Our story
After the Center for Youth Wellness hosted its first conference on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in 2014, a group of participants from various sectors continued to work together on policies to prevent and mitigate the effects of childhood adversity and toxic stress. They formed the California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity, 4CA, after they developed a statewide policy agenda, the Action Plan to Address Childhood Adversity in California. The 4CA Action Plan was presented at the ACEs Policy Convening in San Diego, and it guides the Campaign's advocacy efforts for three years, through 2018.
Sectors represented in 4CA include child welfare, early childhood, education, health, and youth justice. The Campaign is guided by the Steering Committee and campaign membership, with support from the Center for Youth Wellness and Children Now. Contact us at 4CAkids@centerforyouthwellness.org.
who's involved
Leaders from dozens of local and state agencies, advocacy groups and other organizations have helped shape 4CA. They include (Steering Committee indicated with a *):
Hanna Boys Center
Harmonium
Impact Justice
Kaiser Permanente*
Kidsdata.org/ Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health
Los Angeles Education Partnership
Los Angeles Mission College
National Center for Youth Law
Office of Assemblymember David Chiu
Opportunity Institute
Our Family Coalition
Parents Anonymous
Partnership HealthPlan of California
PolicyLink
Prevention Institute*
Public Counsel
Public Health Institute, Survey Research Group
Rady Children’s Hospital- San Diego
San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency
San Diego State University, College of Education
San Diego Unified School District*
San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center
San Francisco Department of Public Health
San Francisco Sheriff’s Department
San Juan Unified School District
Senate Judiciary Committee
Seneca Family of Agencies
Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency
Sierra Health Foundation
Sonoma County Department of Health Services
Stanford Law School
Stanford University Medical Center
The California Endowment
The Children's Clinic, "Serving Children and their Families"*
The Chronicle for Social Change
The Sarlo Foundation
Time For Kids, Inc.
Trauma Camp
Treatment for Chains
UCSF
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
UCSF HEARTS
USC Children's Data Network
W. Haywood Burns Institute
Wonder: Strategies for Goof
Yolo County CASA
Yolo County Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health
Young & Healthy
Youth ALIVE!
Youth Law Center
ZERO TO THREE*
ACE Overcomers
ACEs Connection*
Advancement Project
Advancing Parenting
Advokids
Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services
American Academy of Pediatrics, California
Berkeley Media Studies Group
Board of State and Community Corrections
California Adolescent Health Collaborative
California Alliance of Caregivers
California Department of Education
California Department of Justice*
California Department of Public Health*
California Emergency Medical Services
California Food Policy Advocates
California Health and Human Services Agency
California Office of Health Equity
California School-Based Health Alliance
California Youth Connection
Californians for Safety and Justice
Center for Youth Wellness*
Chadwick Center for Children and Families, Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego
Chico Unified School District
Children Now*
Children's Defense Fund - California
Children's Law Center of California
Common Sense Kids Action
Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services Department
Council for a Stronger America
County of Marin Family Connections
County Welfare Directors Association of California
Davis Joint Unified School District
Dibble Institute
East Bay Agency for Children
Everychild Foundation
FACES SF
First 5 Butte County
First 5 California*
First 5 Contra Costa
First 5 Humboldt
First 5 Lake
First 5 Los Angeles*
Futures Without Violence*
Genentech
Goodwin Simon Strategic Research
Great Start Collaborative
how we work
Campaign members implement the 4CA Action Plan with the Steering Committee's approval and support form the Backbone Team.

Campaign Members
4CA members are people who amplify and extend the Campaign's work throughout California. They share with 4CA the local, regional, and state-level efforts related to preventing and addressing childhood adversity, and they introduce initiatives and stakeholders to 4CA.
You're a Campaign Member if You...
- Participate in 4CA events, such as a policymaker awareness day or recurring members webinars
- Participate in ad hoc Work Group or the Steering Committee
- Share your ideas with 4CA, pass on pertinent information and relevant opportunities, OR
- Recruit new campaign members
Steering Committee
Steering Committee members are champions for 4CA. They provide leadership by supporting Work Group activities and other activities aligned with the Action Plan. Steering Committee members meet by phone every other month and in-person every quarter:
- Ruben Cantu, Prevention Institute
- Janis Connallon, Children’s Defense Fund
- Pegah Faed, First 5 Los Angeles
- Kelly Hardy, Children Now
- Godwin Higa, Educator
- Gail Kennedy, ACEs Connection
- Moira Kenney, First 5 Association of California
- Debbie Lee, Futures Without Violence
- Sara Marques, Center for Youth Wellness
- Elisa Nicholas, The Children's Clinic, "Serving Children and Their Families"
- Christina Nigrelli, ZERO TO THREE
- Mary Kelly Persyn, Persyn Law & Policy
- Steve Wirtz, California Department of Public Health
Backbone Team
Several staff members from the Center for Youth Wellness and Children Now form the 4CA Backbone Team, which supports the campaign membership and the Steering Committee. It hosts members webinars, facilitates Steering Committee meetings, and coordinates communication across 4CA groups.