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Youth, Education, and Child Well-Being
Why This Matters
Rural youth face unique challenges in accessing quality education, career opportunities, and supportive services. From limited educational resources and transportation barriers to fewer postsecondary pathways and economic opportunities, rural young people often experience systemic disadvantages that can limit their potential.
CCRP's work in this area focuses on understanding these barriers and developing solutions that strengthen educational systems, expand opportunities for youth development, and ensure all children have the foundation they need to thrive.
Growing Rural Futures
How We Approach Youth, Education, and Child Well-being Research
At CCRP, our youth and education work is rural-rooted and equity-driven. We recognize that rural educational contexts have distinct strengths and challenges, from smaller class sizes and strong community connections to resource limitations and geographic isolation.
Our approach emphasizes building on existing community assets while addressing systemic barriers. We work alongside schools, community organizations, and families to develop locally-relevant solutions that expand opportunities for young people while honoring rural values and strengths
Featured Youth, Education, and Child Well-being Projects
Research examining postsecondary education pathways and disconnection from school and work among youth in rural Northern California, with particular focus on barriers and opportunities for Native American youth pursuing higher education.
CCRP's comprehensive assessment of childcare availability, accessibility, and affordability in Humboldt County, revealing that families spend an average of 43% of income on care for two children, with 75% of parents missing work due to childcare challenges.
CCRP serves as the designated independent compliance monitor for Humboldt County Child Welfare Services, monitoring progress on corrective measures to ensure compliance with state law and court judgments aimed at protecting vulnerable children and families.
Collaboration with Humboldt County Office of Education to gather student perspectives on educational needs, barriers, and opportunities for improvement in rural school systems.
CCRP supports "grow-your-own" healthcare workforce development in Del Norte and Tribal Lands, encouraging local youth to pursue healthcare careers to address critical workforce shortages in rural areas.
In response to the police brutality against People of Color, the ongoing racial injustices across the country, and the Racial Equity Statement released by the Northern Humboldt Union High School District in June of 2020, a series of listening campaigns and meetings for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students around Humboldt County were organized by students with support from administrators. BIPOC students, staff, families and community members were invited to these listening sessions to share their experiences with racism in the community and in school, and to help inform changes to district and school level policies and practices.
These listening sessions, along with two conversations with CCRP, helped inform the information and recommendations outlined in the reports below. These reports are owned by BIPOC student representatives from five different Humboldt County high schools and is intended to be a living document that can be shared with whoever they see fit. By putting it in written form, it allows students an easier way to communicate their experiences so they don't have to relive the trauma and continue to talk about their experiences with racism and microaggressions. View the full report here, and the report addendum here.
Bringing together partners from across the community, CCRP supports a cross-sector literacy initiative to improve early reading outcomes through meeting facilitation, community engagement, data-informed planning, and strong partnerships. The goal is to ensure all children have equitable access to the support and opportunities needed for lifelong literacy success.
As part of efforts to amplify youth voices, CCRP has produced reports focusing on disconnection rates among young people ages 16-24 in Del Norte and Tribal Lands, and postsecondary pathways for Native American youth.
Children's oral health needs assessment and strategic planning initiatives, including the Children's Dental Strategic Plan for Humboldt County (2012), focusing on preventive care and early treatment to reduce the need for expensive hospital-based dental interventions.
Assessment of programming and outcomes at this youth development center, providing data to strengthen services and demonstrate community impact.
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