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February 9 – 15, 2005
National Child Safety
Passenger Week
National Child Passenger Safety Week occurs each year during the week of Valentine’s Day, raising awareness of the importance of safely transporting children. Learn more about safely transporting children, including local car seat safety inspection sites, by visiting
http://www.cc
health.org/topics/child_
safety/passenger_safety.
php or http://www.nhtsa.
com/CPS/index.cfm.
February 26, 2005
9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Second Annual Fair For Parents
Pittsburg’s School Readiness program is offering a daylong conference for parents of children 0 to 5 who reside in Pittsburg. The Fair provides resource booths, early learning materials, and workshops to help parents prepare their children for kindergarten. Child care will be provided. Contact: (925) 473-4370.
March 17, 2005
8:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Ready Child, Ready Systems: A Universal Pre- Kindergarten Forum
Dr. Sharon Lynn Kagan and Dr. Karen Hill Scott will present key issues and dialogue with participants about the value of preschool learning and ways to establish linkages between the Early Childhood Education (ECE) and K-12 systems.
Register now!
Childhood Matters Show Topics
Tune in to Childhood Matters every Sunday from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM on 98.1 KISS FM for information, resources and advice from parenting experts, authors, pediatricians, psychologists, child care providers and more. Log onto
www.childhoodmatters.org
to learn more and listen to past shows.
2/13/05:
Surviving the Loss of a Pregnancy or Child
2/20/05:
Improving the Health of Our Children and Community
2/27/05:
Mindful Parenting
3/06/05:
Sex, Safety and the Pre-Teen: A Special Look At The Issues Facing Kids Ages 9-13
3/13/05:
Art and Brain Development
Nuestros Niños Topics
Childhood Matters’ Spanish-language counterpart, Nuestros Niños, airs every Sunday at 8:00 AM on KLOK Cumbia 1170 AM and KBBF, La Nuestra 89.1 FM.
02/13/05:
Separation and Divorce: Nuestros Niños cope with the challenges.
02/20/05:
Sports: Fostering Nuestros Niños’ Physical, Mental, and Social Development.
02/27/05:
Learning Differences and Learning Disabilities: All children can learn. |
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I’m very excited to introduce you to our new monthly e-newsletter! I hope you find it helpful in keeping you up-to-date on our activities and progress, and on opportunities to join us at meetings or trainings. If you have any questions or suggestions for this newsletter, please contact us at newsletter@firstfivecc.org.
-- Brenda Blasingame, Executive Director |
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| In December, nearly 150 families attended the grand opening celebration of the Far East County Family Resource and Learning Center (FRLC). The Center is located at 760 First Street in Brentwood. It’s one of five new centers that we fund. The Far East FRLC is now offering classes to help parents bond with their children, such as literacy programs, mommy and me groups, and music, art, and enrichment activities. To sign up or find out more about the FRLC, contact (925) 516-3880. |
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| FREE visual arts, movement and music classes offered by the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts and the Richmond Art Center are now available for West County families. A six-week session begins February 11, 2005. Interested parents should call (510) 234-5624 ext. 20. Classes offered by the YMCA and the Fine Arts Preschool are now available for children ages 2 to 5 and their families. Classes run through February 28, 2005 for children living in Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Martinez and San Ramon. Contact (925) 887-4535 or visit www.mdrymca.org to sign-up. |
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| The Contra Costa Child Care Council in partnership with the Contra Costa County Office of Education and First 5 Contra Costa, launched the “Got Units?” campaign to encourage child care providers to return to school and take child development classes. Studies show that high quality child care settings are most likely to be staffed by providers with Bachelors’ degrees. Buttons, t-shirts and written materials with the “Got Units?” slogan will be distributed throughout the county to emphasize the importance of higher education. |
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| The Community Emergency Shelter Task Force, a coalition of housing advocates and nonprofit homeless service providers, has raised the $165,000 in donations needed to keep two family homeless shelters open through June 30, 2005. The Task Force launched the fundraising campaign with a $335,000 challenge grant from us. They met their fundraising goals in just ten weeks, and continue to fundraise for next year. To contribute, contact Meike Wyrauch at (925) 335-0698 ext. 107. |
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| Did you know that in 2002, as much as $15 million in tax credits went unclaimed in Contra Costa County? To help low-income families claim the money, we have collaborated with several organizations to promote the “Earn It! Keep It! Save It!” campaign. Volunteers will provide free help to taxpayers at 12 Volunteer Tax Assistance (VITA) centers throughout the County until April 15th. Fore more information on site locations and hours, call 1-800-358-8832 or visit www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org. Flyers promoting the program are available in English and Spanish. Call (925) 335-991 for copies. Flyers in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Farsi, Russian, and Asian languages) can also be downloaded at www.cchealth.org. |
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New findings from the High/Scope Perry Preschool study show that adults who received high-quality early childhood care and education achieved greater economic and social gains and were less likely to be involved in crime. The long-term findings support existing research that children who attend quality preschool programs do better in school and in life. The study found a return to society of more than $17 for every tax dollar invested in the early education program - roughly $250,000 per participant.
The study randomly assigned low-income 3- and 4-year-olds either to receive high-quality early care and education or to receive no preschool at all and has followed the same groups of children for 40 years. The findings show that those adults who participated in a preschool program in their early years have higher Earnings, are more likely to hold a job, have committed fewer crimes, and are more likely to have graduated from high school. For more information about the study’s major findings, visit www.highscope.org. |
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| Family-Friendly Community Grants are now available! Community groups and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for grants up to $10,000 to conduct projects that benefit children five and younger. Eligible projects include: playgrounds open to the public, festivals, health and safety activities, and projects that improve the environment. Playground projects will be funded up to $10,000. All other projects will be funded up to $5,000. A total of $150,000 is available. Applicants who have not received a grant within the last two years must attend a mandatory Information Workshop in order to apply. Click here for workshop dates. |
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