06/13/2019

FYI-June 2019

 

Listening Session with California's Surgeon General 

 

More than 50 parents, health care providers, and nonprofit partners attended a listening session that we hosted at Roots Community Health Center in Oakland on May 15, part of California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris’s statewide listening tour on toxic stress and trauma-informed care. Participants provided insight on the unique challenges and opportunities with addressing trauma in children and families in Alameda County. Among the local innovative programs highlighted for supporting children and families and increasing early intervention were DULCE and Help Me Grow.

Left to right: Kristin Spanos, Chief Executive Officer, First 5 Alameda County, Surgeon General Burke Harris, and Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan, District 3.

 

Bay Area Family Child Care Conference

 

In partnership with the Alameda Professional Child Care Association, Bay Area Quality Counts, and Resource and Referral agencies, we held the second annual Bay Area Family Child Care (FCC) Conference on May 18. Shawn Bryant from the Teaching Excellence Center delivered the keynote address, “Family Child Care Relationships: The Heart of the Community,” to 77 attendees. The conference also offered eight breakout sessions on topics such as strengthening relationships with dual-language learners and creating collaborative communities. Survey results indicated that 100% of attendees would recommend the conference to other FCC providers and 94% thought the conference was applicable to their work and that they were able to make connections to other FCC providers.

 

First 5 Advocacy Day in Sacramento

On April 30, we gathered with First 5 commissions from across the state for Advocacy Day at the California State Capitol. We met with lawmakers to voice our support for children and families on policy priorities, such as quality early learning, comprehensive health and development, and family resiliency. On the Capitol lawn, First Partner Jennifer Seibel Newsom read in English and Spanish to a group of children in honor of Día de Los Libros and later in the day, spoke about the importance of early childhood in both languages from the Capitol steps. Siebel Newsom also received the Champions for Children Award for her work supporting early childhood education and development. At right: First 5 staff with California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom (center).

 

Día de los Libros in Alameda County

We were thrilled to join with the First 5 Association and California State Library in April to celebrate El día de los niños/El día de los libros through a partnership with Oakland Public Library and Alameda County Library. Children’s librarians distributed backpacks/bags with over 200 books in Spanish and English at their story times in West Oakland and Newark. Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers built their home libraries, and preschoolers also received science materials to further their learning with the books in their backpacks. Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us!

 

 

Alameda County Counts—Census 2020

For every person not counted in the Census, our community loses about $2,000 in funding per year for ten years. An undercount of even three percent would mean that our community would lose $1 billion over the next decade for programs that benefit the entire community: health care, education, transportation, and more. Further, an undercount could cause California to lose a seat in Congress. In Alameda County, there are about 413,000 “Hard-to-Count” residents, including many babies and young children. Help ensure everyone is counted! Learn more at the Alameda County Census 2020 website.

 

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Subscribe to the FYI Newsletter, Fan us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, or shoot us an email: barrie.mcclune@first5alameda.org  

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