Recent Updates
Making CalAIM Work for Community Providers: Lessons and Strategies from California's First 5 Network
Mar 4, 2026
First 5s and their community partners are not peripheral to Medi-Cal transformation - they are foundational to reaching California’s most vulnerable families. They bring cultural relevance, trust, community embeddedness, and the ability to bridge clinical systems to populations that have historically experienced barriers to healthcare access.
First 5 Yolo County’s Welcome Baby Program: Leveraging Medi-Cal to Support Birthing Families Through Home Visiting
Jaren Gaither • Aug 6, 2025
In Yolo County, all postpartum families with Medi-Cal coverage are offered the Welcome Baby: Road to Resilience (Welcome Baby) program. Started and championed in 2019 by Gina Daleiden, First 5 Yolo Chief Executive Officer, Welcome Baby first started as The CHILD Project: Road to Resilience, an in-clinic and in-home navigation program.
May Revise Impacts Medi-Cal Coverage for Families
Alexandra Parma • May 20, 2025
The Governor’s 2025 May revision of the state budget proposes freezing new Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented immigrant adults, and adding $100 Medi-Cal premiums for undocumented adults already enrolled in Medi-Cal.
Medicaid Work Requirements Threaten to Place Additional Financial Strain on California Families with Infants and Toddlers
Jaren Gaither • May 8, 2025
Congress is exploring introducing work requirements for Medicaid. Work requirements would not only threaten the healthcare coverage of millions of Californians but also significantly impact families' ability to access essential healthcare services, further exacerbating existing material and economic hardships experienced by Medicaid families with infants and toddlers.
Threatened Changes to Medicaid and IDEA Could Impact Developmental Supports for Young Children in California
Alexandra Parma • Apr 22, 2025
In addition to looming cuts to Medicaid, the federal government has recently shared plans to relocate the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) program into Health and Human Services as it moves to close the Department of Education.
Home and Community-Based Perinatal Supports for California Families
Mar 17, 2025
California has made significant strides to increase access to multigenerational, whole-family supports during the prenatal and postpartum period. However, significant gaps remain in access.
More Than Half of California’s Children from Birth to Five Rely on Medi-Cal
Jaren Gaither • Mar 4, 2025
On February 25th, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass a budget resolution that directs the Energy and Commerce Committee to find $880 billion in spending cuts over the next decade.
Medi-Cal Contracting Journey: Considerations and Learnings from the First 5 Network
Jun 12, 2026
Becoming a Medi-Cal provider requires deep organizational transformation. California’s First 5 county commissions (First 5s) have been early leaders in this work, contracting with managed care plans (MCPs) to deliver new benefits such as community health worker (CHW) and enhanced care management (ECM) services.
First 5s are Leading the Way for Early Childhood Serving Organizations to Engage with Medi-Cal Transformation
Jaren Gaither • Apr 8, 2026
California’s First 5 network is leading the way for early childhood-serving organizations to take part in Medi-Cal transformation.
The State Needs Sustained Investment in Early Childhood Mental Health Programs Amid Changes in California's Behavioral Health Landscape
Nicole Hsu • Alexandra Parma • Apr 1, 2026
In recent years, California has launched several major initiatives that have reshaped the children's behavioral health services landscape. While these investments have elevated the profile of children's mental health broadly, early childhood and prevention have not always received proportionate attention.
Community Based Providers Offer a Lifeline to Families with Young Children Deterred from Accessing Care Due to Increased Immigration Enforcement
Jaren Gaither • Liza Davis • Dec 12, 2025
Every child deserves to grow up feeling safe, supported, and surrounded by people they trust. Their mental health and overall wellbeing depend on it. But in many communities across the country, that promise is slipping away.
First 5s Across the State Explore Fiscal Mapping and Cost Modeling to Build the Future of Home Visiting
Sep 9, 2025
Home visiting and family support programs are integral services for California’s prenatal to five population. Rooted in relationships, these programs connect with families during the vulnerable prenatal and early childhood periods, supporting perinatal mental health, parenting, and child development and health.
First 5s Offer a Wealth of Knowledge and Experience to Support the Implementation of the Birthing Care Pathway
Jaren Gaither • May 19, 2025
As California focuses on improving the quality of maternal care delivery and reducing disparities for our Medi-Cal birthing population, many First 5s are already engaged in work to support families during the prenatal and postpartum periods.
First 5 Center Proposes Early Childhood Home and Community-Based Services Medi-Cal Benefit: A Crucial Step in Supporting California Families Across the Care Continuum
Alexandra Parma • Apr 22, 2025
Babies bring big change to families and all parents can benefit from emotional, physical, and educational supports to help them with the transition. Over the past few years California has made important strides to improve the continuum of maternal and child health services, from prenatal care to postpartum and beyond.
Proposal for New Medi-Cal Benefit: Early Childhood Home and Community Based Services
Mar 17, 2025
This brief is the second in a series about home and community-based perinatal supports for California families.
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