We research, then promote, policies and practices that will strengthen systems for children ages 0 to 5 in California.
What We DoRecent Updates
Aug 4, 2024
The first five years of life mark a critical time for early childhood development. Early experiences and relationships with caregivers shape the architecture of a developing brain and lay the foundation for mental health across an individual’s life.
May 23, 2024
A community health workforce can improve the health of children, particularly children of color, by connecting families to information, care, and services. They are trusted members of the communities they serve, creating a link between the community and health/social services, which are not always easy to navigate nor culturally responsive, to improve service access and quality.
Jaren Gaither • Oct 12, 2023
As pandemic-era relief programs end, more and more families report an inability to afford basic needs such as food, housing, utilities, childcare, and healthcare according to Stanford’s RAPID survey.
Jaren Gaither • Aug 30, 2023
Pregnancy and the birth of a baby are significant occasions that also bring many challenges. Providing support to new parents and caregivers during this time, and through early childhood, is essential to give all children and families a strong start in life.
Jaren Gaither • Aug 30, 2023
On August 4, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first pill for postpartum depression (PPD), marking a significant milestone in treating a condition that affects one in five California women.
Dec 1, 2022
This policy framework captures First 5s’ fundamental beliefs and goals for home visiting. It is intended to inform the First 5 Association’s home visiting advocacy and systems building efforts over the next several years.
May 10, 2023
The First 5 Center for Children’s Policy is proud to release "First 5 Efforts to Engage Families and Shift Power: A Review of Current Practices" today, which provides important examples of how First 5s bring family voice into their decision making, how they are thinking about sharing power, increasing transparency, and improving program design through engagement with family members in the communities they serve.
Oct 6, 2022
This brief summarizes a literature review and key informant interviews with KRI developers, early childhood advocates, educators, and researchers, and highlights four key considerations that may help local early childhood and education leaders, state policy makers and others create more equity-focused systems for California’s families.
Alexandra Parma • Jan 5, 2023
To date, advocates, policymakers, families, and other stakeholders have had few resources to understand how early intervention services work in California. To support filling this gap, California Budget and Policy Center released two new reports.
The First 5 Center for Children’s Policy initiated a qualitative research project involving a series of interviews with 54 First 5s across the state. This paper presents the findings of these interviews and their implications for home visiting in California.
Jaren Gaither • Aug 22, 2024
Infants, toddlers, and young children have unique mental health needs compared to their older counterparts.
Jaren Gaither • Mar 11, 2024
With tax season approaching, it is important to highlight the programs that help lower income families with young children receive much needed financial assistance.
Alexandra Parma • Oct 3, 2023
Community health workers (CHWs), promotores, and other non-licensed health professionals are frontline public health workers and trusted members of the communities they serve.
Aug 23, 2023
This brief is the result of a research project on issues facing the Native American community in California, and ways for community-based organizations to partner with Indigenous communities to best support them.
May 10, 2023
To better understand First 5s’ family engagement efforts, First 5 Center for Children’s Policy conducted a two-part qualitative research project involving interviews with local First 5s. This brief includes a description of the project’s methodology and findings, as well as lessons learned to support authentic, equity-centered engagement with families.
Sep 8, 2022
This concept paper explores California’s opportunity to improve the health and development of young children by leveraging the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Health Services Initiatives (HSIs).
Sep 1, 2022
To understand home visitors’ workforce development needs, the First 5 Center for Children’s Policy commissioned ZERO TO THREE to conduct focus groups and surveys with home visitors who had participated in professional development opportunities. This brief explores the three key lessons that emerged from that research.
Kathryn Margolis • Nov 10, 2022
California has created a dyadic services Medi-Cal benefit effective January 2023. The dyadic services benefit allows Medi-Cal to cover behavioral health wellness visits that focus on the individual child and their surrounding environment, including caregiver wellness, all within the context of the child’s medical appointment.
California’s early identification and intervention (EII) system is complicated. This interactive flowchart shows the various pathways families with low-income may follow when seeking services for a developmental or mental health concern.
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