“Children in Poverty” is a forum to connect community leaders and policy makers with service providers, support organizations and agencies that can foster activities to reverse community factors contributing to child poverty.  The forum will feature efforts by nonprofit organizations, governmental and non-governmental agencies, faith-based groups and scholars.  The forum aims to recommend solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of children in poverty; gather stakeholders, service providers, policy makers and others to identify best practices; give participants necessary tools; connect experts to those seeking training; and offer continuing education units to participants.  A summary brief will be compiled at the forum’s conclusion and distributed through the UCLA Luskin website.

This event is generously supported by The California Endowment and the Weingart Foundation.


8:00 Continental Breakfast

Welcome:  Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., Dean

Panel #1       Framing the Issue: The State of Children in Los Angeles County
8:45am        Neal Halfon, Director, Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities
                       Michael Ruane, Legislative & Advocacy Chair, First 5 Association of California
                       Gisselle Acevedo, Former President/CEO Para Los Niños; UCLA Luskin Senior Fellow
                       Moderator:  Todd Franke, Associate Professor of Social Welfare, UCLA Luskin

Panel #2       The Next Paradigm: Promising Policies and Practices
10:45am      Fred Ali, President and CEO, The Weingart Foundation; UCLA Luskin Senior Fellow
                       Rima Cohen, Counselor to the Secretary for Health Policy, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
                       Alex Morales, President and CEO, Children’s Bureau
                       Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, Founder/Executive Director, The UCLA Family Commons
                       Moderator:   Arleen Leibowitz, Professor Emeritus, Public Policy, UCLA Luskin

Closing        The Honorable Holly Mitchell, California State Assemblymember

12:30          Networking lunch

Parking available in structure #3 for $11.  Parking information provided with RSVP confirmation.