The First 5 Movement:Investing in California’s Children

Looking Towards PFA

• What is First 5 doing at the state and local level?

• How is this work connected to PFA?

• What have First 5 counties been doing to prepare for PFA?

• How can First 5 County Commissions support PFA efforts in June?

Who and What is First 5?

Created by Proposition 10 in 1998 Additional 50¢ tax on tobacco products 58 County Commissions and 1 State

Commission Commissions are county departments,

independent agencies, or a hybrid of the two Many County Commissions have designated

seats for the County Superintendent (or designee)

Other designated seats include: County Supervisors, Health and/or Human Services Departments, and Local Planning Councils

First 5 Oversight and Accountability

Funds distributed to counties (80%) and State Commission (20%)

County funds allocated in accordance with a locally developed Strategic Plan that identifies needs of children 0-5 and their families

Funds must supplement and not supplant existing programs and services

Many Commissions focus on supporting “pilot programs,” co-funding, or leveraging other investments – rather than on-going continued funding of permanent programs

All funds must be distributed in accordance with state contracting guidelines, and all programs and services must be continually evaluated

Revenues expected to decline as tobacco usage declines

First 5 Outcome Areas

• Early Learning– Early Literacy and Family Literacy– Improved Quality of Child Care– Building the Workforce

• Informed and Supported Parents– Family Support Programs– Parent Education

• Childhood Health– Universal Health Access Programs– Oral Health Education and Services– Behavioral Health Programs and Trainings

• Community Outreach – Safety Education Programs– Smoking Cessation Information and

Programs– Family Festivals and Community

Celebrations

Early Learning Investments

• Early Literacy Programs – Raising a Reader– Public Library Partnerships– Improved Early Care Environments

• Workforce Development and Stipend Programs for ECE Staff– CARES– Community College Partnerships– Trainings for License-Exempt Providers

• Information on Choosing Quality Care– Parent Outreach

• Quality Assessments for Early Care Programs– ECERS and Desired Results Trainings

• Kindergarten Transition Programs – Summer Bridge Programs– Kindergarten “passport” Programs– Outreach to Enrolling Families– Health Screenings for Incoming Children

• Preschool Expansion

School Readiness Programs

• State Commission matching funds to create local programs that support school readiness– Children’s readiness for school– Schools’ readiness for children– Family and community supports for

children

• Partnerships with local school districts targeting low-performing schools

• Emphasis on early literacy for children not enrolled in preschool

School Readiness Strategies

• Preschool expansion• Quality enhancements for existing

programs (curriculum, facility improvements)

• Staff training• Home visiting focused on parent and

child literacy activities• Parent education services• Book distribution and reading promotion

programs

Results: Early and Family Literacy

• Imperial County: 96% of parents reported reading at home to their children an average of 4.6 times a week

• Los Angeles: 98% of parents indicated they enjoy reading to their kids, compared with 82% in the beginning

• Ventura: At one-year follow-up, 63% of parents reported reading often to their children compared to 53% at baseline

• Santa Cruz: Read to Me reached more than 150 family day care providers serving over 1,000 children a month

• Riverside: County libraries partnered with 100 child care staff serving more than 1,500 children to encourage literacy activities in the home

• Nevada: Family literacy trainings resulted in 80% of families setting regular reading times for the first time and 69% of families making their first visits to the library

Results: Summer Bridge Programs

• Butte: 78% of entering kindergarteners had “almost” or “fully mastered” school readiness competencies, compared to 32% of children at the same level one year before

• Stanislaus: Participating children showed greater literacy skills, better control over negative emotions, and a greater likelihood of reading daily than those who did not participate

• Sonoma– 49% increase in children able to write their name– 42% increase in average number of colors known– 35% increase in children able to recognize the front of a book

• Kern: Over 200 preschoolers participating in the Kindergarten Summer Bridge program showed an average 11% growth from pre- to post-test

• Humboldt: Hoopa children scored higher in 28 of 30 dimensions of the MDRDP, tying in the other two

Results: Expanding Early Care

• San Luis Obispo: Two new preschool classrooms were opened in 2004 serving 44 families

• Yolo: Created 506 new child care slots for children with special needs and 194 spaces for children living in rural areas

• San Mateo: Created 250 new child care spaces, increasing much needed child care capacity throughout the county

• Contra Costa: 28 child care sites received grants to help meet national accreditation standards

Highlights of First 5 Investments

• 58 County-level school readiness programs

• 37 Counties using local funds to expand preschool capacity

• 24 County CARES Programs provide stipends to ECE teachers to support continuing education

• 12 County Health Access Programs Provide Premium Support to Insure low-income children

• 10 County programs to ensure universal screening for special needs and enhanced referral programs and services for identified children

First 5 as a PFA Partner

• First 5 Commissions are supporting PFA-readiness– Partnerships with COEs for

planning – Convening community

conversations– Reaching out to Private

Providers– Launching PFA programs in

targeted school districts

• www.f5ac.org