| | Calistoga Community Schools Initiative Wins Statewide Golden Bell Award The Calistoga Community Schools Initiative (CCSI), a partnership that includes UpValley Family Centers (UVFC), has been honored with the 2026 Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association. The prestigious statewide award recognizes CCSI’s decade-long success in bringing schools, nonprofits, and local government together to provide coordinated support to Calistoga students and families. The Calistoga School Board has long supported public-private partnerships on behalf of its students, and UVFC applauds their vision and leadership. CCSI aligns resources across education, health, and family well-being so children can thrive from early childhood through graduation. Serving as CCSI’s backbone organization, UVFC works closely with the District to coordinate 69 community partners and has operated a family resource center on the Calistoga Elementary campus since 1999. “Receiving this award affirms that when schools, nonprofits, and community partners work together, students and families thrive,” said Jenny Ocon, Executive Director of UpValley Family Centers. “By breaking down silos and surrounding families with coordinated support, we’re helping create stronger outcomes for children at every stage of their educational journey.” UVFC’s impact can be seen across the district. When the need for intensive Spanish-language support grew among newcomer students, UVFC embedded bilingual staff on campuses to help families navigate school and community resources. In 2025, UVFC helped launch a Wellness Center at Calistoga Elementary, staffed by UVFC Certified Wellness Coaches, providing early mental health support to students. In its first year, more than half of the student body visited the Wellness Center. Guided by the vision that all Calistoga students will be lifelong learners equipped with the skills to find success in life, CCSI focuses on four key areas: early childhood education, mental wellness, parent and student engagement, and healthy bodies. Together, these efforts strengthen academic success, family engagement, and student well-being throughout the community. To learn more about the California School Boards Association Golden Bell Awards, visit awards.csba.org/golden-bell. |
| | Help Make the Holidays Brighter for UpValley Families As harvest ends and Napa Valley’s wine and hospitality industries slow down, reduced hours and seasonal layoffs arrive just as utility and holiday costs climb, on top of already high prices for groceries, housing, and fuel. For many of our neighbors who work in lower-wage jobs and rent their homes, this is the hardest stretch of the year. Each year, our Holiday Assistance Program helps hundreds of families celebrate with stability and joy. Last year, 330 households received toys for children, gift certificates for teens and seniors, and grocery gift cards for a holiday meal and other household necessities. Registration is now open. This program is a true community effort. Thanks to partnerships with The Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, and the St. Helena Fire Department, children's toys are fully covered. St. Vincent de Paul of St. Helena, Napa Valley Community Foundation, and the UpValley Women's Club have generously contributed toward grocery gift cards and gift certificates for teens and older adults. However, we still have a $12,000 gap to ensure we can support every family that registers. Will you join your neighbors in closing the gap? Every contribution means local families can celebrate the season while keeping more of their household budgets available for food, housing, utilities, and other everyday needs. Give today at upvalleyfamilycenters.org/donate and designate your donation for Holiday and Emergency Assistance. |
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| | | Napa Valley Vintners Awards $200,000 to UVFC Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) announced the remaining $200,000 grant award to support UVFC’s Parent Education program, which provides educational resources to help parents best support their children’s mental and behavioral health. This grant represents the second portion of NVV’s total $400,000 grant award to UpValley Family Centers. This funding is part of NVV’s $630,000 investment in six local nonprofits that help parents and caregivers support their children, and follows their $1.8 million investment for school-based student wellness and $1.2 million investment for after-school and summer programs. With this support, we will continue providing educational programs and resources to help parents and guardians understand and support their students’ mental and behavioral health. These include programs like Parent Nights, parenting workshops, and one-on-one support to parents whose children are suffering high levels of stress or anxiety. Participating in parent education allows parents to improve their communication skills, which benefits their relationship with their children and helps families adopt healthy behaviors. Additionally, parents and guardians gain confidence about supporting their families, and they know who to reach out to if they or their kids need more assistance with mental or behavioral health issues. Thank you, Napa Valley Vintners, for investing in parents and families! Read more about the Napa Valley Vintners investment here. |
| | UVFC's Blanca Dixon Shares Reminders & Support for Immigrant Families As a member of the Napa Valley Together initiative, a partnership of trusted nonprofit organizations, we’re committed to helping immigrants in our community access citizenship services, like free or low-cost legal assistance, family preparedness support, and one-on-one guidance in the citizenship process. In a new video from the Juntos Jueves campaign, UpValley Family Center’s Blanca Dixon, Immigration Program Coordinator and an Accredited Representative with the Department of Justice, shared reminders for immigrant families seeking support and how UVFC can help. “I would like immigrant families in Napa to know that they’re not alone, that they have us. That here, even though they may be alone in this country, we can be part of their family… We, as an organization, will take them by the hand from the very beginning until the day they become citizens.” Watch Blanca’s video and follow Napa Valley Together on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to learn more. |
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| | Join Us Sunday: Día de los Muertos We hope you’ll join UpValley Family Centers and Nimbus Arts for our annual Día de los Muertos Community Celebration this Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 12 p.m. at the Upper Valley Campus of Napa Valley College, 1088 College Avenue, St. Helena, CA 94574. This is a FREE community event for all ages – bring the whole family! This festival will include children’s arts and crafts activities, live music and dance performances, and beautifully decorated altars that honors life, death, and the memories of those longer with us. Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support: The City of St. Helena, Damian Maldonado Memorial Foundation, The Doctors Company, E. Richard Jones Foundation, Former Mayor Alan and Dr. Catherine Galbraith, MCE Clean Energy, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and Westamerica Bank. |
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| | Vote Now! Your Vote is Your Voice Using our power to vote ensures we all have a voice in the future. When we vote, we choose the people and the laws that will shape the future of our communities. Vote today! The last day to vote is November 3, 2026. Napa County voters have four ways to return their vote-by-mail ballots. All ballots must be postmarked or returned by 8 p.m. on election day. Vote Centers Vote Centers throughout Napa Valley are open to offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance. See a list of Vote Centers and hours of operations. Even if you’re not registered to vote, you can still register in-person and vote in the election through Same-Day Voter Registration at any Vote Center. Easy Voter Guide The League of Women Voters of California Education Fund’s Easy Voter Guide is a free ballot guide created to help voters understand their ballot in simple, nonpartisan language. It’s available online in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean. |
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| | Get Public Safety Shutoff Alerts Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) can happen during wildfire season. You can sign up to get alerts before they happen. You don’t need to be a PG&E account holder to sign up for PSPS notifications. Add important addresses, like your home, workplace, child’s school, or a loved one’s home, and choose text or phone alerts in one of 16 languages.
Stay prepared. Sign up at pge.com/addressalerts. |
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| | Get Involved! Are you interested in doing meaningful work that strengthens families and the community? Please visit our website to view current job openings. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the volunteer interest form on our website! Looking for a way to connect with us in person? Visit our events calendar to see what's coming up and join us at a workshop, playgroup, or community event. |
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