United Way of Santa Cruz County

Cradle to career (c2c) is a parent advocacy initiative and community connector. Our collective brings together community partners and connects them to local youth and parents, to hear directly about how to support the hopes, dreams, and concerns of local families. Our mission is to work collectively to empower families, deliver resources, and advocate for equitable and inclusive support systems to eliminate disparities and ensure all santa cruz county children thrive in their education, health, and character.by ensuring youth have the opportunity to reach their greatest potential, united way of santa cruz county is focusing on youth well-being to provide support services and programs to promote college and career readiness, health and wellness, economic stability, and community connection among santa cruz countys highest needs youth. United 4 youth is a collaborative to provide support services and programs to youth and families throughout santa cruz county. The collaborative assembles nonprofits and local leaders to design innovative programs that lead to positive and sustainable outcomes for youth - from academic support to policy change in local government.youth action network (yan) centers youth voice, and positions youth as the drivers for community change. The goal of the program is to work with out-of-school programs to focus on and support positive youth development, youth & adult partnerships, and fostering community connections by participating in community-level decision making. Jovenes sanos (healthy youth) is youth leadership and advocacy regarding health and wellness to create a healthier, thriving community. Youth enhance their leadership and academic skills by engaging in local decision-making to increase healthy eating active living through physical activity and nutrition workshops.community assessment project is a nationally and internally recognized data report that examines the quality of life for santa cruz county residents by reporting social determinants of health indicators such as economics, education, health and wellness, natural and built environment, and public safety. It includes a bi-annual household survey of our countys residents perception of their own well-being as well as extensive community engagement to set collective community goals in the five areas. The data identifies community needs to spark plans to reduce disparities and enhance equity in santa cruz county.