© 2026 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.
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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.
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.
This concept paper explores California’s opportunity to improve the health and development of young children by leveraging the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Health Services Initiatives (HSIs).
Before joining the Center, Alexandra was a program officer at First 5 LA. In L.A. she supported local implementation of Help Me Grow, a national model to improve developmental screening rates and s ...
For a child with a developmental delay or disability, timely and accessible intervention services can be critical to that child’s wellbeing, as well as that of her parents or caregivers. COVID-19 has disrupted services for many families, compounding the stress related to changes to employment, child care, and overall routines. As a result, rates of stress, depression, and anxiety during the pandemic are significantly higher in households where a young child has a disability.
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.
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.
© 2026 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.