Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Program and Evaluation Committee
 
1:00 p.m.
1340 Arnold Dr., Suite 125, Conference Room, Martinez.

Saturday, February 25, 2006
School Readiness Fair
 
9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Martin Luther King Preschool
950 El Pueblo Avenue Pittsburg (use California Avenue entrance) The Pittsburg Unified School Readiness Program is hosting their third annual “Preparing Kids 4 Kindergarten” Fair.

Saturday, April 1, 2006
Week of the Young Child Fair
 
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Small World Park
2551 Harbor Street, Pittsburg
The East County Regional Group of First 5 Contra Costa is planning their fifth annual Week of the Young Child Fair, a free parent resource fair providing fun activities for children and valuable information for parents. Volunteers are needed to help plan the event and for day-of activities. To sign-up, call (925) 335-9991 ext. 38.

Childhood Matters schedule
 
Tune in to Childhood Matters Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on 98.1 KISS-FM
for parenting information and advice. Visit
www.childhoodmatters.org
to learn more and listen to past shows.

2/5/06:
Pre-natal Care: Taking Care of You and Your Baby

2/12/06:
When Parents Don’t Have Time For Romance

2/19/06:
When A Parent Is In Prison

2/26/06:
Is My Child Developing Normally?

Nuestros Niños Topics
 
Childhood Matters’ Spanish-language counterpart, Nuestros Niños, airs every Sunday at 8:00 a.m. on KLOK Cumbia 1170 AM and KBBF, La Nuestra 89.1 FM.

2/5/06:
Domestic Violence: How Abusive Relationships between the Parents Affect Nuestros Niños

2/12/06:
The Struggles of the Immigrant Family Impact Nuestros Niños, but it can be done!

2/19/06:
Let's Eat Well!: Good Nutrition so Nuestros Niños Grow Healthy

2/16/06:
Nuestros Niños and Computers: Tools for their Education and Recreation, with Precautions!

Congratulations and thank you to all of the participants who have worked so diligently over the last several months to develop the first draft of the Preschool Makes a Difference (PMAD) strategic plan - a countywide plan to implement free, voluntary preschool for all three-to-five-year olds in Contra Costa County (click here for the plan).

Over the last year, with our co-sponsors the Contra Costa Child Care Council and the Contra Costa County Office of Education, we have been working to develop a strategic plan for universal preschool that would be implemented once statewide funding is made available. The planning process was truly a community effort.

More than 80 individuals helped us to develop the plan by participating on a planning team and work groups addressing governance, program standards and quality, workforce development, and access and facilities. The recommendations in the plan reveal the depth of the planning effort that involved the early childhood education community, K-12 representatives, parents, community college representatives, advocates, and parent support organizations.

The draft plan is currently being circulated for community response. Your input is also welcome. Just click here to access a comment card. We will be soliciting feedback on the draft through March and then bring it back to the community this summer.

Please note that this planning effort is not in response to the statewide Preschool for All Initiative that will go before California voters in June. To avoid confusion with the Initiative, we will cease public activities on the PMAD plan from April through June. Once the election is held, the planning team will reconvene to consider its next steps.

Thanks again to the members of the planning team and work groups for all of their hard work.

- Sean Casey, Acting Executive Director

• First 5 Contra Costa’s 2005 Report to the Community is now available!
• The February program calendars for the Antioch, Bay Point, Concord, and Delta First 5 Centers are available online.
• On January 10, 2006, the Governor released his Proposed 2006-07 Budget. The California Budget Project's analysis of the Governor's Budget is available here.
• Click here to find information about how you can prepare children for school—all year long. (En Español)
• The California Air Resources Board has reclassified secondhand smoke as a toxic air pollutant that can lead to serious illness or death after reviewing findings in a California Environment Protection Agency report. The report found clearly established links between exposure to secondhand smoke and a number of adverse health effects, including premature births, low birth-weight babies, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Other effects on children include asthma, and infections of the middle-ear and respiratory system.

The job description for First 5 Contra Costa's new Executive Director is now available. First 5 Contra Costa has retained the services of the 360 Search Group to conduct the Executive Director search. To learn more about this position, or to apply, please visit the 360 Group's website. Interested candidates should apply by March 3, 2006.

First 5 Contra Costa seeks an Executive Director who combines the skills of leader and manager, someone who will be a strong and effective voice for children and who will guide First 5 Contra Costa in its work to help young children grow up healthy and learning. As part of the search process, First 5 Contra Costa sought input from a variety of community stakeholders in identifying the characteristics desired in a new Executive Director.

Licensed child care is only available for one third (34%) of Contra Costa County's children with parents in the labor force, according to the 2005 California Child Care Portfolio, a compilation of California statewide and county-by-county statistics on child care, including child care supply, demand, and cost issues.

Click here for more information on child care supply and demand in Contra Costa County.

The Pittsburg Unified School Readiness Program is hosting their third annual “Preparing Kids 4 Kindergarten” Fair on Saturday, February 25, 2006 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Fair offers parents of children ages 0 to 5 valuable information and resources to help prepare their children for kindergarten. The first 100 registrants will receive a free backpack or duffle bag. Child care, lunch, and Spanish interpretation will be provided. The Fair is taking place at Martin Luther King Children’s Center & Preschool located at 950 El Pueblo Avenue in Pittsburg.

Workshops will be provided on topics such as reading with children, easy learning activities to do at home, kindergarten expectations, helping children to develop social skills, and parent advocacy techniques. In addition, more than 20 child care providers and community agencies will provide information on health, safety, early education, parenting, and other local services. Among the agencies attending are the Family Stress Center, La Clínica, Pittsburg Library, and the Women’s Health Center.

For more information, contact Karan Latimer, District Coordinator: (925) 473-4370.

The CARE Parent Network, Children’s Hospital & Research Center, Oakland, Regional Center of the East Bay and others are sponsoring a parent conference on Autism Saturday, April 1, 2006 from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The conference will take place at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Outpatient Center, located at 747 52nd Street, Oakland.

The conference is for families living in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties who have children from birth to six years old with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Workshops will be offered on treatment options, current research, and how to evaluate the quality of classroom and in-home services. Networking, resource information, and Spanish and Chinese interpretation will be available.

The cost of the conference is $35, with some scholarships available. Contact Betsy Katz at the CARE Parent Network to request a registration form: (925) 313-0999 ext. 102.

In honor of February being Children’s Dental Health Month, First 5 Contra Costa offers the following tips to parents and caregivers on how they can help their children develop healthy oral health habits to protect their teeth for a lifetime:

• Prevent painful Baby Bottle Tooth Decay by not letting your baby fall asleep with a bottle in her mouth.
• Don’t share your toothbrush or eating utensils with your baby. The bacteria in your mouth can cause tooth decay in your child.
• Wipe or brush your baby’s teeth daily, especially after eating, with a clean washcloth or a moist, soft child’s toothbrush, without toothpaste. When your child is about 2 years old, help her brush with a small amount of fluoride toothpaste twice a day.
• Check your baby’s teeth and gums for early tooth decay. Look for spots on the teeth, swelling, bleeding or pimples on the gums.
• Give your child water rather than juice when thirsty. After six months of age, one small serving of juice a day is sufficient.
• Stop bottle-feeding after 12 months. Use training cups instead.
• Once your baby is eating solid foods, limit the number of sweet and sticky foods that she eats. Instead, offer a variety of healthy foods from all of the food groups such as fruits, vegetables and cheeses.
• Schedule a visit to the dentist between ages 1 and 2 and every six months thereafter.
• Ask your dentist about fluoridated drinking water and other ways to protect your child’s teeth.
• Supervise your children while they brush their teeth, making sure they use a small amount of toothpaste and brush thoroughly.
• Show your child how to floss at age 3.

For more information about oral health programs in Contra Costa County, visit www.cchealth.org

Several local children ask parents to protect young ones from the dangers of secondhand smoke in a public service announcement (PSA) making its East County theatrical debut this month in Antioch.

The PSA, produced by Contra Costa Health Services' Promoting Smoke Free Families Project, is playing several times daily at the Regal Cinemas Deer Valley 16 movie theaters, 4200 Lone Tree Way.

"The Promoting Smoke Free Families campaign focuses on the hazards of secondhand smoke for children, especially indoors," said Denice Dennis, program manager of the Tobacco Prevention Project for Contra Costa Health Services. "Secondhand smoke is especially dangerous for children, as their lungs are still developing and the smoke causes decreased lung function."

The 30-second PSA was produced in conjunction with Contra Costa Television (CCTV), the county cable station, and was paid for by First 5 Contra Costa.

"My Mom's My Hero" features four young children speaking briefly about who their heroes are, including mothers who take cigarettes outside to shield their young ones from secondhand smoke. In addition to the four children in the PSA, an adult voice tells viewers, "Until you can quit, make your home smoke free. Protect kids from asthma attacks, ear infections and respiratory illnesses. "Do it for your kids, You're their hero!"

More information about tobacco prevention and the danger of secondhand smoke is available online or by calling 925-313-6214.

Forty local child care programs are on their way to providing the highest quality child care available in Contra Costa County, thanks to the Contra Costa Child Care Council’s Early Learning Demonstration Project (ELDP).

The ELDP works to enhance the quality of early child care centers and family child care homes in Contra Costa by providing grants and technical assistance to help programs meet national quality standards for accreditation. An accredited child care program lets parents know that their child is in a safe, stimulating setting and is receiving the highest quality child care available.

ELDP child care sites receive grants, mentoring and site visits, training on effective teaching practices, facilities improvements, and high-quality early learning materials.

“I am so grateful for the support and financial backing to make the changes to my program that I otherwise would not have been able to accomplish. My child care is now truly professional,” said Kelli Tharpe, operator of the licensed and newly accredited Wee Care Day Nursery in El Sobrante.

“The one-on-one coaching and support from the ELDP helped me to create an optimal early learning environment. Even the parents have noticed,” said Tharpe. “They say their children are more creative and more willing to try new things.”

For more information about the ELDP, contact Rossnina Ruggieri (925) 676-5442 ext. 3114.