When natural disasters strike, kids in foster care don’t always get the support they need to recover. Too often, they struggle with securing temporary housing, transportation, and replacing their most meaningful and essential possessions.

Authored by Assemblymember Blanca Rubio and co-sponsored by Children Now, California Youth Connection, and California Alliance of Caregivers, this bill will establish a statewide Child Welfare Disaster Response Fund to make sure resources are available to disaster-impacted youth in foster care and their caregivers when they need it most.  

There is also a corresponding budget request for $800,000. 

A quarter of California’s foster youth report having experienced homelessness and couch surfing between ages 18-21. This instability too often leads to further trauma, worse physical and mental health, and greater barriers to education and employment.

Authored by Senator Caroline Menjivar and co-sponsored by Children Now, the California Coalition for Youth, and the Alliance for Children’s Rights, this bill will create a dedicated Youth Housing Bond Fund to combat youth homelessness and allow public agencies and community-based organizations to apply for bond funds for housing and youth center projects.

Fact Sheet

Access to child care allows more children entering foster care to live with family members, experience fewer placement disruptions, and remain in school and work if parenting a child of their own.  

Authored by Senator Caroline Menjivar and co-sponsored by Children Now, Child Care Resource Center, Alliance for Children’s Rights, CWDA, Thriving Families California, Crystal Stairs, Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles, and California Child Care Resource & Referral Network, this bill will allow eligible foster children to be referred by child care navigators for child care vouchers through the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program. 

California ranks 49th out of all states in teacher-to-student ratio, with a central reason being the ongoing teacher shortage. High costs of the credentialing process, burnout, and a lack of training programs have all contributed to the state’s decline in teachers, which has negatively  impacted students’ academic progress and the implementation of programs like transitional kindergarten.   

Authored by Assemblymember Mike Gipson and sponsored by Children Now, this bill will help create teacher apprenticeship programs that provide mentorship and compensation while opening up opportunities for many more qualified candidates to become teachers.  

For more than 50 years, the Cal Grant program has helped students cover the cost of higher education. But while student expenses for housing, food, transportation, and books have increased dramatically, the Cal Grant B access award has remained capped and not kept pace. 

Authored by Senator Steve Padilla and co-sponsored by Children Now, TICAS, Education Trust-West, and Public Advocates, this bill well set a higher statutory minimum for the Cal Grant B access award and require that it automatically increases each year based on inflation.  

Fluoride varnish has proven very effective at preventing cavities for kids, a critical solution for California which ranks third worst among all states for kids with tooth decay or cavities. But with fewer than half of kids in Medi-Cal seeing a dentist every year, and reimbursement for fluoride varnish only allowed if applied by a dentist or other qualified health professional, many kids are not receiving this crucial treatment.

Authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta and co-sponsored by Children Now and The California Dental Association, this bill will allow more kids to get fluoride treatment at school by letting those working for or under contract with a Medi-Cal doctor or dentist to apply fluoride varnish and get reimbursed. It will also require Medi-Cal and commercial plans to cover this benefit in primary care settings for all kids under 21 years old.

Fact Sheet

Babies have sensitive skin and wear diapers constantly, yet diaper manufacturers are not required to disclose what chemicals their diapers contain. 

Authored by Assemblymember Marc Berman and co-sponsored by Children Now and Environmental Working Group, this bill will require diaper manufacturers to list all intentionally-added ingredients on their website and link to it from the diaper’s packaging, so parents can feel confident their kids are safe. 

In 2022, the California Age Appropriate Design Code (AADC) was established to protect children under 18 from online experiences that endanger them.

Authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and co-sponsored by Children Now and Tech Oversight California, this bill will update California’s AADC to require default settings for any online products, services, or features that are likely to be accessed by children, placing responsibility on tech companies rather than parents to ensure their products are safe for kids.

Newborn babies typically feed 8 to 12 times every 24 hours, with many relying on infant formula to grow and develop. Yet it is often not clear whether formulas contain toxic elements, like arsenic or lead. 

Authored by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez and sponsored by Children Now, this bill will require infant formula manufacturers to test for toxic elements and make all results public on their websites and packaging, so parents can make informed choices about what they feed their children. 

The California Children’s Services (CCS) Advisory Group is vital for the Department of Health Care Services to receive feedback on the 200,000 children and youth with special health care needs the CCS program serves. 

Authored by Assemblymember Dawn Addis and sponsored by Children Now, this bill will extend the operation of the CCS Advisory Group, currently only authorized through 2026, to December 31, 2029. 

Too often kids across California are wrongfully denied health care by insurance companies, forcing families to fight health plans to get care. This includes medically-necessary mental health treatments, with California ranking last out of all states for parents reporting they can’t get mental health care for their kids.

Authored by Senator Scott Wiener and co-sponsored by Children Now, the California Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the California Chronic Care Coalition, this bill will require health plans to publicly report all denials of surgical, medical, and behavioral health care (including for kids) and allow California to fine health plans that erroneously deny care.

Press Release

AI-enabled toys have put kids at risk, sharing inappropriate and harmful material while posing as safe products for child play. 

Authored by Senator Steve Padilla and sponsored by Children Now, this bill will suspend the sale of AI-enabled toys for 4 years while California determines the best guidance and regulation for how AI toys can interact with kids.