We owe so much to The Healthier Kids Foundation. Had they not come to my son's preschool and screened his eyes, he would be legally blind in his Right Eye Today. Brandon is a typical boy that loves to build and play. After he started wearing his glasses, he was a New Boy! His Teachers saw a difference in him. He was more interactive, participated more in crafts and such. I Pray that HKF are able to help 100% of children across the board one day. This screening and Dr. Pokorny at Kaiser Santa Teresa verifying their findings of Astigmatism and Anasomatropia, getting him in glasses to reverse this in time, there are not enough Hugs, Kisses and words. His eyes are 100% reversed with perfect vision. Had Kaiser had this screening machine during his check-ups it would've been caught sooner. I'm over the Moon that it was caught and he's back on track now. It makes me sad for the children that are behind because of something so simple.
I was never aware of any vision concerns because my daughter is so young. I had thought this was something that would occur when she was much older. I was surprised to see something come back with potential vision concerns. I did receive help from HFK in explaining the results to me. I appreciated the resources they had and the time they took to help me schedule an appointment. My daughter now has glasses, and it feels good to see her receive help to better improve her life. I want to say thank you to HKF for providing these resources to the community. It’s a big help that positively impacted my daughter. Please continue to support HKF, it has been a blessing to receive this kind of support and I hope this can continue on for the rest of the community.
Launching My HealthFirst, a mental health screening for 5th graders, in 2021 was the best thing that could happen in Santa Clara County. This year, they are adding 6th graders and I believe that this will have a great impact on schools. Mental health is such an important aspect of general health and there aren't many places that address it early on. Healthier Kids Foundation believes in the value of early detection.
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I learned about the 10 Steps program through my child’s school, I was interested in the topics and decided to register for the classes. I am very happy with all the content that was shared and I was able to learn a lot and make changes to nutrition and routines.
For nutrition I was able to make changes in the drinks that we consume. Before I use to make fruit juice or sweetened flavored water often, now we try to have mostly plain water because it has no sugar. Instead of flavored water with sugar, now I add fruit pieces so there is still some flavor in the water but no extra sugar. I also make sure to always include fruit and vegetables during meals. Another change I made was in letting my children decide how much to eat and establish a set schedule for meals. From the structures and routines class I learned about the importance of having the children help in creating a routine and how this helps them maintain the routine. Now my children have a set routine for bedtime that allows them to finish their school work and get ready for bed at a scheduled time.
Overall, I really enjoyed the classes. The way the topics were split into three classes was helpful because there was a clear focus and all the information was explained well. I also liked that I was able to share some of my experiences and also hear from other parents who were experiencing similar challenges.
Thank you for providing these classes to the community they are full of important information that can help us create healthier habits.
As an IT professional with 36 years of experience in the health care business I can honestly say that I have never seen an organization do so much with so little.
Healthier Kids Foundation is an amazing organization with people who are driven to strive for excellence on behave of the children and families they serve.
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Healthier Kids Foundation is an exceptional organization. They care so much about the community they serve and do amazing work. Not only do they screen kids for dental, hearing, vision and mental health, they follow up with parents to overcome any obstacles to care.
Healthier Kids Foundation is a great organization that helps our community directly. I am grateful for organizations such as HKF that provide resources and support to people who need it most.
The diverse, tenacious, and passionate team at Healthier Kids Foundation goes the extra mile, working with children, families, the medical community, and public bodies to ensure that the health needs of children in Santa Clara County are being met.
In addition to its 1:1 outreach to thousands of families, the organization is an important advocate for children's health and preventative care, and has become a model for how to respectfully gather and analyze data to inform its programs and illuminate children's health trends in the Valley.
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Healthier Kids uses technology in the best possible way; to screen, support, and follow up with underserved kids who need medical, dental, and other types of care in Santa Clara County.
The organization has grown organically over the years by staying deeply connected to our community and developing state-of-the-art responses to the community's changing needs around children's health.
Healthier Kids Foundation goes above and beyond for the youth and their families in our community to ensure health is a top priority. From dental, vision, and hearing screenings to online health classes and care management, youth who would normally "fall through the cracks" are receiving vital health screenings and referrals for treatment each year. I am amazed at Healthier Kids Foundation's reach and how successful they were even during the height of the pandemic. THOUSANDS of kids are screened and assisted annually all thanks to this amazing nonprofit, who cares deeply about healthy futures for children.
As a Healthier Kids Foundation Donor, I have seen an impact in the screenings children receive here in Santa Clara County. This your my sister in law's cousins were screened for vision. They received a call from HKF and they explained the results to the parents, then the parents made an eye exam appointment for their children. Thanks the vision screening, they were able to get glasses.
Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is something very personal for each individual. Being a Medical Assistant, it was important for me to be vaccinated for the safety of the patients I work with as well as my own. Luckily, because of my profession, it wasn’t too difficult for me to get a vaccine. However, once my partner became eligible, we had trouble getting a vaccine appointment for him.
We are very blessed to have been able to get in contact with Healthier Kids Foundation because they were able to give us an appointment in a timely manner. I very much appreciated the follow up process as well. I am a very forgetful person so I was pleased to have received reminder texts and calls through the vaccination process.
My partner and I are very fortunate to have been able to get vaccinated. We are extremely family-oriented and it was not an option for us to wait longer than necessary to be able to see our parents and loved ones again!
Thank you HKF for advocating for our communities! Sometimes we need a little push to get things done!
As a busy Mother of two, I thrive everyday to work hard and still maintain my career. Last year, I was able to participate in some of the 10 Steps to a Healthier You parent workshop classes. These classes helped me incorporate healthy cooking and habits in my home. My girls never used to like eating tofu with roasted brussel sprouts and now they love it. Tofu is actually a good source of protein and contains amino acids. I am glad I was able to participate in the class.
-Jessica Gonzalez
I donated to Healthier Kids Foundation several times over the last 5 years and I continue to donate because the positive impact this organization has on the community is so evident. Children's health is crucial to not just the child, but to the entire community and Healthier Kids knows that. I've read testimonials from a few families about how life changing it was for their child to receive glasses or dental care, whatever it may be. I worry that without HKF, would that child have received the help they needed and as fast as they did? I'm not sure, and that's why I give.
This is such a great Organization! Thanks to them I was able to apply for medi-cal and I did not have to call social services and deal with the long wait, my case worker did all the foot work for me and all I had to do was provide the documents needed. It made things so easy. The case worker who assisted me with my application was so patient with me and answered all my questions, they were awesome.
I have seen the difference that Healthier Kids Foundation has made in the lives of many children who would otherwise have difficulty finding the health care options that they require. Accessing necessary health care for a problem shouldn't be an ordeal for the patient or their families. Healthier Kids Foundation helps to smooth out the obstacles to obtain this care.
I found the 10 Steps classes made a big difference in my home. The classes really helped me to develop healthier habits at home for my two daughters and for ourselves.
One of the main changes we have made is in the food that I bring home. I no longer have any soda at home, and I have noticed that my family actually does not crave it or ask for it anymore. I have also chosen to limit the amount of juice my daughters drink. I try to stick to organic juice and we only serve juice during special occasions or family outings. I also try to have healthier snack options at home, having cheese sticks and probiotic yogurt instead of the snacks I used to buy. I do still purchase some of the snacks they enjoyed like gold fish but I do store them higher where they are out of reach and out of sight and I am purchasing them less often. I find this has helped them not crave it or ask for it much. I have noticed it has helped them chose the healthier options that we place at eye level.
I have tried to encourage my children to eat healthier food. I try to always have fruits and vegetables at home. I do notice I struggle more often having them eat vegetables but I do offer it to them. I also make sure to include fruits and vegetables in the lunches that I am packing for school, I do notice that sometimes they do opt to eat the vegetables while others days they do not. We have also made the effort to allow our children to let us know when they have had enough food and when they are still feeling hungry. We are doing our best to allow them to listen to their bodies.
We have set routines in place and I do notice a difference, they are falling asleep faster and we are not struggling to put my daughters to bed. After dinner and homework, they do some exercise and they start their bedtime routine at eight in the evening. They shower, brush their teeth and they have enough time to finish everything they have to do before their bedtime which is at nine in the evening. I am very grateful I took the 10 Steps classes, I feel that it focused on important topics that have made a difference in my home. I did know some of the information but I find it to be a good reminder to begin focusing on healthier habits again.
[Testimonial from: Participant who completed 10 Steps to a Healthier You! series ]
It is an honor to support kids in the Silicon Valley community by giving to Healthier Kids Foundation. They work hard to ensure no child slips through the cracks and support families in accessing needed care/services for their kids.
The Healthier Kids Foundation (HKF) is an incredible organization in Santa Clara county committed to the health and well-being of children and families in our community. HKF has worked tirelessly to ensure that thousands of children in our community have access essential health screenings for vision and dental as well as ensuring families can connect with needed services and supplies. They have recently implemented a novel mental health screening program for 5th graders in Santa Clara county in order to ensure that children who are navigating challenges are connected with the mental health services they need. I am continually impressed by the hard work and dedication of the HKF staff and CEO Kathleen King and am honored to work with them.
Over the past ten years I have had a blast volunteering at annual fundraisers, screenings, and on-sites with my company Cisco! Healthier Kids is a great organization that makes the health of kids across the county their top priority. The staff is very friendly and fun to to volunteer with. They are knowledgeable on the organization's mission and best ways to continue being involved. I also donate annually on giving Tuesday and know the company will make great use of the funds and urge others to do the same!
Healthier Kids Foundation has help many thousands of disadvantaged children receive care such as vision screenings, dental check ups, and other services. Those of us who have health insurance often take healthcare for granted. For the uninsured, HKF helps them to receive those needed services.
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HKF has provided so many families with treatment for children with eye, teeth, and hearing issues. These children would have never been diagnosed with these ailments that were affecting their health if not for HKF.
Their staff is compassionate - working with families and have provided them outstanding resources to guide them through their path to healing.
The testimonials from parents have reassured us that their child health challenges were resolved in the most efficient and loving way.
HKF is a one of a kind non-profit focused on screening and care coordination across all disciplines. No other non-profit is as dedicated to the providing services and has pivoted extremely well through COVID.
I am continuously impressed with the dedicated employees expertise, compassion and service to the clients they serve. The enthusiasm for the results they seek to achieve is heartwarming. They live the mantra "it should never hurt to be a child" and as such they connect them with the necessary services to alleviate hearing issues, dental issues, sight issues and food insecurities.
I volunteered at this wonderful organization. I got first hand experience seeing how the hard work so positively impacted so many families across Santa Clara County. The work they do is amazing!
I am amazed at how much Healthier Kids does for the children in Santa Clara County. I can't think of many other local nonprofits that make such a real difference in so many people's lives. We are grateful for their hard work and dedication!!
This organisation has been a tremendous help to families that struggle to get the best care for their children! Can't state enough how wonderful Healthier Kids is!
I have been privileged to be on the Board of Directors of the Healthier Kids Foundation for over a decade. It has been an honor to be a small part of what this wonderful organization accomplishes to enable the health and well being of children in underserved community families and to enable these children's success in their education. It is truly a wonderful organization with a very dedicated hard working staff enabling health screening for these children which leads to identification of previously unknown health problems that have been limiting their ability to be successful in education and in life. Thank you Healthier Kids Foundation and Staff for all that you do.
Healthier Kids serves families and children and gives them skills, products, education and support to lead healthy lives. Children have connections to doctors and dentists without regard to finances. School attendance improves when children are healthy. Follow up and support to families to navigate difficult situations is a strength of the talented Healthier Kids staff. They are selfless, dedicated and knowledgeable.
We've been involved with Healthier Kids Foundation for just over a year and our experience has left us very impressed. Their staff are both professional and caring and the services are of utmost importance. Thank you for all you do.
This organization takes credit for the work performed by the similarly named Santa Clara Family Health Plan, but much of the funds it has raised are actually spent on non-health related purposes, such as a the $250,000 it contributed to the Measure A sales tax increase campaign, the salary it paid to its CEO while she ran for political office and the 2013 lawsuit it undertook to prevent public scrutiny of foundation activities (it lost, and had to pay opponents’ legal fees). Executive Director also sought a CALPers pension by claiming to be a government employee, which was denied, as shown in the attached videos.
Review from Guidestar
I want to thank you again for referring my son David to Dr. Holt. He was seen today and was diagnosed with a stigmatism. He will need glasses so I ordered them. If it wasn't for you and your organization going to the schools and screening the children I would have never known that he had a stigmatism. Dr. Holt told me that many young children like mine used to go for years with vision problems that were undetected. Before you and your organization, he didn't see children under 5 years of age. But now he does and is able to help them. He too is grateful to you and told me so. Think of all the children who have been helped by your children. Without this type of screening problem, they would be missed and have vision problems that could lead to poor performance in school. I am so grateful to you. Please know how much I appreciate everything that you do. I know this will make a difference in my son's life. He will be able to learn better and have good self-esteem. Thank for making this happen.
Review from Guidestar
I have worked with the Healthier Kids Foundation for several years as a corporate funder and personal donor supporting the great programs and services they provide the kids in our community.I have also seen the impact of their work when a family member received their expert assistance when seeking health coverage for their kids.
One of the things I appreciate about HKF is their innovative approach to providing important care for kids who wouldn’t have access to otherwise. The Vision First program which uses a high-tech digital optic scan camera to detect vision problems in kids as young as 6 months is just one example of their efforts to provide important and innovative diagnostics and care to all kids in our community.
It has been proven that a child’s health and well-being has a direct impact on their success in school. HKF makes sure all kids have access to the medical and dental care they need to be and stay healthier.
Review from Guidestar
I have donated to and partnered with Healthier Kids Foundation. In years past they were tireless in their efforts to make sure all kids in Santa Clara County had access to health care, and now are equally motivated to ensure all kids have access to quality vision, dental and hearing care. I have donated to the organization over several years and would urge others to do so also. They are a well-run organization with a strong board and staff and play an important role in the community.
Review from Guidestar
I have been a regular donor to this agency for years. I give because I believe in the mission, the organization and the leadership.
Review from Guidestar
I was involved in this organization directly in years' past, and other than volunteering and donating I'm not officially connected...but I do volunteer and donate because I've seen the services they provide to low-income children and families in Silicon Valley. They are excellent, needed, and are truly making a difference. Vision and hearing screenings are among the vital services they provide. You may know they are now called the Healthier Kids Foundation - and I fully support their work!
Review from Guidestar
We all owe a great debt to The Healthier Kids Foundation (formerly the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation and their leadership - they uniquely advocate for health care services for ALL children, and their focus on vision and hearing tests for literally thousands of children each year change young lives. Today there are still children without health insurance, or who have limited coverage. The Healthier Kids Foundation brings health testing to schools and community centers where children and their families can easily access health information in a familiar environment.
As a partner agency, Sunnyvale Community Services uses the information and resources of The Healthier Kids Foundation to help fill the gaps in health care for the most needy in Santa Clara County.
- Marie Bernard, Executive Director, Sunnyvale Community Services
Review from Guidestar
This foundation no longer exists, at least not under the name Santa Clara Family Health Foundation. It has been rebranded to Healthier Kids Foundation. I will not say anything other than to suggest that anyone looking to donate to this foundation do an internet search for the executive director, by name, and the words "family health fiasco." There have been allegations made that might be of potential concern to some donors. Other helpful search terms might include the name of one of the female members of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. It is interesting to note that the foundation's staff and board of directors are now larger than ever, but what exactly the foundation does is hard to discern.
Review from Guidestar
The Santa Clara Family Health Foundation (SCFHF) is dedicated to ensuring that ALL children in our community have access to high quality health care. The stories and experiences of families and young people and extensive research have demonstrated the critical value of the children's health coverage SCFHF provides not only to the children and families who are enrolled through the Children Health Initiative (CHI) but also to overall public health and well-being of the community. SCFHF is a leader in raining awareness about the need for and value of children's coverage and engaging all sectors of the community in supporting and sustaining it, especially now in times of budget cuts.
As a contract manager for the City of San Jose, I have managed the Children's Health Initiative agreeement for the last four years (the City provides the foundation $2.1 million dollars annually to provide health insurance to San Jose youth). My overall experience has been very positive. The Foundation was timely in submitting reports and consistently met or exceeded contract goals. Staff always acted professionally and promptly.
I have volunteered to work the Foundation's Annual Wine Tasting Event for the past 4-5 years. I enjoy working with the Foundation staff because I find them to be a group of extremely caring and committed individuals who strongly believe that all children should have access to healthcare. They are committed to the mission of raising funds to help provide health care to all uninsured children in Santa Clara County. The Wine Tasting Event is an enjoyable way to learn about as well as support the mission of the Foundation.
My child had two bone marrow transplants and survived. Since then, it has been my mission to help improve the health of children in my County. Santa Clara Family Health Foundation has helped me accomplish this important effort.
As a donor to Santa Clara Family Health Foundation, I truly believe in the mission and work of the organization. Not only does the organization provide a vital service to the community it serves, but it also sets a precedence for providing access to health care services for all children. Santa Clara Family Health Foundation has been, and continues to be, a progressive movement towards ensuring that children are healthier so they can perform better in school and grow into productive adults.
As a client being served by the Santa Clara family Health Foundation, I didn't hesitate to remark what a great foundation this is as I have been benefiting by its many services that help low-income families receive medical services. As a client, they foundation has allowed me to receive many different medical services at a really low cost that enables me to pay the rest for such services. These vary from orthopedics, to dental, regular check-ups, emergency visits, express care, and even hospital stays. I would recommend this program to everybody out there since it is a non-profit organization that is there to lend a helping hand to all of those low-income families who have difficulties receiving medical services due to financial issues. With SCFHF, medical insurance becomes an opportunity available to everybody and enables thousands to receive proper treatment at a low cost.
SCFH Foundation raises funds to provide health insurance coverage for children who do not qualify for government programs. I am impressed by its clarity of purpose and its dedication to gaining universal coverage for children in the County. The Foundation is an excellent champion of its cause and has maintain civic involvement in its funding through difficult economic times.
Santa Clara Family Health Foundation is an able and well-run organization that has successfully secured millions of dollars in public and private resources to ensure that all children in Santa Clara County have health insurance. Their success is evidenced in the statistics, over 97% of all children in the County now have health insurance.