FY 23-24 Program Report

Agency Name: Ventures Program Name: Semillitas Equity Dimension: Income

Condition: Economic Security & Mobility Tier: Large Budget: $405,000.00

Annual Goal FY 23-24	Annual Goal FY 23-24
Unduplicated Participants     Total Unduplicated Participants 1755 3484	How Many Activities/Services Will Be Provided?     Universal, Automatic Enrollment in Semillitas for all Santa Cruz County newborn 100 100 Collaborate with partners to create health-related program milestones  1 0 Provide four family education in financial capability and child development workshops.  4 4
Annual Goal FY 23-24 Age     0-5 49% 49% 6-18 2% 2% 19-59 49% 49% 60+ 0% 0% Unknown 0% 0%	Annual Goal FY 23-24 Language     English 51% 47% Spanish 44% 48% Other 5% 5% Unknown 0% 0%
Ethnicity     African American 0% 1% Asian 3% 1% Latino 59% 60% Multi-racial 1% 1% Native American/Alaskan 0% 0% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0% 1% White 36% 35% Other 1% 1% Unknown 0% 0%	Gender     Female 48% 48% Male 52% 52% Transgender- Female 0% 0% Transgender- Male 0% 0% Other 0% 0% Unknown 0% 0% Nonbinary 0% 0%
Location     Capitola 2% 3% Santa Cruz 23% 26% Scotts Valley 3% 4% Watsonville 51% 48% Unincorporated Mid-County (e.g., Live Oak, Soquel, Aptos ) 9% 9% Unincorporated North County (e.g. , Davenport )  0% 0% Unincorporated San Lorenzo Valley (e.g., Ben Lomond ) 2% 3% Unincorporated South County (e.g., Freedom ) 6% 6% Unknown 4% 1% Out of County 0% 0%

Annual Goal FY 23-24   Annual Goal FY 23-24 How Well Did We Provide Service?     How many participiants did you survey? 1755 147 80% of program participants report being either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with program services as measured by a one-question participant survey that will be completed by June 30 of each FY. 80% 75%

Annual Goal FY 23-24   Annual Goal FY 23-24 Is Anyone Better Off?     60% of MC eligible Semillitas families will qualify and obtain contributions to their Semillitas account based on achievement of at least one established Milestone as measured by data collected and shared by program partners. 60% 100% 5% of MC eligible Semillitas parents will participate in at least one family education in financial capability or child development workshop, as measured by workshop sign in sheets. Sign in sheets will be reviewed after each training. 5% 5%

Additional CORE Questions  (The maximum length is limited to 1200 characters in the below boxes)
1. Briefly describe any progress and/or successes your CORE program achieved implementing its activities during FY 2023-2024. (Recommended 2-4 sentences)	We have successfully increased engagement with Semillitas families, achieving an 8% engagement rate (nationwide average is 3%). This increase includes milestone deposits through, workshop attendance, parent portal usage, annual surveys, financial and child development workshops, and health activities. We deposited into 310 accounts for dental milestones with Salud Para La Gente (SPLG) and Dientes, and into 132 accounts for immunizations and wellness checks through CCAH. Notably, the number of individuals monitoring their accounts through the parent portal has more than doubled, rising from 110 to 341 (deposited into 231 accounts). Our parent workshops now average 50 participants. We are working strategically with partners to ensure each Semillitas child has $500 in their account by age 5. Local partnerships with First 5, Dientes, SPLG, and the SCCOE have been instrumental, helping to promote Semillitas, increase visibility, participated in our workshops, and contributed to our strategic planning. We also launched a texting platform for reminders, created a partner toolkit, produced annual and mid-year one-pagers for key stakeholders, and developed a social media calendar. This field is required
2. (Optional, Success Stories) Please share a short story about the experience of a participant or family that received services funded through this contract during FY 2023-2024. Please state the specific activity that was provided and the impact or positive change that occurred as a result of the service(s) provided. *Please make sure to change any identifying information, such as names.*	A touching story from a Semillitas family, involves a grandmother who took on guardianship of her autistic grandson due to her own daughter's struggles with addiction. Amidst battling cancer herself, she and her husband became the primary caregivers for the child. Despite the challenges they faced, including financial strain from running a small flower business, she remained persistent in her determination to provide the best future possible for her grandson. In a heartfelt conversation, she shared her aspirations for him, emphasizing her belief that autism should not limit his potential or opportunities. She highlighted how Semillitas reminded her of the importance of planning for his future, emphasizing that he too deserves the opportunity for higher education. She passionately challenged misconceptions about autism, emphasizing that with support and belief in their abilities, autistic children can achieve remarkable things. Semillitas reminded her that her grandson deserves the same opportunity for higher education as everyone else.
3. Please describe any challenges your agency experienced in implementing its CORE funded program.	We are working hard to increase engagement with Semillitas families. Although we've made progress this year, we aim to do more by strategically partnering with additional organizations to enhance community engagement. Despite having a team of 2, we have made significant progress and recently added 2 more positions (Engagement Coordinator and Program Assistant. This growth will enhance our outreach efforts. Additionally, we encountered an operational challenge during a data cleanup, discovering missing Semillitas accounts in our software. By collaborating with Santa Cruz County Vital Records, we obtained a previously undisclosed list of babies born between 2022 and 2024. This issue, caused by late registrations, typos or other factors, led to opening 1,425 new Semillitas accounts with initial deposits. To prevent future issues, we will implement quarterly checks with county vital records. As our team expands, we are excited to tackle these challenges and increase our program's impact through improved community engagement, increased visibility, and data-driven insights to better support the families we serve. This field is required
4.Have you encountered challenges in collecting CORE program or participant data?	Yes No This field is required
5. If you answered yes, what challenges did you experience? (Recommended 2-4 sentences)	n/a
6. What technical assistance can HSD or the CORE Institute provide to support your data collection activities?	n/a This field is required
7. During FY 2023-2024, did your CORE program staff participate in a CORE Institute event (e.g., Coffee Chats or Conversations)?	Yes No This field is required
8. During FY 2023-2024, how did your CORE program engage its staff on issues of equity?	All our staff have taken Racial Equity training to understand implicit bias and co-create with our community members. Equity is at the center of our organization and its approach. Ventures believes that HOW the work is done is just as important as the work itself. As such, they are highly focused on defining and establishing community-owned structures. These structures ensure community members, and staff, hold decision-making power over policies and programs. This field is required
9. In the CORE RFP, your program indicated an equity issue your program would address. How has your program impacted this equity issue in FY 2023-2024?	Semillitas is designed to address current inequities and lead to the following community-level impacts under four, interconnected CORE Conditions: Improved social, emotional, and behavioral health of mothers and children (Health & Wellness, Thriving Families); Increased post-secondary educational attainment (Lifelong Learning & Education); and Increased assets and prosperity (Economic Security & Mobility). We are actively seeking new partnerships and are currently in discussions with Cradle to Career. They offer “Hopes and Dreams” workshops that help parents navigate school resources and systems. Cradle to Career has agreed to make deposits into Semillitas accounts for families attending these workshops. This initiative supports positive behaviors and addresses inequities in economic, health, and educational outcomes for children from working-class households. Additionally, 100% of Medi-Cal-eligible Semillitas families received a Milestone Contribution during this grant period. Ventures continues to collaborate with existing partners, including First 5, Salud, DIENTES, HSD, HSA, SCCOE, Central Alliance, UCSC, and The Blum Center, to advance our equity efforts. This field is required