Parents want their children to be happy and have good lives -- to have better opportunities than what they had.
But in today’s economic and political climate, that’s tough to do.

Today’s parents are working hard but still find themselves with less support than previous generations.

Layer in the stress of living paycheck to paycheck, health problems, or an undocumented status and it’s easy to understand why parents just don’t have the energy to get involved at school — let alone fight to change social systems stacked against them.

That’s where C2C comes in

Cradle to Career is a family advocacy organization and a community connector. Our collective brings together valuable community partners and connects them to local parents, to hear directly about how to support the hopes, dreams, and concerns of local families.

Our mission is to work collectively to empower families, deliver resources, and advocate for equitable and inclusive support systems to eliminate disparities and ensure all Santa Cruz County children thrive in their education, health, and character.

C2C builds relationships with parents through their kids’ schools. Our Family Engagement Coordinators work with teachers to reach parents and start conversations. This approach is 100% relational (vs. transactional), requires active listening, and unshakeable trust. 

A power shift 

Next, we organize parent leadership groups and create opportunities for them to advocate for their children in the areas of education, health, and character-building.  We ask parents what can help, and then parents and community partners create solutions *together*. 

Then we get to work. 

C2C finds resources and cuts through red tape. No guessing if this is what people need (we covered that already, remember?) — just good old grassroots action to get things done.

What makes us different?

Here’s something important to understand: C2C’s goals are bigger than a single program or a one-time event. We are determined to fix the broken systems that negatively impact communities most. This can’t be done in silos. We must bring all voices to the table -- including those with and without traditional institutional power.

But just bringing people to the table isn’t enough. 

We must bring the right mindset and make time to get to know our neighbors. That means moving from an “Other/Them/Their” mentality to a collective “Us/Ours.” We are in this together. 

Old Way: There is a problem in the community. What should we do to help them?

C2C Way: Our community has a problem. What can we do to help each other?

By building real relationships, we can start to address the root of community problems from a human perspective and finally work toward ensuring all children reach their full potential.

Now it’s your turn!

Here are some ways to get involved with C2C.