Oct8
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October Roundtable Meeting
Join us for the next Children's Advocates' Roundtable on October 8 from 12:00 - 2:00pm on Zoom.
This session will bring together expert panelists to discuss three timely developments shaping children's policy in California:
The future of Head Start in California. Head Start serves more than 70,000 California children across some 1,800 centers.Recent federal proposals would substantially rewrite the program's performance standards and significantly change how programs operate. Panelists will discuss what the proposed changes would mean for California programs, children, and families, and what comes next.
The 2026 California legislative session. With the session concluded and the Governor's action complete, panelists will walk through the most significant children's legislation of the year, what passed, what didn't, and what advocates should be watching as implementation begins.
The November ballot and California's children. Californians will decide 14 statewide measures on November 3. Several carry major consequences for school funding, children's health care access, family housing stability, and the state's capacity to sustain programs for kids. Panelists will discuss which measures matter most for children and how they interact with one another.
Panelists are being finalized and will be announced in advance of the event.
Registration is required. There is no cost to attend. A Zoom link will be sent to registrants prior to the Roundtable.
About the Roundtable
The Children's Advocates Roundtable, established in 1990, is an affiliation of statewide and local children's policy organizations, representing over twenty issue disciplines (e.g., child abuse prevention, child care, education, poverty, housing, juvenile justice). The Roundtable is convened quarterly by the Children's Advocacy Institute, and is committed to providing a setting where advocates gather to share resources and information and strategize on behalf of children; an opportunity to educate each other about the variety of issues and legislation that affect children and youth — facilitating prioritization of issues and minimizing infighting over limited state resources historically budgeted for children's programs; an opportunity to collaborate on joint projects that promote the interests of children and families; and a setting to foster a children's political movement, committed to ensuring that every child in California is economically secure, get a good education, has access to health care, and lives in a safe environment. The Children's Advocates Roundtable meets quarterly.
Each Roundtable consists of:
- A detailed discussion of an emerging area of significance for children's advocates. This is a great opportunity for Roundtable member organizations to inform and educate others about new issues of importance! If your organization is interested in suggesting topics for discussion at a future Roundtable, please contact Melanie Delgado at (619) 260-4806.
- A discussion of timely matters important to all children's advocates, such as the budget, elections, or "inside the horseshoe" information.
- An opportunity for Roundtable members to briefly discuss their legislative and advocacy priorities, and seek support and assistance from other members.
For more information on the Roundtable, please contact Melanie Delgado at (619) 260-4806.
Child Welfare Subcommittee:
- The Roundtable's Child Welfare Subcommittee meets monthly to discuss and strategize on issues concerning child abuse prevention, child protection, foster care, the dependency court process, etc.
- Subcommittee meetings are typically held on the 3rd Thursday of each month. When Subcommittee meeting dates coincide with the full Roundtable meeting dates (quarterly), the Subcommittee meetings are held from 11 a.m. – noon. On all other 3rd Thursdays of the month, the Subcommittee meetings are held from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
For more information about the Roundtable's Child Welfare Subcommittee, please contact Susanna Kniffen at Children Now.