Questions
1. California ranks among the top states in per capita expenditures on a number of government programs (i.e. corrections, law enforcement, general government), but just near or below the national average on expenditures for kids’ programs, including education and Medi-Cal. What are your thoughts on this prioritization of expenditures and what, if any, changes would you make in this regard?
We must ensure that all of California’s Children have access to the tools necessary for their health and success. Especially in times of budget surplus, we must invest in programs that support children, including after school programs, Medi-Cal, the DHCS’s Children’s Services program, the State Preschool Program, childcare, and other initiatives that set children up for success. Children’s programs ought to be a top funding priority not only because they help kids in the present, but also because they serve as long term investments in our societal well being. Children that receive the resources and intervention that they need early on are far more likely to find success later on in life and to avoid negative outcomes such as ending up in the criminal justice system or suffering from preventable health issues.
2. California assumes responsibility for abused and neglected children when we remove them from their homes. Therefore, the State is legally obligated to ensure that children and youth in foster care receive vital services and supports to meet their unique needs and find safety, stability and success. How would you strengthen the child welfare system?
Ensuring that our child welfare system adequately serves and protects vulnerable children is of the utmost importance. In addition to making sure that the foster system receives the funding it needs, we must also ensure that counties continue to provide funding for a child regardless of where their education or treatment takes place and that foster parents and foster homes are held to the highest standards.
3. California ranks poorly in national reports for supporting families with infants and toddlers. The state does invest in programs like evidence-based home visiting – which provide guidance, offer coaching, and connect parents and caregivers to health and social services – but those only reach about 2% of families with young children. What strategies, if any, do you support to aid new and expectant parents and young children during this critical phase of life?
It’s clear that we need to greatly expand our support programs for families with infants and toddlers. Officials ought to identify which communities most need these services and partner with local groups that have existing networks to enroll new parents. Officials should also consider distributing materials to hospitals so that parents receive program information at the time of birth.
4. More than 2.75 million young children live in California, with the majority being income-eligible for child care assistance. Yet just a fraction of eligible children have access to subsidized child care spaces, due to insufficient funding for child care capacity. This gap is most pronounced for infants and toddlers, where child care subsidies served only 14% of eligible families (pre-pandemic). What is your position on this issue, and what, if anything, should be done to ensure that all families have access to high-quality child care?
It’s very concerning that only 14% of eligible families were receiving child care subsidies prior to the pandemic, because we know that the childcare workforce and access to childcare have dwindled since then. This is an issue that goes beyond the need for program funding or the publicizing of available benefits – we need to shift our societal values to recognize that childcare is a vital service that deserves the attention and support of other government-funded programs. Not only do we need to incentivize people to enter and remain in the childcare workforce, but we also need to increase provider salaries and ensure living wages. We must also address provider burnout and reduce unnecessary administrative burdens.
5. The average salary of a California public employee is nearly $87,000, while the average salary of a California child care provider is $35,400, and most other professionals who work with kids are also below the public employee average. What are your ideas, if any, about responding to this disparity?
As expressed in my prior response, we need to make a concerted effort to ensure that professionals who work with children receive the respect and compensation they deserve. One of the best ways we can do this is to support providers in efforts to unionize and collectively bargain. We can also enact policies that create higher compensation standards and increase funding for programs related to children.
6. The latest available data shows California ranks 49th among the 50 states in teacher-to-student ratio, 47th in school counselors, and 46th in school administrators. We also rank near the bottom in terms of school nurses, with approximately one nurse for every 2,400 students and no nurses at all in some smaller counties. What are your thoughts on these rankings, and what, if anything, should be done in response?
These rankings are alarming, and the state legislature ought to take action to address them. In addition to providing funding so that schools can hire and adequately compensate the teachers, administrators, and nurses they need, we must also provide incentives for people to enter the education sector, relieve duplicative and unnecessary administrative tasks, address educator burnout, increase support staff, and more. Regarding the serious shortage of school nurses, we need to not only increase funding, but also invest in youth preventative health programs to ease the demands on school nurses. We should also explore partnerships with community organizations that may be able to fill service gaps.
7. California has the highest percentage of kids who are dual language learners, ages 0-5, (60%) and school-age English Learners (21%) in the country. How should the State support these students’ bilingual/multilingual potential? What are your thoughts on how educators in early education and TK-12 can be prepared to assist these students to meet their language development needs?
Students who are still learning English have unique educational needs, which is why we ought to support educators by providing training and standards related to culturally and linguistically appropriate learning.
8. Over the past 40 years, state spending on higher education has dropped from 18% to 12% of the state budget. What is your position on funding for public higher education?
We must fully fund our schools, including higher education institutions. If elected, I am committed to working toward solutions that allow us to maintain and even increase our state’s investment in higher education. I strongly believe that we need to fully fund Medi-Cal so that children have access to the health care they need. The problem, however, goes beyond a lack of funding, and we must also address the dearth of care facilities in rural, poor, and underserved communities. While the pandemic has exposed some of the biggest issues in our healthcare system, we have also learned that telehealth is a valuable tool that can replace many in-person visits, and that remote oversight of nurse practitioners and physician assistants is feasible and effective. Additionally, we should work with existing community groups and health centers to increase the services they offer. Overall, the goal must be to make it easier for children to get the health care they need.
9. Over 55% of California’s kids are enrolled in Medi-Cal, but California performs near the bottom amongst all state Medicaid programs when it comes to children’s access to primary care physicians and important childhood screenings, especially for children of color. In addition, many California children lack access to oral health care, vision services, hearing aids, and mental health and substance abuse supports and services. What would you do, if anything, to increase access to these services?
I strongly believe that we need to fully fund Medi-Cal so that children have access to the health care they need. The problem, however, goes beyond a lack of funding, and we must also address the dearth of care facilities in rural, poor, and underserved communities. While the pandemic has exposed some of the biggest issues in our healthcare system, we have also learned that telehealth is a valuable tool that can replace many in-person visits, and that remote oversight of nurse practitioners and physician assistants is feasible and effective. Additionally, we should work with existing community groups and health centers to increase the services they offer. Overall, the goal must be to make it easier for children to get the health care they need. Policymakers must make mental health care a priority, especially in communities with demonstrated history of mental health issues or in otherwise vulnerable communities. Great strides have been made in recent years in recognizing the importance of mental health care, but more work must be done to ensure that youth, especially Black youth, can easily access affordable and effective mental health services. Tackling this crisis will require the government, parents, schools, and community groups to work together in identifying and addressing these issues.
10. The suicide rate among Black youth has dramatically increased in recent years. In addition, Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) among youth have grown, but only about one third of youth with an MDE received treatment. What should be done to ensure that more children receive needed mental health supports and services?
Policymakers must make mental health care a priority, especially in communities with demonstrated history of mental health issues or in otherwise vulnerable communities. Great strides have been made in recent years in recognizing the importance of mental health care, but more work must be done to ensure that youth, especially Black youth, can easily access affordable and effective mental health services. Tackling this crisis will require the government, parents, schools, and community groups to work together in identifying and addressing these issues.