© 2025 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.
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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.
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.
Individual therapy approaches cannot capture the complexity involved as parent, baby, their relationship, their family system, and the culture they are in, all interact. Dyadic therapy, where parent and infant/young child are treated together, addresses all levels of these interacting factors.
Community health workers (CHWs), promotores, and other non-licensed health professionals are frontline public health workers and trusted members of the communities they serve.
The State of California has embarked on multiple efforts over the last few years to transform the way health care is delivered in the Medi-Cal program. These efforts illustrate Governor Newsom’s larger vision for reform, including those that hold promise to improve outcomes for children.
© 2025 First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. All rights reserved.