It's officially the first day of summer, and the longest day of the year with 17 hours of sunlight! By now you've noticed our temperatures in SoCal are soaring! In fact, this a collage of our social media newsfeeds today and we bet yours looks the same. It can be hard to plan just what to do with your kiddos on these HOT summer days so stay with us after the jump for some suggestions that don't leave you resorting to standing in front of your freezer (not that we'd judge!)

We all know a neighbor, a friend, or a family member who has fallen on hard times financially for a variety of reasons. It might even be you. With a fluctuating economy and an over-saturated job market of potential employees, providing for a family often means living paycheck to paycheck, these days.

As we're a board of seven local moms, we've noticed a common theme in posts throughout the mom groups we are a part of collectively. Many of our fellow parents and friends don't know where or how to go about applying for government aid or resources that may make all the difference in their quality of life. It can be overwhelming to know where to start, so we've researched a few programs that everyone should 1) know about, and 2) know how to go about applying for. Below you'll find links and resources for programs ranging from Food Stamps to Child Care assistance.