News
Understanding ICWA and Celebrating Native American Culture
The history of the indigenous peoples of North America is a complex story, often told from the perspective of European settlers. It’s important to keep perspective in mind. To understand the history of the individual and collective experiences of Native Americans, both past and present, is to recognize that it is a story full of hardship, grief, trauma, and forced assimilation. With that, also comes a deeply rich story of pride, community, spirituality, love, and resilience.
Celebrating Dee Hartzog
Our Inaugural Champion for Children Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree
We are thrilled to announce that Dee Hartzog has been selected as the very first recipient of our Champion for Children Lifetime Achievement Award. This award, which will become an ongoing tradition, is our way of honoring those who have made a lasting impact on our mission through years of dedicated support and service.
Empowering Youth
SSYAF & Sutter Health's School Based Mental Health Partnership
In Sacramento and Yolo County, where the need for comprehensive mental health support is undeniable, Stanford Sierra Youth & Families (SSYAF) has emerged as a beacon of hope. Through a transformative partnership with Sutter Health, SSYAF has extended its reach to provide vital School Based Mental Health Services, directly addressing the urgent needs of students in Sacramento City Unified School and Washington Unified School District.
Celebrating Foster Care Awareness Month
A Heartfelt Thank You to Dignity Health for Sponsoring Our 2024 Family Picnic
We are thrilled to express our heartfelt gratitude to Dignity Health for sponsoring our 2024 Family Picnic! This event is more than just a day of fun—it is a vital celebration of our incredible resource families and a cornerstone of Foster Care Awareness Month. This May, we came together to champion a vision where all children thrive in committed, permanent, and nurturing families, supported by their communities and enhanced by trauma-informed services.
Career Pathways Continues to Help Students Enter the Workforce
DHCS Announces MIP, Round 2, Awards
We’re excited to receive this grant award for our Career Pathways program! Our internship program continues to build behavioral health champions at the educational partner institutions we serve, and builds a pipeline for students to enter the field with knowledge, skills, and employment offers after their internship.
Ebony Chambers McClinton, Chief Officer of Equity and Partnership
Sacramento Business Journal's 2023 DEI Awards honorees
Join us in congratulating this year’s Champions for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Now in its second year, the Business Journal’s DEI Awards program honors the individuals and organizations in the region that have demonstrated a commitment to promoting a more diverse and equitable community.
A Strategic Partnership that Supports Local Youth and Families
Sacramento State University
Sacramento State University and Stanford Sierra Youth & Families (Stanford Sierra) have formed a strategic partnership for over five years. Both entities have a common vision of improving the well-being and quality of life for vulnerable youth and their families in the community. Stanford Sierra supports the entire family with professional treatment and compassionate care, so every youth has the opportunity to thrive at home, in school, and in the community.
Capital Region Cares Community Spotlight
Comstock’s Magazine
During May, which is National Foster Care Month, we want to bring awareness to the need for safe and nurturing homes for youth in care over the age of 10. These young people never outgrow the need for a loving family. Through our Pathway to Permanency program, older children are connected to a family that can provide a sense of stability, lasting connections, and guidance.
Congratulations to our very own Chief Equity & Partnership Officer, Ebony Chambers McClinton!
2023 Innovative Program Award
Ebony Chambers McClinton was selected to receive the 2023 Innovative Program Award in recognition of outstanding Family and Youth Partnership programs committed to supporting those in need of service from the California Mental Health Advocates for Children and Youth (CMHACY).
National Shortage of Mental Health Therapists
CBS 13 News - Sacramento
Our hope is to replicate the goal of empowering youth and ensuring that families have voice and choice in service delivery across the nation.
Striving for Permanency and Empowerment of Families
As Seen In Forbes, Fortune & Entrepreneur Magazine
SSYAF serves over 6,000 youth and families annually throughout 17 counties. The ultimate goal is that every child thrives. How that happens is empowerment, a sense of belonging, and skill building. Family permanency is woven into all of our work. Read the article here.
A History and Commitment to Permanency and Development
Comstock's Magazine Capitol Region Cares
Over the span of SSYAF’s 120-plus-year history, the organization has transitioned from an orphanage to a community-based organization focused on ensuring every young person has a family and the tools to overcome their challenges and become healthy, happy and successful. Read the article here.
Kars 4 Kids Grant: Healing Families for the Sake of the Children
We too, believe that helping children needs to be a holistic effort that strengthens and supports the whole family. That is why we felt so good about having a small part in the critical work of this organization by way of our small grant program. We share the mission of giving kids a feeling that they belong, and helping families to learn how to heal, moving forward.
Click here for the full interview with SSYAF Director of Development, Christie Shorrock.
SAFE Grants $10,000 to Help Kids in Foster Care Moving to New Homes
SAFE Credit Union is committing $10,000 to help area children and teens living in foster care with mental health services provided by Stanford Sierra Youth & Family Services throughout Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer and Yolo counties. The grant will be used to offer a continuum of care to local youths living in foster care – many of whom are recovering from childhood trauma – seeking and moving into permanent homes.
Studio40 Live Interview
Watch our very own Chief Family and Youth Partnership Officer, Ebony Chambers, chat with Gary Gelfand and Scott Moak of Studio40 Live. They discuss our Mission, Giving Tuesday, and the importance of supporting local foster youth during the holiday season.
Stanford Sierra Youth & Families Welcomes Ontson Placide as New Chief Program Officer
After an extensive search and a multi-step application and interview process, Stanford Sierra Youth & Families is thrilled to announce that it has hired a Chief Program Officer (CPO). Ontson Placide, LMFT will serve as our agency’s newly appointed CPO and will oversee programs and services across the region, supporting clinical and program directors.
Ontson has demonstrated that he is a catalyst for positive change within the Los Angeles community for over 30 years and brings a wealth of knowledge regarding operational excellence in public and private/non-profit community agencies. He has an unwavering commitment to provide innovative services for youth and families, in particular, for the most vulnerable at-risk youth/families in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. He strongly values the voice of the young people and their families.
Ontson brings with him the experience of being the Senior Administrator at one of California’s largest behavioral health services organization, Stars Behavioral Health Group/Star View Children & Family Services, overseeing 160+ staff in a $22 Million per year division with oversight of many types of programs and funding sources. Ontson also brings his experience as the Chief Operating Officer with Fred Jefferson Memorial Homes/FFA/Adoptions, where his focus was to expand their services in response to the California’s Continuum of Care Reform (CCR) initiative. Ontson will be coming to Stanford Sierra Youth & Families from his most recent position as the Clinical Program Manager II/Program Head for LA County DMH, in one of the largest directly operated clinics in Los Angeles County.
Ontson has vast experience in both public and non-profit administration and business functions as well as clinical services, management, and best practices which include, but are not limited to the list below.
- Organizational/strategic Planning
- Administrative oversight and program development
- Start-up and implementation of various complex programs and payment models/delivery systems
- Advanced funding stream oversight
- Strong total quality management/continuous quality improvement acumen
- Experience with Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) and quality service implementation
- Senior leadership experience in training and staff development
- Cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion presenter/trainer
Please join us in welcoming Ontson to Stanford Sierra Youth & Families, and to Northern California.
Celebrating 120 Years of Empowering Youth
Celebrating their 120th anniversary, Stanford Sierra Youth & Families (SSYF) provides a continuum of care to empower youth and families to overcome challenges together, as well as connects youth in foster care to the permanent loving families they need and deserve. SSYF annually serves 4,500 youth and their families throughout 17 Northern California counties.
SSYF was originally founded in 1900 and has remained committed to helping vulnerable children and families since inception. Throughout the years, the organization has transformed from an orphanage to a community based organization focused on ensuring every young person has a family and the tools to overcome their challenges, so they can become healthy, happy, and successful.
With the merger in 2019, Stanford Youth Solutions and Sierra Forever Families became SSYF which offers greater depth of services, staff, resources, and expertise. Uniquely designed programs help end the child welfare cycle by keeping children safe and together with family, in school and out of trouble. Services include family stabilization, behavioral and mental health services, juvenile justice intervention, foster care and pre- and post-adoption support. “Over the years, our organization has continuously evolved to meet the needs of youth and families. What hasn’t changed is our determination to help youth overcome obstacles, develop life skills, and grow into self-sufficient adults. We support the entire family with professional treatment and compassionate care, so every youth has the opportunity to thrive”, says Dr. Laura Heintz, CEO.
SSYF looks forward to many more years of continuing to fulfill the organization’s vision of communities with safe, lifelong connections for all young people, built and strengthened through generations of empowered families.
Thank you to our community Partner, Comstock’s Magazine for helping us highlight this momentous occasion in their December edition!
Stronger Together: Stanford Youth Solutions and Sierra Forever Families Merger
A commitment to permanency and the empowerment of youth and families
It is with great excitement that Sierra Forever Families (SFF) and Stanford Youth Solutions (SYS) announce the merging of the two organizations, effective July 1, 2019. SFF and SYS have complementary missions and operations and have an extensive history of collaborating to provide services and supports to youth and families.
Derby Day 2018
We were so grateful to have been a part of Derby Day 2018!
Derby Day was held May 5th, 2018 at Lucchetti Ranch in Wilton, CA. It was a daylong event that blended horse racing and supporting local children in need. The festivities included cuisine from hot local restaurants, Mint Julep Bar (of course!), wine and beer tasting, equestrian demonstrations, live music, barn tours, Weiner Dog Race, Derby Hat Contest, Bow Tie Contest, equestrian art, raffles, silent and live auctions and the high point of the day: the live televised running of the 144th Kentucky Derby!
Proceeds from Derby Day will support 7 local charities, including Stanford Youth Solutions!
A big thank you to everyone who made this event possible!
For more info on this event click here
Our CEO selected for Sacramento Kings/Walmart Community Playmaker Award
Congrats, Laura!
Congratulations to our CEO, Laura Heintz, who was selected to receive the Sacramento Kings/Walmart Community Playmaker award at Friday’s game on court about 6:35-6:45. The Sacramento Kings partner with Walmart through the Walmart Community Playmaker program to recognize individuals that demonstrate an ongoing commitment to their community.
Kings Note: Laura was nominated to receive this award and be recognized for being the embodiment of leadership as the CEO at Stanford Youth Solutions. Under her oversight, Stanford Youth Solutions’ programs have been heralded for producing positive outcomes and the ability to connect youth to safe, permanent and stable families. Through her work and work of Stanford Youth Solutions, our community is ultimately stronger.