Creating a brighter future for children and families requires a web of resources and services. This system involves agencies and organizations at county, state and local levels. CCRC’s 2025 Policy Conference brought together experts to discuss health equity, economic stability, policy and advocacy, and partnerships.

The 2-day conference hosted in North Hollywood was attended by 250 professionals, including advocates, government employees and child care workers. Keynote speakers were Dr. Tamara Hunter, the Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families, and Dr. Iheoma Iruka, the Chief Research Professor in the Department of Public Policy.

Keynote Speakers

Accountability and access were two main points of Iheoma’s presentation, which centered around the power of individuals. She argued that the federal government is not the be-all-end-all when it comes to policies and decisions impacting vulnerable communities, and she called for attendees to start thinking ahead. “How do we make sure we’re able to leverage all the dollars – when they give it to us, leverage it,” said Iheoma. “But for me it’s also who do we vote for, what do we actually ask for? And when we get it, what do we do with it? Do we dish it out short term or do we think about a long-term sustainability plan?”

She suggested that child care and early learning are actually a matter of public health, an area of state and federal funding with many more resources than education. “It’s not a handout, people have paid taxes – unauthorized or authorized – we have paid many, many dues,” she said. “[Lawmakers] should be working on behalf of us.”

The impact of policies on families was also discussed by Hunter, who delved into the effects of mandatory child abuse and neglect reporting. She presented data showing that Black and Latino families were reported far more than White families in Los Angeles County. When a family becomes involved with Child Protective Services, it can alter the course of their lives.

“The decision to report suspected child abuse or neglect or not to report is life altering and it should be treated as such,” said Hunter. “When families are afraid to ask for help when they need it, they go underground. When they go underground children are less safe.”

Her presentation on mandatory reporting was especially relevant for attendees, including child care providers, advocates, lawmakers and others in the field, all tasked with reporting suspected child abuse and neglect. She said many mandatory reporters have admitted to reporting families because they incorrectly thought it would connect the family with needed resources.

Hunter encouraged the audience to consider “mandatory supporting,” or offering support instead of immediately jumping to CPS intervention. She advised mandatory reporters to exercise great caution and to strive for a better understanding of what a family needs and how to help, not hurt, them.

Health Equity

Sessions included: Shifting Power to Improve Black Maternal and Child Health; Bridging the Gaps for Communities of Color; Advocating for Parents and Children Experiencing Domestic Violence; a Whole Person Health Score; and Empowering Health Advocates to Create Child Centered Solutions for Housing Justice.

“We see the people most impacted by housing insecurity and face eviction at higher rates are age 0-5 especially in Latinx and Black communities,” said Human Impact Partners Housing Justice Project Director Mariana Huerta. “It’s really important to see this as a child care issue, family issue, issue of children’s wellbeing and health.”

Panelists spoke at CCRC’s 2025 Policy Conference about the presence of racism in our health care system and how that disproportionately impacts families with lower incomes.

Elon Darthard of YWCA San Gabriel Valley provided a history on racism in health care, pointing to the Tuskegee Syphilis study that deceived infected Black men into believing they were being treated. She also discussed the theft of cells from Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman with cervical cancer whose DNA was stolen to develop medical treatments.

These historic injustices still plague families of color today. Bananas CEO Kym Johnson said real change demands real, open-minded conversations. “I hope they reach out to their communities and find out what the needs are,” she argued. “Don’t enter into a community thinking you know best for those communities, but actually listening to what’s needed then being a resource to make sure they’re able to get that.”

CCRC Research Director Susan Savage moderated a panel on Domestic Violence and the treatment of survivors in the health care setting and referenced CCRC research on the barriers to resources for survivors. Dr. Geoffery Leung of Riverside University Health System outlined a Whole Person Health Score designed to help families understand their overall well-being.

Economic Stability

Homelessness was just one of the topics discussed in the Economic Stability Strand, which included: Advancing Economic Justice for California children and families; A shifting federal landscape and the impact of California’s Children; California’s Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for foster Children; and Early Insights from Guaranteed Income Pilot Programs in California.

Hope the Mission CEO Ken Craft described housing as the foundation of a family’s ability to survive, arguing that each day without shelter exponentially threatens a family’s safety, mental health, and ability to recover. He shared with the audience Hope the Mission’s collaboration with CCRC to bring Head Start education services on site for families experiencing homelessness.

As Sam Wilkinson of End Child Poverty California explains, a family’s finances impact all facets of life. And though some state dollars are allocated to uplift children and families from poverty, Zero to Three Director Matthew Melmed said federal policies are a looming threat. “There are serious cuts that are being proposed in a range of federal programs that support families with babies, toddlers and young kids, ranging from nutrition to child care,” he said. “This is not a partisan issue, and the question is getting people from all political persuasions to be arguing why we need to be making investments in our children and families.”

Guaranteed basic income has proven a successful safety net for families at risk, according to Aaron Strauss, Senior Program Manager for the Office of Community Wealth, City of Los Angeles Community Investment for Families Department. And foster youth are supported through the state’s Emergency Child Care Bridge, which created better outcomes for vulnerable children.

But panelists agreed, the economic outlook for families remains in peril without local, state and federal infrastructure to prevent those most vulnerable from falling through the cracks.

Policy and Advocacy

Funding, structure and action are all determined by policy, both state and federal. Advocacy plays a key role in shaping these policies, which have lasting impacts on children and families.

“The systems that exist to serve families are not really serving families, they weren’t built in mind of the needs of families and that makes it so complicated,” said Jessica Guerra, Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles Government and External Affairs Manager. “Policy and advocacy are crucial to dismantling these systems and reforming these systems and making sure families and children are at the table when making these decisions.”

Her panel on key proposals and implications for advocates relates to the 2025-26 California Budget. Also within this strand were: Building Partnerships in Family Care Policy; Navigating the impact of Private Equity in Child Care; Mandated Supporting Initiative; and Collaborative Efforts to Support Children’s Health and Racial Equity.

The effects of racism in policy making were front and center. Advancing racial equity and health can be made through collaboration, policy and advocacy tools like legislative tracking and grant opportunities. “We need to be very conscious about having discussions with community to make sure we’re not passing policies that have unintended consequences,” said Brian Romo, Inland Empire Children’s Cabinet Director of Public Policy and Technology. “And not having dialogue, not having constant conversation and contact with communities of color that are deeply affected by policy can be seen as racism – systemic racism – that can end up hurting those communities in the long run.”

And one key take away from this strand of CCRC’s 2025 Policy Conference was that successful advocacy requires robust networks and strategic partnerships.

Partnerships

None of us is as strong as all of us and panelists made the argument for learning from one another and helping fellow advocates. Strand themes included Universal Pre-Kindergarten and a Mixed Delivery System in California; Enhancing Early Learning Through Digital Micro-Credentials; and Fostering Sustainable Afterschool Programs.

“If we don’t invest in our children, in our youngest citizens in the United States of America and we don’t take care of our people to help them achieve the American Dream, is this all just a lie?” asked Tribal Child Care Association of California Executive Director Kim Nall.

Panelists united on expanding access to early care while providing enhanced early learning opportunities to children. Collaboration between public schools, child care providers, and community organizations create a multi-pronged approach to comprehensive early care and learning.

And ensuring these programs meet the standard of high quality is essential. “With the growing amount of families in our community in need of safe and supportive environments for children, parents have a great task of deciding how their children start out in education. The more options they have the better. Informed parents, I believe, can help make better choices for their children,” said Partnership for Children and Youth Senior Program Manager Monik Vega.

Not all families have the same needs, so as panelists explained – it’s important to offer a variety of programs that meet children’s unique early learning needs.

CCRC continues to advocate for funding and programs to benefit child and family well-being. If you missed CCRC’s 2025 Policy Conference, make sure to subscribe to our emails for information about next year’s convening. Take a look at our policy efforts and the impact to the California State Budget here.