City Council unanimously approved a status report for the Children and Youth Services Master Plan Tuesday evening at City Hall.
The Children and Youth Services Master Plan seeks to create and expand opportunity pathways from youth to adulthood, according to a presentation by the City of San José.
Angel Rios, the deputy city manager of the City of San Josè, began the discussion of the master plan.
“The Children and Youth Services Master Plan will serve as a strategic road map by mobilizing, integrating and coordinating programs and services across city departments,” Rios said.
Rios said public entities, educational institutions, service providers, private sectors, communities and community-based organizations will be working together to leverage community resources.
Within this plan are strategic priority areas. These are critical objectives that are focused on ensuring an organization's long-term goal, according to a webpage from Peoplebox.
Seven areas fall under the strategic priority areas all having an expected outcome, according to the same presentation by the City of San José.
Areas of focus include early learning and child care, health and mental wellness, housing access and security, learning and empowerment, meaningful and sustaining jobs, safe, clean, and connected communities and the System of Care “safety net.”
The City of San José’s System of care, “Safety-Net,” will allow youth and their families to have access to safety-net services, supports and opportunity pathways.
Early Learning and Child Care
Deitra Hoang, a San José City youth commissioner, led the presentation for the master plan and broke down the strategic priority areas.
“All parents (and) caregivers want to have options and choices to affordable and accessible early learning childcare opportunities,” Hoang said.
This aligns with Santa Clara County’s commitment to affordable childcare, according to a webpage for the Santa Clara County Office of Education.
Health and Mental Wellness
“Although the pandemic is behind us, it has left many young people struggling to recover from the impact,” Hoang said.
The expected outcome of this area of focus is to provide youth with access to holistic support throughout their development journey, according to a presentation from the City of San José City Council.
Jane Kovac, a recreation leader at Seven Trees Community Center, spoke during the public comment portion about how after-school art programs impacted her mental health.
“(As) someone who was experiencing pretty severe mental health issues,” Kovac said “I definitely can fully say that having these art programs, for some people, is between life and death.”
Housing Access and Security
“The high cost of housing and housing instability forces families to work multiple jobs to meet their basic needs,” Hoang said.
She said that this impacts the quality of life and includes fewer opportunities for parents to spend time with their children and less access to money for tutoring or aftercare programs.
Learning and Empowerment
This area is supposed to help graduates from high school and help youth to have opportunities to explore different educational pathways.
Educational pathways is a way to describe the different ways that individuals move through the educational system, according to a webpage from the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Hoang said there are also opportunities to learn different topics including financial literacy or tax filing assistance.
Meaningful and Sustaining Jobs
This area of focus ensures that youth can reach their full potential and enter adulthood with essential skills required for entry into the employment of their choice, according to a presentation by the City of San José City Council.
Anastasia, a community member who's been living in San José for 18 years, showed support for the program.
“Our children will have access to critical resources such as childcare, educational and job training, leadership development, and physical and mental health services,” she said.
Safe, Clean, and Connected Communities
Hoang said that all youth and families want to feel connected to each other and live in a safe, clean and vibrant inclusive community.
Pamela Campos, a community member, voiced the importance of this particular master plan.
“Now is the time to acknowledge that investments in children and youth lay the foundation for success in school and later in life,” Campos said. “That is the bedrock for a safe and thriving city.”
