© 2025 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.
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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).
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.
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.
The First 5 Center for Children’s Policy team is excited to announce new projects and partnerships.
First 5 Center for Children’s Policy has new blog posts exploring how COVID-19 is affecting families due to changes in home visiting, early intervention, and preventive care.
A recent poll found more than two-thirds of California's parents of young children are worried about their families' mental health. As such, interventions like Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMH) are more critical than ever.
This brief describes the impacts of parent emotional health concerns on infants and toddlers, the programs that can support new parents, and recommendations on how the State can increase access.
© 2025 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.