Monday, March 6, 2006
Commission Meeting
 
6:00 p.m.
Maple Hall, 1 Alvarado Square, San Pablo

Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Program and Evaluation Committee
 
1:30 p.m.
1340 Arnold Dr., Suite 125, Conference Room, Martinez

Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Literacy: Keys to Building Success
 
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
First Baptist Church
1802 Alhambra Avenue, Martinez
Martinez Adult Education is offering free workshops for parents on brain development and the benefits of reading with young children. Participants will receive a free book on brain development. Workshops will also take place March 14, March 21, and March 28. Contact 925-228-3726 ext. 241 to enroll.

Friday, March 10, 2006
Topics in Mental Health
 
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church
3415 Barrett Avenue, Richmond
The fourth lecture in Early Childhood Mental Health’s lecture series will feature Dr. Intisar Shareef, the co-chair of the Early Childhood Education Department at Contra Costa College. Dr. Shareef’s lecture is titled “Peaceful Babies, Contented Caregivers: My view of the Pikler Method.” To reserve a space, contact 510-287-5708.

Saturday, March 18, 2006
Food Consciousness and Awareness Fair
 
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Rollingwood Community Center
2395 Greenwood Drive, San Pablo
In honor of National Nutrition Month, the Perfectly Babies Foundation is hosting a free Fair to promote healthy eating habits for young children. The Fair is sponsored by a First 5 Family-Friendly Community Grant. For more information, contact 510-234-3922.

Saturday, April 1, 2006
Parent Conference on Autism
 
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Outpatient Center
747 52nd Street, Oakland.
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. 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. Contact Betsy Katz at the CARE Parent Network to request a registration form: (925) 313-0999 ext. 102.

Saturday, April 15, 2006
Multicultural Family Fair
 
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Ellis Lake Park
Between Clayton and Ellis, Concord
First 5’s Central County Regional Group is hosting their third annual Multicultural Family Fair. Carnival games, arts and crafts, parent information booths, and children’s entertainment will be offered. Click here to sign-up for a booth at the Fair.

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.

3/5/06:
Rona’s Book Club – Raising Cain: The Emotional Life of Boys

3/12/06:
Using Stories to Explore the World

3/19/06:
The Doctor Is In

3/26/06:
Children with Autism

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.

3/5/06:
Preventing and Treating Excess Weight and Obesity in Nuestros Niños

3/12/06:
Gangs and Juvenile Delinquency: Dangers and Problems for Nuestros Niños

3/19/06:
Facilitating the Educational Transitions of Nuestros Niños from Immigrant and Migrant Families

3/16/06:
United We Stand: Teaching Nuestros Niños that "It can be Done!"

On behalf of all of us at First 5 Contra Costa, I want to thank John Cullen for his tremendous contribution to our Commission over the last six years. As you may know, John is starting his new job as Contra Costa’s County Administrator and will be leaving our Commission this month.

John’s insight, strategic thinking, and uncompromising dedication to improving the lives of young children and families have made a lasting contribution to the Commission, our funded programs, and our community. We know he will continue to support Contra Costa’s children and wish him the best in his new endeavor. Commission meetings just won’t be the same without his thoughtfulness and entertaining sense of humor. Thank you John!

And as we say goodbye to John, please join me in welcoming four newly elected officers: Joe Valentine is our new Chair, Cheri Molnar is the Vice-Chair, John Jones our Secretary/Treasurer, and Mary Foran will serve in the newly created Ex Officio position.

- Sean Casey, Acting Executive Director

• First 5 Contra Costa’s 2004-2005 Evaluation is now available!
• The March program calendars for the Bay Point, Concord, and Delta First 5 Centers are available online.
• We are still taking comments on the countywide Preschool Makes A Difference Plan. Click here to review the plan and provide feedback.
• Free tax help is still available for low-income workers.

First 5 Contra Costa is offering a total of $200,000 to support Family-Friendly Community Grants and Ready, Set, Read Grants.

Family-Friendly Community Grants up to $10,000 are available for community groups and nonprofit organizations to conduct playground improvement projects, 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.

Ready, Set, Read Grants up to $3,000 are available for nonprofit organizations, public libraries, or adult school programs to purchase books and/or conduct family literacy projects. A collaboration of at least 3 public libraries may apply for up to $10,000.

Applicants who have not received either grant within the last two years must attend a mandatory Information Workshop in order to apply. Click here for Workshop information and to review the applications.

	Parent Ambassador Norma Garcia receives an award from Senator Tom Torlakson.

240 East County parents attended the third annual “Preparing Kids 4 Kindergarten” Fair coordinated by the Pittsburg Unified School Readiness Program.

Parents were welcomed by Senator Tom Torlakson, Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier, and Pittsburg Mayor Michael Kee. Senator Torlakson presented an award to Pittsburg’s Parent Ambassador program, which helps to distribute First 5’s Tigo Early Learning Kit.

The Fair provided workshops and information to help parents better prepare their children for kindergarten. Most of the attending parents did not yet have a child in grade school. Parents also received help locating available services and resources from the 20 community agencies who provided information on health, safety, early education, parenting, and other local services.

Congratulations to the Pittsburg School Readiness program on their very successful event.

More than 100 representatives from 21 First 5 Commissions participated in “It’s All About the Kids Day” in Sacramento last month. Organized by the Southern First 5 Region, the day was a chance for First 5 representatives to update their elected officials on the various ways First 5s are improving the lives of children locally and throughout the state.

Besides meeting with their local elected officials, participants heard remarks by Assemblymember Sharon Runner, R Lancaster, and key legislative consultants including Brian Figenshow, from the newly-created Senate Committee on Children, Youth and Families.

The luncheon keynote address was given by State Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Montebello, chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, and author of SB 437, which expands Healthy Families eligibility up to 300 percent of federal poverty level for children up to age 18.

Sen. Escutia, who terms out at the end of this year, received a standing ovation from the audience when she recounted her landmark efforts to take junk food out of public schools.

In an effort to provide resources and support for families with autistic children, We Care Services has launched the Autism Family Support Project. The new program offers monthly groups covering topics that autistic children and families are dealing with daily. The program alternates between family play dates, designed to incorporate the entire family, and parent groups, designed just for adults.

The first family play date is taking place March 14, 2006 from 4:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Concord’s Pump It Up play area. Contact the program’s coordinator, Nicole Sanders to sign up or for more information: 925-671-0777 ext. 53.

And don’t miss Nicole on the March 26th Childhood Matters show. Nicole will be one of the guests featured on a show about autism. Childhood Matters airs Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on 98.1 KISS-FM.

A study released last month by the Dental Health Foundation found that by third grade, almost two-thirds of California children have dental disease, making it the most prevalent children’s health problem in the state.

The study, which surveyed more than 21,000 kindergarten and third graders during the 2004-2005 school year, found that more than one-quarter of children screened had untreated dental decay, meaning that as many as 750,000 elementary school children around the state may need dental care. The study also compared California’s prevalence of tooth decay on a national scale, finding that out of 25 states surveyed, California ranked second highest in prevalence of tooth decay.

To access the survey, visit www.dentalhealthfoundation.org.

The Delta First 5 Center will be offering a “Little Smiles” Dental Class March 16th, 23rd, and 30th from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Sign up by calling (925) 516-3880.

First 5 Contra Costa’s East County Regional Group is hosting their fifth annual “Week of the Young Child” Fair on April 1, 2006 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Fair will take place at Small World Park in Pittsburg, located at 2551 Harbor Street.

Free activities include arts and crafts, a petting zoo, raffle and prizes, children’s entertainment, Clifford the Big Red Dog, face painting and clowns, a jumpee structure, music, and parent information booths.

There is no admission fee to enter the park and all rides are free. For more information, please contact (925) 335-9991 ext. 38.

Free visual arts, sports and music classes offered by the YMCA and the Fine Arts Preschool are now available for children ages 2 to 5 and their families. The classes include singing to encourage speech development, telling and making up stories to promote early literacy skills, dancing and sports to strengthen large motor skills and painting to develop fine motor skills. Classes are taking place from March 6, 2006 through April 21, 2006 in Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Danville, and Martinez. To sign-up, contact the YMCA at (925) 755-9622.

Visual and performing arts for West County children, ages 3 to 5, will start April 21, 2006 and run for six weeks. Classes are provided by the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts and the Richmond Arts Center. The program also provides workshops for parents on fostering creative development in their children. Parents can sign-up now by calling (510) 234-5624 ext. 20.

Supervisor Gayle Uilkema recently appointed Belinda Lucey to the Commission representing District II. Ms. Lucey has more than 26 years of preschool and elementary school teaching experience. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from San Francisco State University. Ms. Lucey has taught several courses in early childhood development at Los Medanos, Diablo Valley, and Las Positas community colleges.

What was your favorite book as a child?
I loved the “Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy Stories”, although they were old even when I was a child!

What fictional character do you most relate to? Why?
Nancy Drew made a strong impression on me when I was growing up in the 50’s. She was smart, fearless, and stepped outside the traditional female role.

What food did you refuse to eat when you were a child?
Lima beans.

Which living person do you most admire?
I most admire my mother. At 90 she continues to think first of others and has always had such a positive attitude about life.

What is the trait you most admire in others?
I most admire people who are empathetic and can understand other points of view.

What would make Contra Costa a better place for kids?
We need to provide more support for parents and families. It is incumbent on both government and business to be more family friendly.

Maria received a call from Lucy, a home visitor with Contra Costa Health Services’ Prenatal Care Guidance (PCG), after she went to the doctor for a pregnancy test. Lucy then helped Maria enroll in prenatal care, sign-up for health insurance, and provided child development and health information. She even helped Maria find donated baby clothes and a stroller.

PCG serves low-income, Medi-Cal-eligible pregnant women and their babies (up to 15-months of age). Women must be pregnant at the time of referral.

PCG's primary goal is to help pregnant women obtain early and continued prenatal care. First 5 Contra Costa allocated $450,000 this year to the PCG program for home visiting services.

Last year, 77% of PCG’s clients started prenatal care early and nearly 100% of the children served were up-to-date on immunizations and well-baby doctor’s visits and had health insurance.

Maria says the best thing about the program is that Lucy is such a good listener. Maria’s healthy baby boy – 9.4 pounds! – was born last November.

For more information about PCG, click here.