Compact signing institution UCLA has produced hundreds of thousands of alumni who have become Nobel laureates; leaders of state, business, and education; community change-makers; and, of course, UNITE-LA staff. Each year, UCLA honors a select few of these alumni who go above and beyond to serve our community. This year, UCLA awarded two L.A. Compact signers, Dr. Debra Duardo and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, for their careers supporting L.A. County residents.

In late February, Superintendent Carvalho released his 100-day plan, which outlines how the district will expand high-quality academic opportunities and address the persistent opportunity gaps affecting Black and Latinx students. The plan is centered around four key tasks - learn, assess, communicate and act - that will lay the foundation for LAUSD's 2022-26 strategic plan.

L.A. County launches Breathe, a Guaranteed Income Program that will provide 1,000 eligible residents with $1,000 per month for three years. To learn more about the program and who is eligible to apply, please visit the Breathe website in English and Spanish. Applications will be live between March 31 and April 13. Guaranteed income is a monthly cash payment given directly to individuals with no strings attached and no work requirements. The County will also be conducting a study to see how this program will impact the economic stability of participants.

The L.A County Office of Child Protection and Chief Information Office identified a series of preliminary countywide metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of the countywide prevention plan for reducing child maltreatment. The goal of the prevention plan, which was finalized in June 2017, is for every child to be healthy, to be growing and thriving in a strong family, and to be supported by a safe and nurturing community. To track progress, both county offices, with input from partners, identified impact and actionable indicators to serve as guideposts for strategic and operational improvements. To view a full list of the indicators and their corresponding dashboards, go here. Thoughtful interpretation of the data will help inform policy, prevention programming and data-driven decision-making.

On April 19, Mayor Eric Garcetti delivered his annual State of the City address and presented his proposed 2020-21 Fiscal Budget, which the Mayor's office is referring to as the "justice budget." As the name implies, the budget focuses on rebuilding and reimagining a more just and fairer L.A. City. Crucial to our L.A. Compact initiatives, Garcetti has proposed the creation of a new Youth Development Department, $2.1 million to increase access to Wi-Fi in communities, and greater work opportunities for youth in zip codes too often locked out of opportunities. We look forward to working with our L.A. City partners, as well as County partners, to turn these ideas into a reality and a brighter future for all.

Access to reliable child care is key as the economy reopens and more parents go back to their physical work spaces. However, due to the pandemic, the operating costs of running a child care center or home have gone up forcing many providers who were already operating on a thin margin to close their doors permanently. Finding child care was already a challenge before the pandemic and now with these looming closures it could become harder. In response, both Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles dedicated a portion of their CARES Act funding to create complimentary Child Care Provider Grant Programs.

Cal Poly Pomona (CPP), a member of the Student Success Workgroup, launched a virtual resource and information hub called Safer Returns: Our Plan for Fall 2020, to help returning students transition back to college and to help new students adjust to their new college environment in the middle of the pandemic. The hub outlines CPP’s plans for fall 2020 and the necessary changes on and off campus that students, parents, faculty, staff and visitors need to know about.

California’s Cradle-to-Career Data System is a new, innovative statewide initiative that will connect education, social service and workforce data. It will include easy-to use visuals and sophisticated search tools to help answer important questions and inform equitable and actionable policy decisions that open pathways for all Californians to thrive. Tune into the Cradle-to-Career Data System webinars in October to learn more about the proposed education data system and to provide feedback.

A population measure of child well-being, the Early Development Instrument (EDI) is currently being used in over 25 countries. Since 2009, the use of the instrument has grown steadily in the U.S., especially in Southern California. However, there has been no research to date that looks at the EDI’s utility in predicting future school performance among U.S. children. Our partners at UCLA, along with researchers at UCI and Purdue University, conducted a study to fill this gap, showing that the EDI is a strong predictor of children’s third grade proficiency in math and reading.

On July 21, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors made clear that inaction is no longer an option. They unanimously approved a motion introduced by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas to establish an antiracist policy agenda for the County. The motion calls for the County to confront and address explicit institutional racism by evaluating how County policies, practices, operations and programs are holding back the advancement of Black Angelenos. At last Tuesday’s board meeting, leaders representing various County departments also expressed their support for the motion and pledged to advance racial and social equity within their own departments.