Teaching Kindness in the Golden State

By Heidi Colonna, Kind News™ Writer and Co-Editor –

Reaching youth about kindness and respect for animals has deep roots in the Golden State, and they’re growing deeper.

RedRover, based in the capital of Sacramento, began publishing Kind News – an elementary classroom magazine started four decades ago on the East Coast – in 2017. Instantly, connections were developed between schools and other animal welfare organizations around the country to deliver it to children. In California, we’ve worked with Ohlone Humane Society and Napa Humane Society to provide the supplemental teaching resource to hundreds of classrooms.

Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (SCCAS) recently doubled their reach to more than 100 classrooms! Since its founding in the early 2000s, it has prioritized education and awareness. “Showing kids at a young age how to be empathetic to animals is key!” says Dana Morey at SCCAS. “We want to teach them about responsible pet ownership, the importance of spaying and neutering, and the need to adopt rather than shop. We also want to promote ways to help animals in need.” Kind News writers pride themselves in finding and sharing stories that show the many ways one can help, from school- or scout-based projects to feed pets in need to the fostering of rescues.

RedRover has also been working with San Diego Humane Society for the past several years on humane education initiatives. Dr. Seuss Foundation Humane Educator, Staci Hurley, who sends Kind News to the 16 classrooms she visits regularly, keeps abreast of the articles to come so that she can incorporate them in her lessons. Hurley recently brought to our attention the rescue of a young coyote named Brawley by the organization’s wildlife center in Ramona, in eastern San Diego County. Our writers were on it, and Brawley appears in our November/December 2025 issue!

With so much positivity around Kind News, humane education in the Golden State is only bound to get brighter. The Association of Professional Humane Educators, whose advisory council includes our own program manager Minhhan Takemoto, recently announced that its 2026 National Humane Education Conference will be held in Oakland, California. “We are excited about the building momentum for humane education in California,” says RedRover Vice President of Operations and Education Karly Noel. “And we’re grateful to all the educators who see its impact and continue this important work.”