Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Latest Con Job May Kill Us All

They conned us again and this time might be the worst. First, they told us cigarettes were safe and even healthy, all the time knowing they were killing people. With grassroots efforts, we quashed that...

Look Lively, There’s a New Kid’s Store Downtown

As the bright, mid-morning light streams through the Lively Kid’s storefront windows, owner Kayti Mata thoughtfully puts the finishing touches to her picture-perfect store. Surrounded by her hand-embellished furniture and snap-shots of her kids and...

How Can We Make Colleges Accessible to All Students?

In my previous article last month, I addressed how affirmative action really affects college admissions by creating substandard classes and dumbing down our best universities. Instead of giving free passes to students who meet ethnic...

Keeping the Airwaves Alive

“Our motto at the station is ‘Serve the Community First’,” said Tina Davey, station manager and co-founder of KBCZ Boulder Creek Community Radio Station, 89.3 FM. Every day since the station’s inception in 2013, Davey...

Bellies, Birth and Babies is Back

Birth Network of Santa Cruz County is excited to offer the first Bellies, Birth and Babies (BBB) event since 2019, on September 10, 2-4pm at the Circle Family Center in Aptos. This 2-hour community event...

Becoming a Great Grandmother

An old adage says the best thing about being a grandparent is that you can give the baby or toddler or teenager back to the parents when you’ve had enough. That might be true, but...

To Punish or Not to Punish?

How could we possibly raise children without punishment? How will they know the difference between right and wrong? I think when people picture an absence of punishment they are actually picturing an absence of discipline...

Iconic Attraction Returns Soon to the Boardwalk

Something has been missing at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for too long, an attraction that is a staple at any seaside amusement park: a Ferris wheel. Thankfully, that’s about to change. Plans are in...

Skipping Grades, Relevance of College and Homework Research

Editor’s Note: The following questions were submitted by Growing Up in Santa Cruz to Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Faris Sabbah, based on common questions we’ve received from our readers. If you have...

A Brave Space for All

By Sion Erkiletian, Juniper, and Daphne The Queer, Trans & Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast has a special place in my heart because of how much fun I had when I attended last...

Best of 2023

We asked you to share your favorite places to take your kids and places you enjoy as a family. We wanted to know what businesses you consider the Best in Santa Cruz, and man, did...