Recent Updates
Addressing infant and early childhood mental health needs: opportunities for community solutions
This moment in history could be pivotal in the landscape of California’s early childhood mental health. Conditions created by the pandemic, such as isolation, economic stress, and community trauma, are all proven to negatively impact a child’s ability to thrive. It is vitally important that young children and their parents and caregivers receive the interventions necessary to support their mental health during this critical time.
California’s Medicaid Breakthrough: An Opportunity to Advance Children’s Social and Emotional Health
Sarah Crow • Christina Altmayer •
Revamping Medicaid policies to improve young children’s social and emotional health and address health care inequities is particularly critical in California, where over half of children ages 0 to 5 have Medicaid coverage (known as Medi-Cal, in California), and two-thirds are children of color.
Medi-Cal Basics for Early Childhood Leaders
This primer provides an overview of some of the critical components of Medi-Cal for young children, and links to resources where you can learn more.
California’s Early Identification and Intervention System and the Role of Help Me Grow
Now is a critical time to evaluate and improve California’s early identification and intervention (EII) system by leveraging the state’s existing county Help Me Grow (HMG) systems.
Dyadic Therapy Changes Lives
Pradeep Gidwani, MD • Ruth P. Newton, PhD • Sep 8, 2021
Individual therapy approaches cannot capture the complexity involved as parent, baby, their relationship, their family system, and the culture they are in, all interact. Dyadic therapy, where parent and infant/young child are treated together, addresses all levels of these interacting factors.
The Road to Black Birth Justice
May 24, 2022
This report summarizes the findings of a multipart project that the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative conducted, in partnership with the First 5 Center for Children’s Policy, to understand the challenges and opportunities to improve the birth outcomes and experiences of Black people and their families in California.
Plan Partnership Project Playbook: A Guide for First 5 Commissions Starting Relationships With Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans
This playbook offers practical advice to First 5 leaders for developing partnerships with managed care plans.
Understanding Children’s Mental Health Services under Medi-Cal
This webinar covers Medi-Cal mental health services for children and was presented by Kim Lewis, Managing Attorney at National Health Law Program.
Systems Interactions: Medi-Cal Managed Care and other Health Care Delivery for Children on Medi-Cal
This brief describes additional delivery systems that families may have to access in order to make full use of the EPSDT Medi-Cal benefit, and their relationship with Medi-Cal managed care.
Lessons and Opportunities: How First 5s can create meaningful partnerships with their Medi-Cal Managed Care plans
Apr 23, 2021
This brief highlights a few key lessons and points of intersection, provided by First 5 Alameda, First 5 LA, and First 5 Ventura through their work over the last several years and as part of the Pediatrics Supporting Parents project.
Navigating the Early Identification and Intervention Maze: A Flowchart
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.
Featured Project
Early Childhood Resource Library
The Early Childhood Resource Library compiles and shares relevant research, data, and stories from across California. These resources were created by organizations doing important work to support early childhood.
Learn More
Get Connected
Follow Us on Social
© 2022 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.