© 2025 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.
Blog Post
Sarah Crow • Christina Altmayer • Mar 30, 2021
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.
Blog Post
Mar 29, 2021
The time to prepare is now. California can take several steps to address mental and behavioral health concerns of young children ages 0 to 5, their parents, and child care providers over the next year to reduce adverse childhood experiences and build resilience.
Blog Post
Alexandra Parma • Mar 25, 2021
California’s children covered by Medi-Cal Managed Care received alarmingly low levels of recommended preventive care in 2019, according to data newly released by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).
Blog Post
Alexandra Parma • Dec 14, 2020
Millions of children in California do not receive the preventive health services they are entitled to under federal law. With new data reporting requirements in place, however, California’s administrators and policymakers will be better equipped to develop strategies that increase uptake of these services.
Blog Post
Alexandra Parma • Dec 8, 2020
This blog summarizes the three webinars focused on Medi-Cal, managed care, and the important roles these systems play for young children that First 5 in collaboration with the Pediatrics Supporting Parents Project (PSP), led by Manatt Health, Donna Cohen Ross, and the Center for the Study of Social Policy hosted.
Blog Post
Alexandra Parma • Dec 4, 2020
In California, Black women are roughly four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than women in all other racial/ethnic groups. California’s Black infants are almost three times more likely to die than white infants, regardless of the mother’s education and income. Indeed, a Black woman with an advanced degree is more likely to lose her baby than a white woman with less than an eighth-grade education.
Blog Post
Oct 1, 2020
The First 5 Association of California submitted a response to the Department of Health Care Services on its procurement process for managed care plans to serve the Medi-Cal population with recommendations designed to improve health outcomes for children and provide care with a whole-child, whole-family approach. The following provides an overview of the Association's response.
Blog Post
Aug 28, 2020
Effective August 1st, individuals receiving Medi-Cal who have been diagnosed with a maternal mental health condition, including postpartum depression (PPD), may qualify for an extension of coverage for up to a year.
Blog Post
Hoda Shawky • Jun 23, 2020
While many women experience some mild mood changes after the birth of a child, commonly known as the “baby blues,” in California 1 in 6 women experience more significant symptoms of depression or anxiety. Orange County’s perinatal mental health toolkit is intended to provide educational, screening, treatment, and referral resources, the toolkit helps providers identify at-risk parents who may benefit from preventive services such as mentorship, classes, home visiting, and support groups.
Blog Post
Alexandra Parma • Jun 19, 2020
This week California released an important new policy making family therapy a covered benefit for children in Medi-Cal. This is a significant step forward in approaching children’s health from a whole-family wellness perspective.
© 2025 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.