Dear Friends,

Today we honor César Chávez, a civil rights activist and labor leader who co-founded the United Farm Workers union and fought for better working conditions and rights for farm workers. He said, "Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed." In our work at the UCLA Pritzker Center, we unite a multidisciplinary network across campus and throughout LA County to identify prevention strategies that safely reduce the need for foster care, while supporting equitable reform to our child welfare system. We are proud of this effort and its impact on irreversible social change.

As we reflect on a successful winter term, we're excited to highlight some key initiatives that are shaping the future of the UCLA Pritzker Center and our team members. At our leadership retreat and through the opportunity to enhance our evaluation skills to enhance racial equity, we're investing in the growth of our faculty, staff, and students, and creating opportunities to thrive both academically and professionally. These efforts coupled with a new grant award, enhance our impact on child welfare research, within the field and across campus. 

As we turn to spring, we are inspired by a recent statement from Chancellor Frenk: "UCLA is not just a university in Los Angeles, but a university of Los Angeles, with an abiding commitment to serve the city and its people." Stay tuned for more on our work and efforts toward social change for the children and families of Los Angeles! 

In community,

The UCLA Pritzker Center Team

UPCOMING EVENTS

RESEARCH

The UCLA Pritzker Center was awarded a Public Scholarship grant from Dean Tina Christie and the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies. Public scholarship emphasizes the importance of research and teaching that makes a difference for education and information studies professionals in their efforts to foster more equitable, inclusive, and powerful learning. 

The UCLA Pritzker Center will examine how the Eaton Fire disrupted education for children in foster care. The study will map the Eaton Fire’s impact by analyzing placement and school destruction for youth in foster care. Study findings will be shared at the start of the 2025-2026 school year.

Ivy Zucaya, PhD, research director at the UCLA Pritkzer Center

With thanks to the Blue Shield Foundation of California, Dr. Ivy Zucaya, Research Director, will join the REALize Power Leadership Program, which was designed to support California-based nonprofit and grassroots leaders in developing equity-focused evaluation skills, building equitable partnerships with funders, and strengthening grant-making practices to reduce the impact of structural racism.

Photo of Dr. Ari Malka at the LA OYC Convening, "The Power of Data: Strengthening Collective Strategy."

Dr. Ivy Zucaya attended the LA Opportunity Youth Collaborative’s convening, “The Power of Data: Strengthening Collective Strategy,” where Dr. Ari Malka presented data from a new report on disconnection rates and trends across LA County and discussed policy implications to promote reconnection. The new report, prepared by New Ways to Work, CA Opportunity Youth Network, and LA Opportunity Youth Collaborative, reveals that more than one in ten youth between the ages of 19-24 was neither enrolled in school nor employed across Los Angeles County in 2023.

As many as one in five transition age youth from Lancaster – where much of the UCLA Pritzker Center’s work has focused – faced disconnection, and rates were disproportionately high among Black and Latine youth across LA County. Youth leaders shared recommendations for engaging opportunity youth in academic support and workforce development programming and supporting them during periods of educational or employment transition.  

UCLA Pritzker Center Research Director, Dr. Ivy Zucaya, was among those at the summit.

IN THE COMMUNITY

UCLA Pritzker Center Undergraduate Student Researchers, Abigail Adams, Olivia Gilchrist, and Survey Researcher, Brittney Hun, holding boxes of books for the distribution.

Following the LA wildfires, and in partnership with the UCLA School for Education and Information Studies, the UCLA Pritzker Center has collected and distributed over 2500 books to the UCLA Disaster Recovery Center, Children's Institute, Hearts Together for LA, Eliot Middle School in Altadena, and UCLA TIES for Families. Special thank you to the donors who have helped rebuild school and family libraries! 

"It was meaningful to meet people who donated books, and to chat with librarians and talk with school administrators about how they’re making do. I also loved the opportuity to collaborate with Children’s Institute. At the UCLA Disaster Recovery Center, it was especially moving to see how our community is coming together at this time." — Emma Chen, UCLA Pritzker Center 4th Year Undergraduate Operations Assistant

UCLA Pritzker Center Operations Assistant, Emma Chen, distributing books to local agencies and libraries.

UCLA Pritzker Center Survey Researcher, Brittney Hun, and Undergraduate Student Researcher, Olivia Gilchrist, distributing books to the Children's Institute.

Photo of the Rainbow Resource Network launch event.

Our team was proud to attend the grand opening of the Rainbow Resource Network. Supported by Hilda Solis and Supervisor Lindsay Horvath, this initiative is co-led by a diverse design team, including 11 LGBTQ+ Youth Ambassadors with lived experience in foster care, the LA County DCFS Office of Equity, and four nonprofit organizations— Alexis Project, LA LGBT Center, Project Q, and Village Family Services. 

Lauren Nichols, Executive Director of the Anthony Pritzker Family Foundation, and Taylor Dudley, Executive Director of the UCLA Pritzker Center, celebrated the launch of the Rainbow Resource Network.

UCLA Pritzker Center Program Coordinator, Ana Rivera, joined UCLA leaders and the Los Angeles City Council at the Welcome Reception for UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk on March 21 at the Los Angeles City Hall. Chancellor Frenk spoke about the many ways UCLA connects with Los Angeles through service, research and education.

In case you missed it, watch Chancellor Frenk's full address to the Los Angeles City Council below.

Julio Frenk and Los Angeles City Council member Katy Yaroslavsky hold up the council’s proclamation welcoming Frenk to Los Angeles. Photo and caption courtesy of Ricky Horne/UCLA Newsroom.

ON CAMPUS

UCLA Pritzker Center team and Valerie Kondos at the UCLA Pritzker Center office in Westwood.

On March 8, the UCLA Pritzker Center hosted a team leadership retreat to enhance the personal and professional development of our students, staff and faculty. We are thankful to Valerie Kondos Field for facilitating! 

Head coach of the seven-time NCAA Champion, 22-time Regional and 18-time Pac-12 Champion UCLA Women’s Gymnastics team, Miss Val was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. The four-time “National Coach of the Year” was named “West Region Coach” of the Year, Pac-12 Coach of the Year, and “Coach of the Century” for her solid track record as a preeminent coach. Crediting her mentor, legendary basketball coach John Wooden, and the Olympians and athletes with whom she’s worked, Miss Val’s success is due to her extraordinary leadership and mentorship of young student-athletes, and the way in which she uses gymnastics as an avenue through which to teach valuable life lessons.

UCLA Pritzker Center Program Coordinator, Ana Rivera, with Valerie Kondos.

UCLA Pritzker Center Doctoral Student Researcher, Tae Thompson, with Valerie Kondos.

"Thank you, Miss Val, for leading our team retreat! It was so special to spend the day with the Pritzker team growing both individually and collectively. I felt challenged to think more deeply about how I approach work and personal growth. Not to mention, I can cross "shake hands with a Bruin athletic legend" off my bucket list! Definitely a day to remember." — Olivia Gilchrist, UCLA Pritzker Center Undergraduate Student Researcher

UCLA Pritzker Center Undergraduate Student Researcher, Olivia Gilchrist, with Valerie Kondos.

UCLA Pritzker Center Executive Director, Taylor Dudley, with Valerie Kondos.

UCLA Pritzker Center team members Emma Chen, Cristopher Espino, Abigail Adams, Ivy Zucaya, Ana Rivera, Isabella Reina, Olivia Gilchrist, Brittney Hun, and Brenda Tully at the team retreat.

Photo of Dr. Tyrone Howard giving a guest lecture for Public Affairs 124: Child Welfare Policy in America.

Tyrone Howard, PhD, and Brenda Tully, PhD, joined Taylor Dudley, JD, as guest lecturers for her course Public Affairs 124: Child Welfare Policy in America, this term. Dr. Howard lectured on mandatory reporting and racial equity in schools, while Dr. Tully lectured about housing issues facing children and families. Offering guest lectures enhances students' exposure to a range of ideas and insights concerning child welfare.

INSPIRATION & IDEAS

The center, part of UCLA’s efforts to become a Hispanic-Serving Institution, will focus on student achievement and excellence.

Have you used our research to support your work?

© 2025 UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families. All Rights Reserved.

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