Family Action has developed four primary goals to guide its work:

• Goal I: To promote measurable progress in the areas of health, safety, child care, education and economic security for children and their families in Sonoma County.
• Goal II: To create an effective voice to advocate for children and their families when policy decisions and funding allocations are made.
• Goal III: To educate the public and policymakers by developing and disseminating accurate research and analysis regarding the well-being of Sonoma County children and their families.
• Goal IV: To develop a sustainable organization capable of achieving its mission.

What is Family Action?

In 1994, the threat of deep cuts in children's services brought together a group of concerned Sonoma County citizens and organizations. That group began meeting to discuss ways to speak out for children and later became known as "Family Action."

Today, Family Action of Sonoma County includes a steering committee and staff - and hundreds of members of the community - all dedicated to child and family advocacy.

Why Advocate for Children?

Children can't vote or lobby for causes that are important to them. Yet every public policy decision ultimately affects them.

There are about 113,000 children in Sonoma County. We believe that each one of them deserves the opportunity to grow up healthy, safe and well-educated.

In order to guarantee that opportunity, children and their families need a strong and unified voice. Family Action of Sonoma County gives citizens and policy-makers the tools to speak out and act for children.

Why Should You Help?

Did you ever feel you were not heard as a child? Now is your chance to give children a say. Together, we can improve the lives of all children by making them our highest priority. Be the voice children still don't have.

What Does Family Action Do?

As an advocacy organization, we:

• Educate parents and community members about how to advocate for children.
• Publish information, resources and research on important local children's issues and bring these issues to the public's attention.
• Help to find a solution to the problem of children going without health insurance.
• Convene local partnerships to advocate for improved access to dental and mental health services for children.
• Work with advocates and the County of Sonoma to create a "Family Element" in the Sonoma County General Plan.
• Advocate for the integration and coordination of all children’s services under a unified, countywide partnership.
• Inform the public and agencies about low- and no-cost health insurance for children—Healthy Families and Medi-Cal.
• Distribute the Family Action "Forum," a quarterly newsletter highlighting issues critical to children in Sonoma County.