Building the Nation’s First Whole Child Community Equity Tool

By: Vickie Ramos Harris, Vice President of Policy and Programs

On June 18, 2024, California took a pivotal step forward to build the nation’s first whole child community equity tool, made possible by  AB 2832, legislation spearheaded by Speaker Robert Rivas. This legislation places racial and economic justice at the forefront of California’s early childhood efforts and identifies the need to holistically support children from birth.

The Whole Child Equity Tool will provide a data-driven, child-centered approach that can help the state identify communities where multiple, compounding and intersectional factors beyond poverty affect children’s growth and development. This tool will offer a more nuanced look at what communities are facing and can help state and local leaders make informed decisions to target new resources and design policies with the greatest impact. This legislation also calls for recommendations on how to use the equity tool to invest in whole child resources that address racial and economic inequities for California’s youngest children.

The Whole Child Equity Tool builds on our learnings from Catalyst California’s work on other equity tools, particularly the Student Equity Needs Index (SENI) at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The SENI is a research-based equity index developed with the community and district. It is an example of a tool that can drive equitable distribution of funding, while also guiding and informing broader decisions to better support children in high- and highest-need.

Below you will find an overview of the concept of the whole child, with an equity lens, which explains why we need more equity in early childhood in California. There are also next steps in building the equity tool.

Whole Child

The first years of life are critical for a child’s development. Children are growing and learning rapidly across many areas, including brain development, physical development, language, and social emotional growth. We must understand what supports and hinders our young children’s healthy growth and development.

Because a child’s development and overall well-being are directly connected to the well-being of their family and community, we need to consider the broader issues that impact our babies.

• Does the family have access to child care that meets their needs?   
• Does the baby have access to preventative care?
• Do the children have enough green space and parks to play in?
• Does the family have access to nutritious food, stable housing, and the economic security needed to support their babies?

Whole Child Equity

“Whole child equity” is about how we embrace, value, and care for our babies through systems grounded in racial and economic justice. It is about how we wrap our babies with the love and support they need with approaches, policies, structures, and investments rooted in equity. This requires centering the diverse needs of California’s youngest children and addressing their needs, particularly in communities that have been purposely left behind and face systemic racism, disinvestment,  and wealth-stripping. To achieve this, we must uplift these families' voices, ensuring that their assets and needs are embedded in the design of systems and programs.  

The Need to Strengthen Equity in Early Childhood

California early childhood (ECE) funds have traditionally been allocated through limited criteria focused on poverty level, existing program infrastructure, or programs where previous investments have been made. For example, when the state invests in child care slots, communities with less access to child care generally do not benefit because they often do not have the infrastructure to access those funds. This approach has also missed communities that face struggles beyond poverty, including lack of access to child care, health care and mental health resources, and other factors that impact young children’s well-being. Therefore, these communities need more innovative solutions grounded in families’ lived experiences and designed to address their needs. 

Building the Whole Child Equity Framework & Tool

Following the work of the Whole Child Equity Partnership that launched in 2019, Catalyst California partnered with Speaker Robert Rivas on a bill (AB 2832) in 2022  to create a Whole Child Equity Tool – which Governor Newsom signed.  A Whole Child Community Framework will serve as a guide for the tool.  

• A public workgroup led by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), in consultation with the California Department of Education, will lead the development of the framework and the equity tool, so the public can have a hand in defining equity for California’s youngest children, thus advancing racial and economic justice. 
• The framework will then outline categories essential to supporting children through a whole child approach to guide the equity tool, such as child care access, health/mental health services, community safety, and built environments. 
• The equity tool will then consist of indicators such as early childhood program facilities; bilingual programs that support home language; birth weight monitoring; access to postpartum care; housing stability for children; and death/injury by police.

For more information on the process, the timeline, and how to engage in this discussion, see the CDSS website Whole Child Community Equity and  Catalyst California’s blog on what this means for CA families.