Hello Summer!

The month of June ushers in a time of celebration and reflection, with graduation, Juneteenth and Pride Month happening concurrently.

We’re proud of our graduating students–representing future careers in medicine, nursing, public health, social work, public affairs and more. Their futures are so bright and we trust their time at UCLA will propel them into this next chapter with optimism, possibility and an eagerness to make a difference in the world.

As the graduates embark upon the path forward, we also look back to recognize Juneteenth. Juneteenth stands as a beacon of freedom and liberation, symbolizing the long overdue recognition of the inherent rights and dignity of all individuals. It serves as a reminder of the resilience and perseverance of Black Americans in the face of centuries of oppression, and as an opportunity for reflection across our work concerning the injustices facing Black children and families. 

Similarly, as Pride celebrations sweep the country, we are mindful of the disparate harms facing LGBTQ+ youth in foster care. Addressing the harm facing LGBTQ+ youth in foster care requires systemic change within the child welfare system. We are proud to have worked with UCLA Health and our community partners to address an array of issues impacting LGBTQ+ youth, and will continue to do so! 

Looking ahead, summer also brings forward opportunities to share our research at various conferences and to offer a summer program for our students—the next generation of child welfare professionals. As we straddle the worlds of professional and student development, it’s a privilege to be in spaces where we learn just as much as we teach.

We’ll also be taking some time this summer to work on our communications strategies! While we won't be filling your inbox with our usual updates and insights, rest assured that we will be back in September! Until then, wishing you a peaceful summer.

In community,

The UCLA Pritzker Center Team

Are you a Bruin curious about child welfare and related topics? Join us for our version of summer school to learn more alongside other Bruins and get to know the UCLA Pritzker Center! (Open to UCLA faculty, staff, and students)

On May 15, the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools hosted a Zoom webinar with CTS Co-Faculty Director & UCLA education professor Tyrone C. Howard. Dr. Howard discussed his new book, Equity Now, a comprehensive guide for educators that emphasizes the urgent need for immediate action to dismantle systemic barriers in education. Equity Now proposes a solutions-oriented approach to fostering welcoming, affirming, responsive, and rigorous learning environments.

In this webinar, Dr. Howard is joined by Gerald Luke, Director of Access & Equity for African American Student Achievement, Palmdale USD; Njemele Tamala Anderson, 9th Grade Advisor, 10th & 11th Grade English Teacher, Science Leadership Academy at Beeber, Philadelphia; and Khai Ward, High School Student, Science Leadership Academy at Beeber, Philadelphia, for a panel discussion on what equity looks like when put into practice in schools.

In honor of Pride Month, revisit our Pride Talk 2023 event where we addressed anti-trans youth health care legislation across the county and specific health needs for trans youth with an emphasis on the unique needs of youth in foster care. We hosted guest speakers Dr. Erin Baroni, Clinical Instructor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at UCLA Health and Dr. Kerith Conron, Research Director at the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute, in partnership with CASA LA, Extraordinary Families, UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence, LA LGBT Center - Rise, Raise a Child, and the DMH + UCLA Public Partnership for Wellbeing.

On June 14, the TAY Hub at the University of California, Berkeley convened 10 research groups to share findings on projects pertaining to young people transitioning out of the foster system in the state of California.

UCLA Pritzker Center research fellow, Dr. Brenda A. Tully, presented preliminary findings on a Case Study of Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Housing Choice Vouchers in Los Angeles. The study examines interview data from young adults and case managers or housing navigators. Barriers and facilitators to getting and using the FYI housing vouchers were identified at the systems, service access, and interpersonal levels. 

We continue to recruit for this study. Young adults, ages 18-28, who have experience with the FYI voucher, property owners who accept any housing choice vouchers issued by housing authorities across LA County, and case managers or housing navigators who support young people or property owners with the FYI voucher are invited to contact our research team for an eligibility screening. 

Stay tuned for findings and recommendations upon study completion. The studies presented at the TAY Hub convening were funded by the TAY Hub through sub-awards from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. 

Dr. Brenda A. Tully, UCLA Pritzker Center Research Fellow, presented a lightning talk and poster on Financial Matters: Housing Security and Eviction during the Transition from Foster Care to Adulthood at the federal Administration for Children and Families Research and Evaluation Conference on Self Sufficiency (RECS). Using Midwest Study data, this research identified the importance of subsidized housing for secure housing trajectories after young people age out of the foster system but highlights that few young people in the sample had access to this resource. Additionally, 20% of people in the sample experienced an eviction between the ages of 19 and 26. Economic hardship was closely associated with the experience of eviction among young people in the study sample. Findings suggest that structural mechanisms to attain and retain housing are of elevated importance for this group. Increasing access to and the efficiency of the Foster Youth to Independence housing choice voucher may help mitigate precarious housing trajectories, while income supports, like guaranteed income and foster youth tax credits, may reduce economic hardship and eviction.

(L-R): Lisa Whitecrow, MA, DCFS Lancaster Regional Administrator; Laura Liévano-Karim, PhD, UCLA Pritzker Center Postdoctoral Researcher; Tamara Hunter, DSW, LA County Prevention and Promotion Systems Governing Committee Interim Executive Director; Taylor Dudley, JD, UCLA Pritzker Center Executive Director

UCLA Pritzker Center staff, Taylor Dudley, JD and Laura Liévano-Karim, PhD traveled with County of Los Angeles partners Tamara Hunter, DSW and Lisa Whitecrow, MA, to the 31st American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) Colloquium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

On June 10, the team shared a presentation on Transforming Child Welfare: Evolving Practices in Mandatory Reporting and Domestic Violence, which includes our research from the Antelope Valley Domestic Violence Demonstration Project and its relationship to the Mandatory Supporting Initiative. Colloquium participants from Alaska to Florida joined our presentation, resulting in a rich and informative dialogue on these important shifts in child welfare. 

(L-R): Termeko Coplin, Domestic Violence Regional Coordinator SPA 1 at Valley Oasis; Shanice Brown, Sr. Case Manager at Valley Oasis; Dr. Brenda Tully, Research Fellow at the UCLA Pritzker Center; Amanda Solis, Student Researcher at the UCLA Pritzker Center

In partnership with Valley Oasis, DCFS, and the Children’s Law Center of California, we have been cross training DCFS and Valley Oasis staff on domestic violence and child welfare system involvement.

Our collaboration continues with LA County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Lancaster Regional Office and Valley Oasis. 

In May, Valley Oasis staff, Termeko Coplin and Shanice Brown, facilitated day-long learning opportunities about the dynamics of domestic violence for four cohorts of DCFS Lancaster colleagues in the Emergency Response Unit. Shannon O’Brien, an Assistant Regional Administrator from the DCFS Lancaster office, and Heather Wilson, Attorney Supervisor with Children’s Law Center of California facilitated a learning opportunity for Valley Oasis domestic violence shelter staff on the child welfare system.

Data analysis to gain further insights on participants' experience is underway and will be leveraged toward future training for staff involved with child welfare and DV services. 

Our student researchers participated in Undergraduate Research Week from May 20-24.

Olivia Gilchrist, Isabella Reina, and Cristopher Espino presented two research projects, "Beyond Blind Removal: Color Consciousness and Anti-Racism in Los Angeles County Child Welfare" and "Collaborative Reform in Child Welfare for Families Experiencing Domestic Violence in the Antelope Valley."

Abby Rubtsova and Amanda Solis presented "Fostering Photovoice: Understanding the Impact of the Foster Care System on Youth and Their Familial Relationships," and won the Undergraduate Research Week’s Dean’s Prize in Excellence in Research! Abby and Amanda were also selected to present their Photovoice research at UCLA's Service Impact Summit on May 24!

"It was a great pleasure to represent the UCLA Pritzker Center during Undergraduate Research Week alongside my friends, and fellow undergraduate student researchers, Olivia Gilchrist and Cristopher Espino. UGRW served as a great opportunity to highlight the amazing work of the center and strengthen my bonds with this incredible team!" - Isabella Reina

"It was an honor to present at UCLA's Undergraduate Research Week alongside Cris and Isabella. Our two virtual presentations not only further shared the work of the Pritzker Center, but we gained valuable experience in the research process. I am very grateful for the professional and academic opportunities that the Pritzker Center provides, and I look forward to continuing working and learning this summer!" - Olivia Gilchrist

"Being able to share our research with UCLA and the broader LA community is exactly what our Fostering PhotoVoice project is about! I am so glad that the voices of the youth collective that participated in our project are being elevated and empowered, without being filtered by a third party. Winning the Dean's Prize only confirms the power and importance of this work!" - Abby Rubtsova

We are proud of our amazing students and their accomplishments in research! 

As part of her capstone project for the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, our student researcher, Ellis Eckles, created the podcast “Reporting to Supporting,” which details the transition between the mandated reporting policy to community-supporting (interchangeably known as mandated supporting) initiatives in the state of California. Ellis highlights the “false narratives of mandated reporting and the damage it causes, bringing light to the lives of children and families it harms."

This June, we celebrate our graduating students: Ellis Eckles, BA Public Affairs; Mia Meza, BS Nursing; Amanda Solis, BA Sociology, Minor in Chicano/a and Central American Studies; Claudia Martinez, MPH and MSW from UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs; and Taylor Thaxton, MD from the Drew-UCLA Medical Education Program! Read what our students have to say about their time at the UCLA Pritzker Center!

"I am so grateful for my time with the Center! In particular, I've loved seeing how our community has grown both on and off campus. The food drives, seminars, and panels I was able to contribute to were among the most impactful experiences I had during medical school." - Taylor Thaxton, MD

"One of my favorite memories from the Pritzker Center is collaborating with a passionate team of students and staff members. Everyone brought their unique perspectives and boundless creativity to every project. Our collective energy turned challenges into exciting opportunities, showing me the power of teamwork." - Claudia Martinez, MPH, MSW

"My time at the Pritzker Center has been incredibly impactful, widening my understanding of the child welfare system and deepening my affection for the children and families that are impacted. Over the last year, my research focused on the transition between the mandated reporting policy to community supporting initiatives in the state of California. After graduation, I look forward to incorporating the research skills I've learned and the greater understanding of policy both in and outside of the child welfare space." - Ellis Eckles, BA Public Affairs

"One of my favorite memories from the Center has to be our small Pritzker holiday celebration since it brought us all together - where we really got to be in each other's presence and company. Additionally, I enjoyed our weekly team meetings and the check-ins that we do within the meetings. I think the community and friendships that were made within the Center is important for our well-being, as students, people, and researchers." - Amanda Solis (right), BA Sociology

"The Center has provided me with so many new skills and introduced me to some of the kindest, influential, empowering souls I have ever met. I truly am taking every story, every statistic I have heard and seen into my future career as a nurse and hope to continue to fight for the change!" - Mia Meza, BS Nursing

Among the five UCLA faculty members is UCLA Pritzker Center's co-director, Dr. Tyrone C. Howard. 

“Election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an incredible honor and recognition. It is a reminder of why the work that we do has to serve the public good in an impactful and transformative way. I’m honored to be among so many individuals who have and continue to make a difference in our society.” - Dr. Tyrone C. Howard

UCLA Pritzker Center co-director and UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools co-director, Dr. Tyrone C. Howard, provides expert commentary in this article by The Observer.