To ensure their children can be healthy and thrive, families must navigate health care, child care, housing, and food needs. There are programs and services designed to support families as they meet these needs, but support is often fragmented and complex to access, creating additional burdens.

To better understand how families engage with these systems – and how they could better support parents and children – The Packard Foundation funded a landscape assessment in three California counties: Alameda, Fresno, and Monterey. This assessment documents how publicly funded systems are structured and connected, identifies strengths and challenges, and elevates the experiences of families. The assessment offers valuable recommendations for policy and philanthropy at the local, state, and national levels.