THE HISTORY OF SNOCF
On November 13, 2003, the Articles of Incorporation of the School Nurses of California Foundation (SNOCF) received approval by the IRS to operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization.
Many of the funds that SNOCF has raised over the past 16 years have been directed toward financially supporting the California School Nurses Organization (CSNO) in their efforts to provide relevant educational information and assistance to school nurses in California.
In 2006 SNOCF financially supported a very important collaborative effort with CSNO to revise the California Department of Education’s (CDE) Green Book to standardize many Specialized Health Care Procedures that school nurses provide to their students with special needs. In 2016 SNOCF once again financially supported CSNO in a second significant collaborative effort to revise the CDE's manual A Guide for Vision Testing in California Public Schools to align with new legislation.
Many of the funds that SNOCF has raised over the past 16 years have been directed toward financially supporting the California School Nurses Organization (CSNO) in their efforts to provide relevant educational information and assistance to school nurses in California.
In 2006 SNOCF financially supported a very important collaborative effort with CSNO to revise the California Department of Education’s (CDE) Green Book to standardize many Specialized Health Care Procedures that school nurses provide to their students with special needs. In 2016 SNOCF once again financially supported CSNO in a second significant collaborative effort to revise the CDE's manual A Guide for Vision Testing in California Public Schools to align with new legislation.
How SNOCF is Funded
The School Nurses of California Foundation relies on charitable funding, that include both corporate and individual donations, as well as grant funding, in order to support many projects that meet the Mission of SNOCF.
In recent years, SNOCF has received several grants along with very generous donations of funds and also donations in-kind from the following organizations and businesses:
2021 - $5,000 "California Small Business/Nonprofit Grantee Covid-19 Relief Grant from the State of CA
2018- $5,000 donation from School Health Corporation
2018 - G5-AED (valued at $1,895) from Cardiac Science Corporation
2016 - $5,000 donation from the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus
2016 - 5,000 donation from the American Academy of Ophthalmology
In recent years, SNOCF has received several grants along with very generous donations of funds and also donations in-kind from the following organizations and businesses:
2021 - $5,000 "California Small Business/Nonprofit Grantee Covid-19 Relief Grant from the State of CA
2018- $5,000 donation from School Health Corporation
2018 - G5-AED (valued at $1,895) from Cardiac Science Corporation
2016 - $5,000 donation from the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus
2016 - 5,000 donation from the American Academy of Ophthalmology
Recent Accomplishments
- Gold Level Sponsor of the California School Nurses Organization (CSNO) Annual Conference for the past 9 consecutive years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024).
- In 2021, received a Partnership Grant with researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), through the "Campus-Community Research Incubator Program" to describe the impact of COVID-19 on California school nurses and school health services.
- Awarded 13 Grants since 2017, to school nurses and schools/districts for well-designed projects or programs that align with SNOCF’s Mission and Vision.
- $5,000 DONATION made to CSNO for on-going education and training for school nurses (presented during the 2017 March conference in Monterey, CA).
- $700 DONATION made to the School Nurses International (SNI) scholarship program (presented at the 2017 conference in San Francisco, CA.)
- Received CSNO's "The Above & Beyond Award" in 2016.
Looking Forward
- SNOCF will continue to focus on supporting the wellbeing of school nurses with efforts to enhance their visibility, to promote their achievements, to offer collaboration, and to collect data on their workloads. Some current issues facing school nurses and their students include:
- Increasing Mental Health Problems - causing stress, anxiety, depression, and behavior disorders, which can significantly interfere with a student's ability to learn.
- Chronic Absenteeism - which is a primary cause of poor academic achievement, and has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic.
- SNOCF plans to work on collecting data on the above issues that can be shared with local school districts, community partners, and legislators so that they learn about and understand the role and value of school nurses.
- SNOCF will continue to actively seek community partners and corporate sponsors who can offer funding or other assistance to help us to meet our Mission, Vision, and current Focus.
- SNOCF will continue to offer grant funding opportunities for projects, research, and data collection efforts that help to improve the well-being of California students and school communities.
- SNOCF will continue to partner with the California School Nurses Organization for educational, professional training, and research projects for school nurses.
- SNOCF will continue to seek individuals with different backgrounds and perspectives to join us in creating a diverse Board of Directors working cohesively toward our shared Mission and Vision.
School nurses understand the link between student health and academic success, and the complex factors involved in promoting and supporting student health.