Santa Clara County Voter's Guide On Children's Issues

City of Santa Clara, District 4

Kevin Park

https://www.kevinpark.net

As a father of a daughter in grade school and a former grade school/high school tutor and adjunct college professor, I know the challenges of raising and educating children today, and how things have changed in the last decade. As a member of the working class who still has a mortgage, I understand the difficulty of providing for a family.

  1. Over 80% of voters polled say they want elected officials to prioritize children and families. What are the top three issues affecting our children and families and how will you make our region a place where all families can thrive?

    The cost of raising a child in the Bay Area is enormous. The fact that in many cases both parents have to work so that they can provide basic needs, such as housing and food, costs families even more money in childcare and after-school programs. While fixing the wage and housing issues would be paramount, making sure that there are low/no cost solutions for extracurricular activities and care after school is essential while the other issues get sorted. We need something to help bridge the current situation with any future solutions, but also focus on how families can stay in the areas where they work so that their children can have a consistent, supportive, and stable experience as they grow

  2. High quality childcare improves school readiness and parents' workforce participation. What will you do to improve access to high quality childcare and preschool programs in our diverse communities?

    First, being able to support our childcare and school workers is key to having childcare at all, and this goes hand-in-hand with affordable housing. Childcare workers need to be able to protect their jobs and support their own families with benefits that will allow them to stay in the area and retire so they can work with the other families that need their help. If parents do not have the support they need to provide for their families in the high-cost Bay Area, they will leave. Their loss will actually make it harder for other people like them to come back if there are no permanent affordable housing programs that use something other than AMI (area median income) as an affordability index,

  3. Much of the student achievement gap has been linked to the opportunity gap that children in low-income families and children of color confront (e.g., lack of access to healthy food, preschool, tutors, and enrichment activities). If elected, what will you do to increase equity of opportunity?

    I will try to ensure that there are no barriers to technology and services, whether they be afterschool programs or medical/health related or food distribution. This could include getting grants and donations to provide food/services/devices school-wide for consistency, and providing software that can be used with those devices at school and at home. We could match students with mentors and set up tutoring programs that could provide teaching on one side with income on the other, paid through grants so that every student has access. Teachers, parents, and students would have to come together to learn/teach about different cultures and socio-economic situations so that we can better understan

  4. What steps will you take to improve inclusion and outcomes for children with disabilities and their families in our community?

    Children with disabilities – actually, any family with disabilities in it – need to be matched with others who know about and can deal with those disabilities. While it is possible for families to get that help individually, it may be better to help all affected families to connect with each other inside and outside of school. It is even better if families are located close to each other so that there are known resources easily available to help out if there are any issues. Support for people with disabilities has to start in their housing, continue through transportation and to every place they may need to go. Families are often tapped because of support requirements and costs, and we need

  5. If elected, how will you use the resources of your new role to improve children's well-being and access to mental and behavioral health services?

    I have held mental health forums connecting mental health professionals with minority communities. Local elected officials need to work with other elected officials, including at county and state levels, to ensure that any efforts have the right scope and support to be successful. I will ensure that discussions happen at all levels, including with schools and health organizations, and look for, or create, funding and grants.