring that individuals are informed and supported, even after their removal, can be beneficial and restore a measure of their dignity.
October 2, 2025
12-1 p.m. PT / 3-4 p.m. ET
Spanish/English interpretation available
Next Episode of Somos Latine Families Coming Up on October 6
Join us for Episode 2 of Somos Latine Families, “Creating Partnerships That Protect the Health and Well-being of Our Communities,” on Monday, October 6. Register now!
On September 8 during Episode 1, families and community members came together to share what it takes to raise strong, thriving children in uncertain times. They discussed how creating safe spaces in early childhood programs can be a lifeline for kids in immigrant families; the importance of honoring our languages, traditions and cultural values; and how early learning spaces can partner with parents to build trust and community support.
These conversations remind us that when families feel seen, supported and empowered, children flourish.
Don’t miss our next episode on October 6, where we’ll keep building power and connection through parent leadership and empowerment.
All episodes have live translation and captioning available. The October 6 episode will be delivered in Spanish with live English translation.
The Children’s Partnership has partnered with Brazelton Touchpoints Center to present the 2025 Somos Latine Families webinar series for the fourth year. Somos Latine Families is a free, four-episode virtual conversation series created by and for Latine families. The series is moderated by Eva Rivera, Brazelton Touchpoints Center national facilitator.
Families USA 2026 Health Action Conference
Registration for Families USA Health Action Conference 2026 is officially open! The conference will be held from January 22-23, 2026, in Washington, D.C., at the Capital Hilton. Join other dynamic health advocates from across the country at this annual convening to strengthen the movement for health and health care justice. Find more details and register here. You can also fill out the pre-conference survey to help make the event even better for advocates like you.
TCP President Discusses Vaccines on Radio Bilingüe
Mayra E. Alvarez was a guest on Radio Bilingüe’s live radio show, Línea Abierta, to discuss the potential effects of changes to vaccine guidance, such as that announced by Florida to eliminate all vaccination mandates for school attendance. Alvarez talked about the importance of vaccination against preventable diseases such as measles and polio to children, as well as the impacts different vaccination guidelines could have on public health all over the country. Listen in Spanish here.
