© 2026 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.
Blog Post
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.
Blog Post
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.
Blog Post
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.
Blog Post
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.
Blog Post
Jaren Gaither • Sep 2, 2025
The passage of the federal reconciliation bill, H.R. 1, in July has left many states scrambling to understand how drastic actions to restrict access to social services, such as Medicaid and SNAP, will impact their communities.
Blog Post
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.
Blog Post
Jaren Gaither • Jul 24, 2025
Since July 2022, community health worker services have been a covered benefit under Medi-Cal. Despite being available for the past three years, utilization, especially for children, has fallen short.
Blog Post
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.
Blog Post
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.
Blog Post
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.
© 2026 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.