Sonoma County Upstream Investments

Become a First 5 Commissioner!

If you are a parent who has received First 5-funded services then we encourage you to apply to fill a vacant seat on the First 5 Commission. See the attached flier for more info to apply or share this opportunity with your network and pass on this enriching opportunity.

Mark your calendar for tomorrow, Dec. 3, from 4 - 6 pm to join the Path to Hope Live webinar, a free online suicide prevention and education series brought to our community by St. Joseph Health. Tomorrow’s program is on Racism and Mental Health and will feature a compelling presentation by suicide attempt survivor Kelechi Ubozoh followed by a panel discussion on the topic featuring Barbie Robinson, Nubia Padilla, Victoria Brown, and Alegria De La Cruz. Register for free at https://pathtohope2.eventbrite.com.

Come check it out! Our Upstream trainings are now virtual.

Great news, Community Partners! We launched our fall and winter training programs! Our new virtual modules offer the same great interactive content as before, in a slightly condensed format accessible through Zoom. We’ve also added a two-part deep dive into Results-Based Accountability (RBA). Recently adopted by Sonoma County as a contract management tool, RBA is a user-friendly way to support outcomes driven program planning and evaluation. Find out more and sign up today at www.upstreaminvestments.org. See you in the virtual learning room!

Change and Opportunity at Upstream! We are recruiting for a Program, Planning and Evaluation Analyst to join our team. This role was previously filled by Leah Murphy. During her time as Technical Assistance and Training Manager, Leah expanded our coaching program and provided critical evaluation support to County departments and community partner agencies. Even as we miss Leah, we celebrate with her as she shifts to a new role at San Francisco State University. We are already feeling the void from Leah’s leaving and are working quickly to fill this position as we continue to provide coaching, capacity building and evaluation support to our community. The recruitment for this position is now open until November 2. Please check out our recruitment and pass on the word! https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/sonoma

Let's focus on equity as schools reopen around the country... The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a harsh spotlight on the inequities that fester in almost every sector of our nation, including K-12 education. The Wallace blog (click below to read) recently caught up with Hal Smith, senior vice president of education, youth development and health at the National Urban League, to talk about how districts and state departments of education can address those inequities as they move into a new school year and face the unprecedented challenge of educating students while keeping schools safe during a pandemic.

Upstream's virtual training series kicked off this month with our anchor course on Logic Models and Evaluation Planning. This class was a huge success thanks to our learning partners Hanna Boys Center, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Santa Rosa and Petaluma People Services Center! Upstream’s fantastic training manager guided her class through the creation of a concise logic model and development of a no-fuss evaluation plan. If you’re interested in joining Joni at one of our virtual trainings, stay tuned for the release of our fall and winter training calendars at the end of the month. With Disneyland still closed this promises to be a fun and educational alternative! Happy learning!

Ready to learn? Join Upstream's LOGIC MODEL TRAINING ONLINE ONLY on SEPTEMBER 9, from 9 AM to 12 PM, to create a logic model and use it to guide the development of a simple evaluation plan! We’ll discuss how to select and define inputs, outputs, outcomes and key stakeholders. We’ll also discuss evaluation design, methods and simple data analysis techniques. This course is an excellent option for newcomers to program evaluation or individuals that need a refresher course in the basics. For more information on course content or to register please email Joni Thacher at [email protected].