© 2025 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.
Blog Post
Cinthia Diaz • Jul 2, 2020
With a presidential administration that has kept immigrant families living in a constant state of fear due to one of the most aggressive agendas on immigration in modern times, and a virus that’s disproportionately affecting communities of color, home visitors can play a more vital role in immigrant families’ lives than ever before.
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.
Blog Post
Caitlyn Schaap • May 28, 2020
Although home visits are now conducted by phone, and some of the concerns addressed are shifting, one thing hasn’t changed — families continue to seek the support of Santa Barbara’s field nurses.
Blog Post
Alexandra Parma • May 27, 2020
As we move into month four of state-wide shelter-in-place orders, California’s 1.4 million children ages zero to three are coming due for check-ups, and parents are navigating how to get their children preventive care during a pandemic.
Blog Post
Cinthia Diaz • May 22, 2020
As states begin easing stay-at-home orders and lifting restrictions on businesses and public spaces, home visitors, who have shifted to virtual visits during the pandemic, are thinking through how this will impact the field and their ongoing connections with families. To address some common concerns, the Rapid Response-Virtual Home Visiting Collaborative brought together representatives from several models for a Q&A session.
Blog Post
Caitlyn Schaap • May 22, 2020
Visits, now conducted by phone or video call, can be a comfort and an escape from the everyday stresses of living and parenting during COVID-19.
Blog Post
Alexandra Parma • May 12, 2020
With the COVID-19 recession predicted to exceed the downturn of the Great Recession, cuts to many key services are expected, and one devastating outcome may be the further erosion of an already fragile system that serves infants and toddlers with developmental delays.
Blog Post
Alexandra Parma • May 6, 2020
The First 5 Center for Children’s Policy is releasing a new policy brief, "California’s Early Identification and Intervention System and the Role of Help Me Grow,” which describes county systems that improve identification and linkage.
Blog Post
Apr 30, 2020
In Sutter County, home visitors focus on basic needs first amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
© 2025 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.