About
California Collaboration for Youth

The Mission

The mission of the California Collaboration for Youth is to position the national and state youth-serving organizations in California as primary resources and advocates in the formulation of youth-related public-policy.

Our purpose is to monitor and influence statewide administration, regulation and legislation specifically related to the programs, interest and services of our member organizations.

Formed in 1980 as a pilot project of the National Collaboration for Youth, the Collaboration is considered a model throughout the nation and has gained the interest and respect of many other states that have sought to establish their own networks.

Members of the California Collaboration for Youth include the following organizations:

Boys & Girls Clubs of America
YMCA of the USA
Boy Scouts of America
Guided Discoveries
American Camping Associations
CA Camping Advisory Council
Western Association of Independent Camps
Child Development, Inc.

Representing over 400 separate centers, CCFY agencies serve the needs of over 2 million young people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds throughout the state through youth development, educational, recreational and cultural programs.

The Focus

The priorities of the California Collaboration For Youth are Child Care, Juvenile Justice, Nonprofit Issues, Volunteers and Staff, Camp & Recreation Safety and Charitable Solicitation Reform.  

In particular, the Collaboration has a history of supporting prevention programs and opposing the lockup of status offenders, as well as supporting legislation which allows nonprofit youth-serving organizations to acquire criminal records checks on employees who have direct supervision over children.

In addition to maintaining a legislative presence in the State Capitol, the California Collaboration for Youth also plays a role in the regulatory arena. Issues relating to day care, organized camps and a variety of health and safety issues affecting their programs and the youth they serve have involved the Collaboration in many regulatory hearings and meetings with state agency officials.

Accomplishments

Over the past decade, the California Collaboration for Youth has sponsored and cosponsored several significant measures.  

The Collaboration was the principal sponsor of AB 2737, which was the basis for the Youth Center & Youth Shelter Bond Act. This act appropriated $15 million for the construction or renovation of youth centers and $10 million for youth shelters including specific programs for abused and neglected youth.

There have been three challenges to the tax-exempt status of nonprofits as it relates to fund-raising sales. In some cases, these sales represent a significant portion of agencies' budgets. Taxation would greatly hamper their ability to provide cost-effective programs to the youth they serve. Fortunately, in each instance the Legislature has supported exemption for nonprofit youth-serving organizations.

The following is a partial list of bills that have been sponsored or supported by The California Collaboration for Youth:

AB 2268 (Caldera) Bicycle Helmets. Requires children 18 and under to wear helmets when riding their bicycles.

AB 1976 (N. Waters) Fingerprint Checks. Allows nonprofit youth serving organizations to obtain criminal record checks on employees and volunteers who are in direct contact with youth.

AB 3075 (Chacon) Runaway Hotline. Established the California Runaway Hotline which provides 24-hour crisis counseling for runaway, homeless and troubled youth.

SB 1164 (Lockyer) Liability. Protects directors and volunteers of nonprofit organizations from liability, except for gross negligence.

SB 1664 (Presley) Bond Act. Provided $25 million for construction and renovation of youth centers and youth shelters.

AB 2484 (L. Stirling) Minimum Wage. Established appropriate minimum wage levels for organized camps.

SB 2397 (Seymour) Recreation Programs. Recognizes that drop-in recreation programs provided by nonprofit youth organizations are exempt from childcare licensure requirements.

AB 1133 (O'Connell) Child Abuse Reporting. Encourages volunteers to obtain training in recognizing child abuse and to report suspected abuse to appropriate authorities.

For Further Information About California Collaboration for Youth Contact:

CCFY Administrative Office
2220 Capitol Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 447-7341
FAX (916) 448-3848
ccfy@sacadvocacy.com