Curious Minds Newsletter | September 2026

September 2026

Measure J News

As stated in last month’s Curious Minds, PACCC’s board has voted and officially endorsed Measure J, the City of Palo Alto Community Safety/Services Measure , which would “provide dedicated, locally controlled funding to support a critical community priority, upgrading the 70-year-old Cubberley Community Center.”

The recent Yes on J rally held at Cubberley Grass Quad on September 13 was a huge success! “When Palo Alto’s needs grow, PACCC responds,” said PACCC CEO, Lee Pfab. “Yes on J! Let’s save this community gem!”

For more information on how you can get involved, donate, or request a lawn sign, please visit YesonJpaloalto.com.

PACCC's board has endorsed Measure J. We respect the right of each employee, parent, and other readers to form their own political beliefs.

PAUSD SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE FORUM

Curious about the PAUSD School Board candidates? The Palo Alto Council of PTAs invites you to our upcoming forums. This is an opportunity to learn more about the candidates and hear directly from them as they answer questions submitted by the community.

September 24 (co-hosted with the League of Women Voters) 7-8:30 pm via zoom - register here and submit your questions here.

September 28 - Secondary Education, 7-8:30 pm via zoom

October 5 - Elementary Education, 7-8:30 pm via zoom

October 22 - Equity and Access, 7-8:30 pm via zoom

Submit your questions here for the three forums

Did you know? PACCC’s Whole-Child Approach: Language and Literacy

Greetings! Santiago Flores here, PACCC’s Language and Literacy Ambassador

Did you know that approximately 15% of PACCC families are unaware of their child’s language and literacy learning that is happening in our preschools? Young learners are developing language and literacy all throughout their day at school; through Circle Time when they are being read to and learning their letter of the week, and through music and movement activities. Even their favorite toy bins are labeled and expose them to words they see every day and connect to through play-based learning. Teachers often encourage children to share stories about their artwork and will then transcribe those stories for them. Our young learners are connecting their art with written language with this one simple interaction!

CCY Presents: Parenting Beyond the Screen

Our partner, Center for Children and Youth (CCY) explores Parenting Beyond the Screen, a new initiative to help families navigate technology and screen time.

This comprehensive resource hub brings together guidance from therapists, parent coaches, occupational therapists, and psychiatrists; expertise families have trusted at CCY for generations, now focused on one of the most common and stressful challenges parents face today.

For children, screens are not just entertainment, they are high-dopamine environments that can lead to emotional dysregulation, sleep issues, and social withdrawal. CCY can help parents set boundaries around technology and device use that fit family values, routines, and real life. Start by taking the free 2-minute quiz to determine if you need support navigating the technology world with your family!

REVIVE & PACCC

PACCC and Stanford Medicine are joining forces for a Revive CPR event to be held at PACCC’s Ventura Campus / Dream Room & Outside Area on October 15^th from 4pm to 6pm. This is a very special event open to PACCC families! (Registration required.)

The Revive Initiative's mission is to provide healthcare professionals and bystanders in our communities with the life-saving skills needed to promote the best neurological outcomes in the event of an infant or child suffering a respiratory or cardiopulmonary arrest. Revive’s American Heart Association Instructors will be teaching this training session and is open to all community members wanting to learn life-saving skills.

What is CPR? CPR – or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation – is an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating. Bystander CPR improves survival. If performed immediately, CPR can double or triple the chance of survival from an out of hospital cardiac arrest. Participants will receive hands-on, instructor-guided practice on this life-saving skill.

Participants will learn:

High-quality CPR for adults, children, and infants
The AHA Chain of Survival Basic Life Support components
Early use of an AED
Importance of teams in multi- resuscitation and performance as an effective team member during multi-rescuer CPR
Relief of foreign-body airway obstruction for adults and infants

Book Your Complimentary Car Seat Safety Check!

PACCC is excited to partner with the Redwood City California Highway Patrol (CHP) to offer families a free car seat safety check for National Child Passenger Safety Week.

Car seats will be checked by nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) who can help families make sure their child’s car seat is installed and being used correctly. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, have your installation reviewed, and receive individualized car seat safety guidance.

Families are welcome to bring their child to the appointment so the CPSTs can provide guidance based on your child’s specific needs. However, children do not need to be present for the car seat check.

Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Time: Appointments available between 7:30 AM–10:30 AM

Location: 3990 Ventura Court

Cost: Free

Space is limited, so sign up in advance to reserve your appointment!

PACCC Partners with Ravenswood on Annual Coat Drive!

The Ravenswood Annual Coat Drive is heating up for another amazing turnout. We are honored to partner with Ravenswood on this important community-driven event! This year’s Coat Drive will take place from September 21 through October 30. We will be collecting new and gently used coats for all ages and sizes, as well as scarves, hats, gloves, new socks, and new underwear at all our 18 centers.

“Ravenswood Family Health Network (RFHN ) is a nonprofit community health center serving patients and families throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties…As a community health center, we recognize that health and well-being extend beyond medical care. Many of the patients and families we serve experience challenges with basic needs such as housing, food, transportation, and access to essential resources.”

In 2024, PACCC had 18 collection bins across its centers and collected more than 400 coats for the drive. Whether your donation is a coat a child has outgrown, a warm scarf, or a new package of socks, every donation makes a difference!

PACCC Board Highlight: Hilary McDaniel

Hilary McDaniel has been in school all her life. After high school, she graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Human Development and a B.A. in Political Science before earning her M.A. in Education at Stanford. Hilary then became a high school Social Studies teacher and has been in the classroom for the past 25 years. Hilary is passionate about cultivating curiosity, building relationships and creating positive learning communities where students feel empowered to take ownership of their learning. Hilary built the Child Development Pathway at Palo Alto High School, where students now earn college credit through Foothill College while working alongside young children in classrooms across Palo Alto. She is committed to recruiting, training and inspiring the next generation of child care professionals.

Hilary, her husband and two boys spend their free time playing sports, biking and attending dance class. Both of her sons came up through Duveneck Kids Club, and she still remembers how much they looked forward to it at the end of a long school day.

Returning to the PACCC Board is an opportunity Hilary is grateful for. By supporting young children, their families and teachers she hopes to keep giving back to this wonderful community.

PACCC in the Community

As a community leader in Palo Alto, and in keeping with our Strategic Plan and commitment to build and foster community, you will find PACCC engaged in the following advocacy efforts and events this month:

Measure J Canvassing and Tabling Events
Palo Alto City Council and School Board Candidate Forums
9th Annual Santa Clara County Women’s Leadership and Policy Summit
Santa Clara County Early Childhood Education Catalyst Retreat
PA Human Relations Commission Community Impact Fair
Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce ATHENA Awards
Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits Annual “Be Our Guest” Luncheon

Annual Community Survey Opens Citywide September 15!

The Annual Palo Alto Community Survey opens to all residents on Tuesday, September 15. The City seeks community-wide feedback through the Palo Alto Community Survey on an annual basis and is a community feedback tool that helps the City Council and City staff understand community perspectives on current services and programs, as well as unmet needs and priorities. The survey was initially sent via mail to a random sample population of resident households. If you received the survey by mail, please take it. Both the mailed survey and communitywide survey will be open until September 30, 2026.

September is Library Card Month!

It’s Library Card Sign-Up Month, making it the perfect time to discover everything you can access with your library card. From audiobooks and eBooks to digital magazines, museum and parks passes, and language learning resources, there’s much more to your library card than you might expect.

Family Fun in Palo Alto!

Palo Alto Airport Day

Join this family-friendly event to explore the airport, visit real aircraft cockpits, watch flight demonstrations, and enjoy games and food trucks on Sunday, September 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Palo Alto Airport. This event is free, but registration is encouraged.

Bike Palo Alto 2026

Palo Alto is a bike-friendly place, especially when you know the best bicycle routes to get around. Join us for a happy afternoon of discovery and fun on bikes at Bike Palo Alto 2026 on October 4 from 1-3. Don’t forget to visit the Traffic Garden Bike Safety Park adjacent to our Ventura location!