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Prevent Child Abuse Calaveras presents State of Families report and opens Valley Springs youth center
Summary
Prevent Child Abuse Calaveras and partners presented the county’s State of Families report, highlighted prevention work that reduced children in foster care by half over the past year, announced a new youth drop-in center in Valley Springs and said the Calaveras Care Team served 23 families last year without any entering the child-welfare system.
Prevent Child Abuse Calaveras and the Family Wellness Coalition presented a “State of Families 2025” overview to the Board of Supervisors on March 25, detailing demographic trends, service gaps and community-led prevention efforts.
Farrah Roberts, representing the Prevent Child Abuse Council and Family Wellness Coalition, said Calaveras County has an aging population (median age cited at 52) and declining numbers of children under 18. The presentation highlighted economic stresses: 17.4% of children live below the poverty line; about 35% of housing units are vacant and used largely as vacation rentals; median property values increased roughly 62% over five years and rents rose about 35%, which participants said is reducing housing affordability for families.
Roberts reviewed health and education indicators: roughly 95% of students graduate on time; 52% of graduates enroll in college or some form of secondary education; chronic absenteeism has worsened in part because of limited public transportation. On health, the county faces a shortage of mental-health providers (reported at one provider per 440 residents) and high suicide rates relative to statewide figures. Food insecurity affects an estimated 6,000 residents (about 13% of the population), the presentation said.
The report outlined prevention programs and new services. The Calaveras Care Team, a coordinated referral and wraparound effort among county agencies, served 23 families last year and none of those families entered the child-welfare system after receiving team support. Roberts also announced a new youth drop-in center in Valley Springs that opened March 1, offering services and activities for youth ages 12 and older and programming coordinated with public health and behavioral health; the center will expand scheduled classes and programming including upcoming substance-use-prevention and skills sessions.
The presentation included a fiscal summary of the local cost of child maltreatment, citing a figure of $17,000,600 and noting that represents roughly 5% of Calaveras County’s budget; presenters emphasized prevention as a cost-saving approach. The coalition asked board members to participate in upcoming events — a children’s memorial flag-raising and a transportation meeting on May 2 focused on improving access for students and families.
Board members thanked presenters and encouraged continued collaboration. The item was informational.
