October, 2015 

First 5 Alameda County in the News!

Along with First 5 California and First 5 San Francisco, ABC 7 News came out to San Leandro to take a look at one of our innovative Neighborhood Partnership programs.

Tune in: ABC7, Sunday, October 25th at 7:30 pm or ABC7, Saturday, October 31stat 3:30 pm

In our segment we visited the Ashland Community Center, part of the Hayward Area Recreation & Park District in San Leandro, to learn more about what the Rec & Park is doing to prepare young children for school. Malia Ramler, Senior Administrator, Community and Provider Capacity Building, was on site to share a little background about the innovative program that helps community institutions like our public libraries and parks be places of joyful, intentional learning. We saw how the Ashland Community Center has started using structured playgroups, story times, and now developmental screenings, for families that don’t have access to other formal early education settings.

We heard from the Recreation Supervisor, Nicole Roa, about the new integration of developmental screenings into the program and her experience using the screening tool with her son. “Some of the suggested activities were really fun,” she said, “He continues to ask me about playing the ‘opposites game.’”

Thanks to the Neighborhood Partnership leadership, these trusted community institutions can access staff trainings and consultations on best practices in family engagement, early learning and child development.  And more importantly, children across Alameda County have access to free, high quality early learning opportunities that prepare them for school and life.

The Bay Area LIFE segment will broadcast on ABC7 on October 25th at 7:30 pm and again the following Saturday at 3:30. Mark your calendars!

 

Request for Proposals – host a community meeting for the All-In Collaborative

First 5 Alameda County is a member of the All-in Collaborative “the New War on Poverty in Alameda County” launched by our commissioner, Supervisor Wilma Chan. As members of All-in collaborative, we recognize that responsive, effective county services require the input of the families and individuals living in low-income communities these programs serve.  We want to know what’s working well in our communities and what community residents would like to see changed. In particular, we want to learn from community experts about their experience with jobs, feeding their families, and educational opportunities from preschool to college.

The All-In Alameda County request for proposal (RFP) seeks community-based organizations and informal community leaders that are interested in hosting meetings with county residents. All-In is providing a total of $50,000 for the meetings, divided into small grants of between $1000-$5000 per host. All-In will provide meeting hosts with a list of topics, questions, and a suggested process for recording community responses. These meetings will happen in fall, 2015 with final reports due December 18, 2015. The proposal should take no longer than 2 hours. If you would like to get help completing your proposal, please email allincommunity@acgov.org or call Melanie Moore at (510) 272-6918. The deadline for proposals is October 26, 2015.

 

Wash Time is Talk Time.

 

First 5 is part of a National Effort to Reach Low Income Parents in Laundromats with Early Learning Resources.

This week, our partner Too Small to Fail is launching “Wash Time is Talk Time” with two free community laundry events in Oakland. This 2015 Clinton Global Initiative America effort reaches parents nationwide with ways to make the most of every day moments like laundry time.

This Thursday from 3:00 - 6:00 pm, First 5 Alameda County will be at A1 Laundromat  and Advantage Laundry in Oakland with free laundry, fun activities for kids and resource bags for parents. We'll be organizing an additional five Laundromat events through March 2016 with the Help Me Grow team, so stay tuned for details!

Oakland is one of two flagship cities for the campaign, with an additional 50 events happening nationally.  Laundry may be a chore, but it doesn’t have to be a bore—everyday activities can boost young children’s language and brain development when we talk, read and sing.

To learn more about the Talking is Teaching: Talk Read Sing Oakland, contact Dionne Carter atDionne.carter@first5alameda.org

 

Legislative Update 

The 2015 legislative session has officially come to a close! Technically, the session wrapped up in September, but last week was the deadline for Governor Brown to either sign, veto or allow legislation to go into law without his signature. Here’s the list of bill’s that First 5 Alameda was tracking that made it to the Governor’s desk.

Bills vetoed by the Governor:

  • Universal Preschool AB47 would have required all eligible children not enrolled in transitional kindergarten to have access to state preschool the year before they enter kindergarten. EdSource published an opinion piece by Moira Kenney, Executive Director at the First 5 Association, affirming a clear vision for continued progress toward universal preschool in California.

  • Evidence Based Home Visiting AB50 would have required the State Department of Health Care Services to develop a feasibility plan that describes the costs, benefits and any potential barriers related to offering evidence-based home visiting programs to Medi-Cal eligible pregnant and parenting women.

  • Child Care Facilities Regulatory Visits AB74 Would have required all licensed facilities, including child care, to receive annual inspections. 

  • The Raising Child Care Quality and Accessibility SB528 - Includes collective bargaining, reinstatement of support for Centralized Eligibility Lists (CEL), parent training, unannounced annual visits, and voucher slots.

Bills Signed by the Governor:

  • Individualized county child care subsidy plan AB 833 (Bonta) - Alameda County pilot to have more administrative flexibility for State Contracted Title 5 programs to accommodate high cost of living.  Modeled on San Francisco and San Mateo pilots.

  • Day care centers: toddler programs AB 762 -  Create a single license for centers serving children age birth through age 5 (entering K). 

The Legislature reconvenes for regular session in January when they will kick-off the second year of the 2015-16 session. First 5 Alameda County continues to ensure that young children are a priority for our lawmakers.

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