© 2026 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.
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In Sutter County, home visitors focus on basic needs first amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The First 5 Center for Children’s Policy initiated a qualitative research project involving a series of interviews with 54 First 5s across the state. This paper presents the findings of these interviews and their implications for home visiting in California.
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.
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.
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.
Home visiting and parent education programs of the Child Care Resource Center have been able to continue supporting families and young children during the shelter-in-place orders.
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.
To understand home visitors’ workforce development needs, the First 5 Center for Children’s Policy commissioned ZERO TO THREE to conduct focus groups and surveys with home visitors who had participated in professional development opportunities. This brief explores the three key lessons that emerged from that research.
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.
In this blog we break down some important parts of the Family First Prevention Services Act and its implementation in California to help early childhood leaders understand what the opportunities are.
© 2026 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.