Children’s Institute congratulates CII Trustee and soon-to-be Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides, who will lead LAPD’s newly announced Community Safety Partnership Bureau (CSP). Mayor Eric Garcetti, members of the LA City Council and LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore announced the new bureau earlier this week while emphasizing that Captain Tingirides’ new role will help transform the way LAPD approaches policing.

CSP is the signature community policing program of LAPD that began in 2011 as a relationship-based approach working in LA’s housing developments. Captain Tingirides has been part of CSP since its inception and has worked closely with Civil Rights Attorney and CSP co-founder Connie Rice to expand the program. A UCLA report published earlier this year credited CSP with helping to reduce violent crime and increase trust with residents.

During the press conference, Mayor Garcetti complimented Captain Tingirides’ commitment to CSP and said that the expansion of the program will ensure the community has a greater say in how it is policed. Captain Tingirides will oversee CSP as its own bureau where officers commit to five-year assignments to better understand the neighborhood and build relationships with residents.

“It’s a dramatic step in that … we’re moving squarely towards the core of our policing philosophy — a model that is about co-owning public safety,” said Garcetti. The mayor highlighted CSP as an effective step to police reform, as protests have called for LAPD funding to be cut and reallocated.

Captain Tingirides said examples like the UCLA report show that the relationship building by CSP officers across the community is effective in creating trust which translates to crime reduction. This relationship extends to nonprofits like CII, which helped inspire CSP strategies.

Captain Tingirides said that during the early years of CSP, she met with CII program and care coordinators in Watts to plant community gardens and read stories to children. She said she was inspired to have CSP officers engaged in these types of activities, and it opened her eyes to all of the work aimed at improving the lives of children in the community. Captain Tingirides eventually joined CII’s Board of Trustees in 2014, which has led to a close partnership between CII and CSP.

“The fact that there is an understanding of what CII offers allows our officers to do their job better,” Captain Tingirides said. When CII opens the new Frank Gehry-designed Watts Campus in 2021, CSP will have an office inside the building, which will bring important community initiatives closer together.

CII President & CEO Martine Singer said her insight and perspective have been invaluable as CII has increased its reach and impact in Watts and other parts of South LA.

“Captain Tingirides’ compassion and experience is unmatched, which makes her the perfect person to lead the Community Safety Partnership Bureau,” Singer said. “The residents of Watts truly appreciate the impact she has made in this community.”

Captain Tingirides is a Watts native and becomes the second Black female LAPD Deputy Police Chief. At the State of the Union address in 2015, President Obama honored Captain Tingirides, along with her husband Phil Tingirides, then the captain of LAPD Southeast Division, for their community policing work.

With protests calling for reallocating funding away from LAPD following the death of George Floyd, Captain Tingirides said CSP’s focus on partnership highlights how policing can be one piece of solving the challenges communities face.

The economic effects of COVID-19 are widespread: 30 million people in the U.S. are currently receiving unemployment and millions more are struggling to pay for food and rent. The pandemic – and the widespread protests following the death of George Floyd – underscore long-standing inequities in healthcare, education and opportunity. While the virus does not discriminate, people of color and those living in extreme poverty bear its impact disproportionately. And nothing less than a new federal relief package can move us forward.

At Children’s Institute in Los Angeles, we provide critical services in communities with child poverty rates as high as 70 percent, where trauma is so prevalent that residents might not even mention it when describing their everyday lives. Toxic stress from abuse, racism, community violence or living in chronic poverty has dramatic and lasting consequences to mental and physical health, as well as school and job performance.

Since mid-March, we’ve responded to an overwhelming number requests for food, rent and other basic needs. The most pressing come from families that are undocumented and/or work in hotels, restaurants and other service businesses that have been shuttered. Even those who put their lives on the line every day for low-paying, frontline jobs often lack the basics.

Facing a $54 billion deficit, the California Legislature and Governor Newsom passed a balanced budget in late June that continues to safeguard essential programs like early education and childcare. This was a welcome bit of news, but without additional federal funding, the state can’t continue to support these services – and they’re more vital now than ever before. To prevent further devastation, the U.S. Senate must pass the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions, or HEROES Act, which already passed in the House, and step up for our most vulnerable children and families.

Last week, the Senate introduced the Health, Economic, Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act. The Senate proposal and the House’s HEROEs Act have varying priorities and will need to be reconciled in one bill to pass another COVID-19 federal relief package to support families. As an organization, we support the HEROES act.

How can HEROES help California?

• CHILDCARE: Without it, how will Californians go back to work? We join leaders around the country in calling for a $50 billion investment in early childhood education in the next legislative package.
• STUDENT SUPPORTS: Programs like community schools integrate such critical services as mental health and family supports in schools, mitigating the impact of toxic stress and reengaging students and families with learning after months of suboptimal schooling.
• SUPPORT FOR UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS: One million undocumented immigrants live in Los Angeles. We celebrate the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on DACA, but additional action must be taken to protect undocumented families, who represent a critical sector of our economy. These families don’t qualify for federal assistance and as a result their children suffer from hunger and lack basic resources. California was the first state to offer disaster relief for undocumented adults, upwards of $1,000 per household, but this fund reaches only 150,000 adults statewide. Federal assistance in the HEROES Act is essential to ensure undocumented immigrants can provide for their families.
• FOSTER YOUTH: The needs of foster youth also continue to increase during this crisis. In addition to stable housing and mental health services, they need laptops, cellphones and internet for distance learning for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, the HEROES Act removes institutional barriers for youth to qualify and access extended foster care services.

Now more than ever, we must demand a just system that centers on equity and promotes policies that protect all children. Let’s work together to end the disparities that have been magnified in recent weeks and months. We implore Congress to step up and advance the HEROES act.

Children’s Institute recently celebrated an exciting milestone in the construction of our new Frank Gehry-designed Watts campus: Topping Off, or placing the final beam on the building. To commemorate the occasion, a small group of staff and construction workers signed the beam before it was put in place.

CII broke ground on the site in January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck Los Angeles. However, the construction project has continued to move along on time and on budget.

Slated to open in 2021, the building will house critical therapeutic programs, parenting workshops and after-school activities that will serve children and families affected by poverty and intergenerational trauma. The space will also feature a new headquarters for the Watts Gang Task Force and the LAPD Community Safety Partnership.

CII’s President & CEO Martine Singer said that when the Watts campus opens, it will serve a community reeling from the long-lasting effects of the pandemic. A recent survey conducted with families in CII’s early education programs reported over 40 percent had either lost their job or had their hours reduced, and weekly earnings dropped to an average of $400 for a family of five. And the majority of families are in need of financial support to aid in paying for basics like rent, food, soap or utilities.

“This campus will serve many purposes as CII responds to immediate threats to the lives and well-being of families while also addressing bigger systemic issues that have made residents in this community incredibly vulnerable during this crisis,” Singer said.

Bridget Gless Keller, CII Trustee and Watts Building Committee Chair, has supported the Watts campus from its inception by enlisting friends and family to raise awareness for the project. She said the need for the new campus has only increased as a result of this national health crisis and it will be a central community hub when it opens.

“The ‘Topping Off’ is another significant milestone in the construction process,” Gless Keller said. “In these unprecedented times, the continued good work of the design and construction teams are bringing this vision to fruition.”

CII is currently in the final phase of the Capital Campaign for the Watts Campus. Click here to support the campaign.

Over the past five years, Children’s Institute has embraced “reflective practice” – literally, the ability to step back and reflect on your own experiences to improve the way you work. At CII, reflective practice is incorporated both in clinical supervision and in supervision with teachers and home visitors.

Jesús Parra, Vice President of Behavioral Health & Wellness at CII, said reflective practice improves the level of care staff provide while also preventing burnout. According to Parra, people working in human service may get caught up in the moment of caring for families and lose sight of the bigger picture, which is why it is important to build in a pause mechanism, especially when work gets chaotic. Reflective practice allows supervisors to help staff reflect on their interactions with families after the fact, and also to use reflection in their sessions.

“This isn’t just about thoughts and feelings,” Parra said. “In reflective practice, staff and supervisors slow down to see if additional resources can help, including bringing in new expertise.”

While reflective practice has been part of the human services field for more than three decades, its value has become increasingly important during the COVID-19 crisis, with people stuck at home for  many months.

Desiree Yoro Yoo is the Director of Project ABC and has more than 10 years of training in reflective practice. She said the whole concept focuses on keeping clients, staff and supervisors in a place of calm where they can continue making thoughtful decisions. If done correctly, people will stay mindful regardless of external events.

“The most important part about reflective practice is creating safety through emotional support, which remains true for this current crisis,” Yoro Yoo said.

Nancy Watt is a Home Visitation Program Manager at CII and uses reflective practice regularly with her team; when workers are feeling stretched or rejected reflective practice can help keep things in perspective.  Home visitors usually go into the homes of new parents to provide tools and guidance, though since March they have worked remotely, using phone and video.

While virtual sessions present new challenges, Watt said the process of pausing to reflect and find new solutions is still taking place, and will continue to happen as CII provides extra support to families during traumatic times.

“Reflective practice improves the quality of work because we are able to bring new perspectives to every type of challenge,” Watt said. “When two people come together and have that safe space, they are able to discover new solutions.”

The first time Greg attended a group meeting at Children’s Institute’s Project Fatherhood program, he hardly said anything. He was looking for answers on how to become a better parent to his 10 children, but he was nervous to share his own struggles and open up to the other dads.

Sunday marks Greg’s third Father’s Day as a member of Project Fatherhood where he rarely misses a meeting. He not only speaks frequently at group meetings, but he is now looked at as a mentor and leader to dads who are new to Project Fatherhood.

“We say it every week, that this is a safe place for dads to talk about their feelings and express themselves,” Greg said. “We don’t have many spaces to do this so our time together is important.”

Greg with nine of his 10 children. His oldest daughter attends college out of state and is not pictured.

The program, which connects trained CII staff with dads who want to improve their relationships with their kids, relies on fathers like Greg to use their own struggles and successes to build trust with new dads joining group meetings. Many of the dads grew up in “tough love” homes where their fathers were absent or emotionally closed off, which has led to their own parenting challenges.

With 19.7 million children nationally, or roughly one in four kids living without a father, the program focuses on dads being active participants in their kid’s lives. The program has reached more than 15,000 dads who parent 23,000 children since its founding.

David Frazier, Project Fatherhood Specialist, said Greg brings a tremendous amount of experience as a single dad to 10 kids, which makes him central to the group.

“Greg’s love and admiration for the program keeps him involved in the group on a weekly basis, and allows him to constantly evolve as a man and father for his children,” Frazier said.

Greg taking a selfie while out to dinner with his children.

Greg, who works as a barber and also home-schools his kids, said the skills he has learned from Project Fatherhood are something he uses every day with each one of his children. Prior to the marches and protests that have broken out following the murder of George Floyd, Greg said he talked to his children about what it means to be Black in America, but the last few weeks have been especially important parenting moments about opening up and speaking to his kids about race.

“I have seven boys and three of them are above 6 feet tall,” Greg said. “Even if they aren’t adults yet, that doesn’t mean they won’t be mistaken as adults and even bad things happen to people who follow orders so we have constantly been talking about this topic.”

Greg said his oldest son loves medieval history and has a replica sword. He said that last week his son was about to walk outside to grab the mail while holding the sword, and Greg had to stop him and explain how that was a potentially dangerous situation from an innocent action.

“We had to have a conversation about what it means to be a young Black man and the dangers he faces when he goes outside,” he said.

While Greg has watched the marches and protests with his children from afar, he said he will continue to educate them and support their rights to live safe and healthy lives, which has been central to his parenting approach since joining Project Fatherhood. That approach also carries through to his Father’s Day plans, which Greg said will be minimal – he said he prefers the spotlight to remain on his children.

“To me, every day is Father’s Day,” he said. “I’m working for my kids and that’s the biggest reward.”

Although LGBTQ+ foster youth go through adversity and experience different barriers, there is one thing that is remarkable. They each share their own unique stories as they journey through their self-identity. Their resiliency shows that there are no limitations to the LGBTQ+ foster youth community when they stand grounded in who they are and what they believe in. The Individualized Transition Skills Program (ITSP) team acknowledges the challenges that the LGBTQ+ transition age youth face and we are constantly looking for ways to provide support, resources, trainings, and platforms for our youth to express themselves.

A 2019 study found that 30.4% of youth in foster care identify as LGBTQ+ and 5% as transgender, compared to 11.2% and 1.17% of youth not in foster care. As an ITSP supervisor and part of the LGBTQ+ community, I stand with PRIDE and want our youth to know that the path in life may not always seem clear – and there will be challenges — but you are not alone.

Continue to dream and aspire to be whomever you would like to be and never doubt that you all deserve everything in the world. If you ever doubt your resiliency, remember that you have already overcome the biggest barrier, and that is self-acceptance.

Sincerely,

Stephani Collazo
ITSP Supervisor

Below is a poem from an 18 year-old youth in ITSP named Ali:

Hey there
I’m Ali
I identify as pansexual and gender fluid
You can use they, them, her, she, him, he to describe me
I don’t mind
Some days I feel more masculine some more feminine
Others I think it’s a mixture of both
Don’t forget I’m still me my personality
doesn’t change just the way I dress
Now I also figured out that I can find
anyone attractive
No matter how you identify
You could be a girl, a boy, gender fluid,
trans, etc.
I can still fall in love with you and love you for who you are
This is not a phase as some have told me
I don’t need to conform to what others think
I should or look
I love myself the way I am

– x.a.x.

Children’s Institute held its 4^th Annual Dream BIG Graduation on Thursday to honor the accomplishments of foster youth graduating high school and attending college this fall. While this year’s event took place on Zoom due to COVID-19, and during a week of global protests and unrest, the graduation focused on a hopeful future where foster youth will join a new generation of leaders.

Actor/comedian Anthony Anderson, Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels, and Netflix’s VP, Original Series/CII Trustee Channing Dungey addressed the graduates by offering words of hope and inspiration, while DJ Lani Love treated the seniors to a well-deserved dance party.

Actor/comedian Anthony Anderson recorded a message for the ITSP youth graduating high school.

“You are truly a remarkable group of people,” Anderson said. “Your resilience, determination and your grit is what made you make it here as high school graduates.”

Each graduate is part of CII’s Individualized Transition Skills Program (ITSP), which is designed to empower foster youth ages 16-21 to be successful, independent adults through wraparound services focused on improving education and employment outcomes. Young people work with their own CII Transition Development Specialist (TDS), who serves as a combination of counselor, role model and life coach.

Nationally, youth growing up in foster care are three times more likely than their peers to drop out of high school and fewer than 13 percent will attend college. In total, only 3 percent will earn a college degree.

Carlos delivered a speech on behalf of ITSP youth during the ceremony.

Evelyn Medina, ITSP Supervisor, said youth in foster care face a number of additional challenges that contribute to low national graduation rates. They often move between multiple foster homes and schools, and the lack of permanence puts many at-risk of homelessness.

Of the 125 eligible seniors in ITSP, 114 are graduating high school and 104 are enrolled in some form of higher education.

“This is a huge milestone that has taken a lot of dedication, persistence and resiliency,” Medina said.

The 91% graduation rate for ITSP youth is due in a large part to their relationship with staff. TDS have a one-on-one relationship with foster youth and are always ready to pick up the phone and respond to whatever need pops up. This can mean everything from driving a youth to a DMV appointment, working through college applications or shopping for work clothes.

Netflix’s VP, Original Content, and CII Board of Trustee Channing Dungey addressed the graduates with a speech closing out the ceremony.

Carlos, the Dream BIG youth speaker delivered a speech on behalf of ITSP, and specifically thanked his TDS Wendy Gomez. Carlos will be a freshman at the University of La Verne next fall and will be the first person in his family to attend college. He said he hopes to one day become a neurosurgeon.

“I want to congratulate every single one of you for being here, because even with all the statistics stacked against us, we can overcome anything we put our minds to,” Carlos. “Continue to inspire change in the world and continue doing what you are doing.”

Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

Read Carlos’ commencement poem below:

Today is the day my life begins
I choose to be accountable,
I choose to be responsible
To live a better life.

Today is the day I begin to live.
I choose to be true to myself,
I choose to be honest,
To live the life I’ve always wanted.

Today is the day I learn to love
I choose to love those who doubted me,
I choose to bestow my warmth on those who believed in me,
To live a life with the people I love

Today is the day I become responsible,
I choose to face my problems,
I choose to accept the consequences,
To live a life without regret.

Today is the day I accept my faith,
I choose to believe in soulmates,
I choose to believe in what can be,
To live a life full of happiness.

Today is the day I realized what life is,
I choose to take every opportunity,
I choose to take action,
To live life to the fullest.

 

Dear Friends of CII,

I am outraged by the brutal murder of yet another African American person in this country.

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Sandra Bland. Walter Scott. Philando Castile. Michael Brown Jr. Freddie Gray. Tamir Rice. Trayvon Martin. Eric Garner. Countless others. Their lives matter.

I can’t imagine the emotions of our African American colleagues and families we are proud to work alongside and serve every day. My heart is with you, and CII stands in solidarity with you.

Tens of thousands of people of all races, religions, gender identities, political beliefs and socio-economic status have taken to the streets to express their righteous indignation and voice an urgent need for real and lasting societal change.

What kind of change?

Safety.  African Americans and other people of color must feel safe, without fear of being shot and killed for walking down the street, or listening to music, or driving a car.

Access. All communities, regardless of zip code, deserve the highest quality healthcare, housing and education.

Hope. We want children to envision a future without oppression and racism.

As an organization that works with children, families and communities who have experienced the greatest injustices, we know that trauma adversely impacts their health and wellbeing. We must address structural racism in order for children and communities of color to reach their full potential.

As Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote in the Los Angeles Times this week:

“Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air.”

CII stands with the family of George Floyd and all victims of racism, excessive force, bigotry and systemic inequity and we will continue fighting for justice and a brighter future for our kids.

With my warmest regards,

Martine Singer
President & CEO

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week and we are excited to honor our 300 teachers, substitute teachers and home visitors along with a large group of in-classroom parent volunteers at Children’s Institute. With this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week marking nearly two months of safer-at-home orders, CII is extra thankful for early childhood educators who have responded to the COVID-19 crisis by quickly transitioning to virtual learning and stepping up to continue supporting kids and their families.

In early March, CII preschools serving 2,500 children across nearly 30 locations transformed overnight into virtual early childhood education hubs. Supported by CII’s IT department, teachers overhauled lesson plans and placed weekly calls to families while creating content for a weekly e-newsletter, specialized YouTube channel and learning app.

Citlali Gudino, a teacher at CII’s South Vermont Head Start, said it became apparent that the needs of families extended beyond education at home. Each family enrolled in CII’s Head Start, Early Head Start or Home Visitation program already worked multiple jobs and lived below the poverty line. As jobs in the hospitality and service industry were eliminated, parents reported losing one, two or all income sources. Many were ineligible for unemployment benefits or experienced long delays in receiving funds leaving families with zero resources for essential needs.

“We are here to help them and let them know that they are not alone,” Gudino said. “We care for these children and families and want to see them succeed.”

As teachers frequently checked-in, they became key lifelines for identifying immediate needs and connecting families with free resources in their community. CII preschool sites were converted into distribution centers where staff handed out meals while items like diapers, formula, soap and other essentials were delivered directly to families.

Due to the familiarity and trust most families had with their CII teacher or home visitor, staff were also often the first point of contact for the most at-risk families experiencing emergencies. From reporting domestic violence to not being able to pay rent, CII teachers and home visitors responded to urgent calls and provided assistance whenever possible.

Justine Lawrence, Vice President of Head Start at CII, said it is so important to appreciate teachers during this crisis and be grateful for their dedication to children and families.

“Our teachers have adjusted almost overnight to virtual learning and have done an incredible job at continuing to be teachers,” Lawrence said.

Ana Palacios, Vice President of Early Childhood Services at CII, said whatever the need, CII’s early childhood educators have responded admirably to ensure families are protected throughout this crisis.

“Now, more than ever, our Early Childhood Education services are crucial to our families,” Palacios said.

Support the work of CII teachers by making a donation here.

Children’s Institute has partnered with e-commerce organic grocery distributor Thrive Market to provide free memberships to families we serve who are impacted by COVID-19. The partnership highlights one of many ways CII is ensuring access to essential items during the pandemic.

Thanks to an anonymous $100,000 gift, 500 families (or 1,500 individuals) will receive food and household supplies for a month. What’s more, these items are sent through the US Mail, so families don’t have to leave their houses to receive the benefit.

In addition, all 1,000 CII staff members will receive free memberships to Thrive Market.

CII’s President & CEO Martine Singer said working with Thrive Market offers an additional lifeline to families who would otherwise struggle to buy food because unemployment benefits haven’t kicked in, or families do not qualify for government relief.

“Many of the families CII supports were already struggling before this crisis and they are now facing increased risks due to extensive job losses and school closures,” Singer said. “This partnerships with Thrive Market is a crucial support to families reeling from COVID-19.”

According to a recent USC study, the number of people employed in Los Angeles County fell 16% in the last month, significantly higher than the national average. More than 1.3 million jobs were lost, disproportionately affecting African Americans and Latinos, especially those with just a high school education.

Nolan Green, Chief of Staff at Thrive Market, said they were eager to help when CII proposed a partnership. He said Thrive Market has created a system to prioritize orders from the most at-risk families to ensure they don’t go hungry.

“Organizations like CII are so crucial for mobilizing aid locally, so especially as a Los Angeles-based e-commerce company, we’re proud to do whatever we can to help,” Green said.

Justine Lawrence, Vice President of Head Start at CII, said it has been amazing to share the partnership with families in need of extra support.

“Our families have struggled with job losses and a lack of resources, which has added more stress to their already challenging lives,” she said. “The partnership with Thrive Market allows us to ease the burden on families figuring out how to feed themselves and their children.”

In addition to the partnership with Thrive Market, CII is distributing free meals to families at our early childhood centers, providing diapers and formula to parents, and offering virtual learning and mental health sessions. Since April 2, CII’s COVID-19 Relief Fund has raised more than $160,000 to help LA’s most impacted families.