Monday, July 10, 2006
Commission Meeting
 
6:00 p.m.
50 Douglas Drive, Second Floor Conference Room
Martinez

Monday, July 24, 2006
Executive Committee
 
9:00 a.m.
1340 Arnold Dr., Suite 125, Conference Room, Martinez

Saturday, July 29, 2006
Children’s Art and Literacy Festival
 
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Contra Costa Child Care Council
1035 Detroit Avenue, Concord
Enjoy activities for all ages including a puppet show, storytelling, face painting, book making, and hands-on art activities.

The Commission will not hold an August meeting.

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.

7/2/06:
Media’s Influence on Toddlers through Teens

7/9/06:
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

7/16/06:
Children’s Racial and Ethnic Identity

7/23/06:
Rona’s Bookclub: Dads and Daughters by Joe Kelly

7/30/06:
Why Children Cry

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.

7/2/06:
Constructive and Fun Activities for Nuestros Niños this Summer

7/9/06:
From the Field to the Body of Nuestros Niños: Fruits, Vegetables, Toxins and Pesticides

7/16/06:
Is it Child Abuse When Domestic Violence Hurts Nuestros Niños?

7/23/06:
Teaching and Helping Nuestros Niños to Prevent Accidents and Cope with Toilet-Training and other Bathroom Use Problems

7/30/06:
How to Discipline Nuestros Niños by Setting Limits

Mary Foran recently announced that she is retiring from her position as Contra Costa Health Services' Assistant Health Director in August. Mary, who is a founding member of our Commission, will be stepping down from the Commission when she retires.

We are so grateful for Mary's significant contribution to our work over the last seven years. She leaves her mark in the design of many of our strategies, where she has always pushed us to think clearly and analytically how our work will improve services for families and children. She was instrumental in developing our strategic plan, she has devoted many hours to developing our home visiting collaboration, and she has served on numerous subcommittees and ad hoc committees over the years. We will miss her contribution to our efforts.

We wish Mary the best and thank her for her insight, compassion, and commitment to ensuring that Contra Costa's young children reach their greatest potential. Her dedication and expertise has created a solid foundation for young children's programs that will endure for years to come. Thank you Mary!

- Sean Casey, Acting Executive Director

• The television series A Place of Our Own and Los Niños en Su Casa are now airing daily on KQED starting at 5:00 a.m. The shows provide parents and caregivers with valuable information to help children acquire cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills, as well as nurture language and literacy development. Learn more at www.aplaceofourown.org.
  
  
• A new policy paper written by Stanford University’s National Scientific Council on the Developing Child lays out the scientific basis for why helping all kids have the best early experiences is good economic policy. The gist of the paper is this: what kids need is a secure relationship with adults who adore them. Read more.

A state Senate Committee recently approved a bill that would allow law enforcement to stop drivers who smoke in their cars with children present. If the bill becomes a law, smokers could face a $100 fine. The bill only applies to children six and under who are secured in a safety seat.

The bill was approved just days after the US Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona issued a report concluding that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. The finding is of major public health concern because nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke exposure can cause heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults and is a known cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory problems, ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children, the report finds.

The bill, AB379, passed the Assembly and still needs to be approved by the Senate and signed by the Governor. Track the bill here.

This year’s Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Contra Costa campaign helped low-income workers claim more than $2.3 million in tax credits and refunds. More than 100 volunteers participated in the program to provide free tax preparation for nearly 2,000 low-income Contra Costa families and individuals.

The campaign is sponsored by the Family Economic Security Partnership, which includes Contra Costa Health Services, Employment and Human Services, United Way of the Bay Area, First 5 Contra Costa, IRS and several foundations. For more information or to volunteer for the 2007 campaign, contact campaign manager Lloyd Madden at 925-313-1736

Child care providers from 240 different licensed child care programs in Contra Costa County will go shopping on First 5 Contra Costa’s dime at the fourth Annual Ready, Set, Read Child Care Literacy Fair. First 5 Contra Costa will allocate a total of $120,000 in “First 5 bucks” for providers to purchase high quality children’s books and developmentally appropriate toys from a range of vendors. Each site receives $500.

Before the shopping spree, providers will attend a 90-minute workshop on topics such as developing literacy in infants and toddlers and engaging children with special needs in early literacy. Participants were selected using a lottery system.

The West County Regional Group of First 5 Contra Costa is planning their fifth annual Super Saturday Family Fest, a free resource fair providing fun activities for children and valuable information for parents. The event will take place on October 14, 2006 from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Richmond Civic Center. The West County Regional Group has partnered with the City of Richmond and the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program to coordinate the festival. Last year’s Super Saturday drew nearly 3,000 people.

Volunteers are needed to help plan the event and for day-of activities. To sign-up, call (925) 335-9991 ext. 12. If you’re interested in having a booth at Super Saturday, look for the application on the home page of our Web site. Applications are due September 1, 2006.

The Contra Costa Child Care Council is celebrating 30 years of providing leadership in promoting and advancing quality child care and early education. Thirty years ago, there were just a dozen people keeping track of child care providers with a box of index cards. Now the Contra Costa Child Care Council has close to 100 employees in five different offices throughout the county and helps 30,000 families each year through a variety of programs and services.

“It is gratifying to know that we have touched so many lives," says Executive Director Kate Ertz-Berger. “It continues to be an emotionally rewarding experience to meet working parents who are so thankful to have found child care solutions through the Council.”

In honor of their anniversary, the Child Care Council is sponsoring a Children’s Art and Literacy Festival, Saturday July 29th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 1035 Detroit Avenue in Concord. Enjoy free activities for all ages including a puppet show, storytelling, face painting, book making, and hands-on art activities. For more information, contact (925) 676-5442.

Sixty families were honored by the Monument Community First 5 Center for their ongoing participation in center activities, such as the Tigo early learning class and music class. Each parent and child received a “graduation” certificate. The event began with a parade of marching children flying the flags they made in art class, followed by a demonstration of their music and movement class.

“This center has helped my son to be more social and is helping him to get ready for kindergarten,” said Mary Wong, who takes both her son and daughter to the center. “Both of my children find it really fun and helpful. It seems just like a big family.”

For more information about the Center, contact (925) 671-3268.

Commissioner Joan Means, representing District IV, has worked in the field of early childhood education for over thirty years, first as a preschool director and most recently as a college instructor at Diablo Valley and Solano Community Colleges. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Child Development from the University of California at Davis and a master’s in Early Childhood Education from Syracuse University. Ms. Means is an avid camper and hiker.

What was your favorite book as a child?
My favorite book as a kid was actually a collection of stories written by Oscar Wilde that my mom read to me in Czech! This was my first spoken language.

What food did you refuse to eat when you were a child?
As a child I know that I LOVED oatmeal because my mom put powdered cocoa on it! I was pretty picky about green veggies, but love all of them now!

Which living person do you most admire?
The first person that comes to mind is Al Gore! Maybe because of his new movie and the effort he and others are making to give all of us a better, safer and healthier planet to live on.

What would make Contra Costa a better place for kids?
I feel fortunate to be a Commissioner for First 5 Contra Costa. It gives me the opportunity to make changes that can really benefit the lives of local children and families. Our county will be a better place when well-educated and well-paid early childhood educators are recognized, respected and valued for the most important work they do every day: educate the next generation!

What is your motto?
My father once told me that you cannot complain about the state of things until you are ready and willing to step in and try to change them.

First 5 Contra Costa’s new Professional Development Program (PDP) is making it easier than ever before for local child care providers to further their education and provide higher-quality child care for Contra Costa’s youngest learners. After all, research shows that providers with bachelor's degrees in early childhood education tend to provide higher quality child care to young children.

The Program offers child care providers funding and support, which includes:

• Scholarships for College Classes: First 5 Contra Costa has awarded nearly 150 scholarships up to $350 to providers working toward earning their bachelor’s degrees at community colleges. Nearly 30 percent of providers have received more than one scholarship and community college instructors have reported that classes are full.
  
  
• Financial Stipends: 136 providers have received financial stipends for advancing their education and training in the last year. These providers are becoming more qualified and better prepared to help young children learn.
  
  
• Free Classes, Tutoring and Academic Advising: Contra Costa’s three community colleges are offering more support to help child care providers reach their academic goals. Special provider-only classes and tutoring are helping providers, particularly family child care and Spanish-Speaking providers, move closer toward obtaining a bachelor’s degree. And each college has hired a new academic advisor to work specifically with child care professionals returning to school.
  
  
• New Four-Year Degrees: California State University, East Bay, with funding from First 5 Contra Costa, will launch two new four-year degrees for early childhood professionals – the first four-year degrees in Early Childhood Development to be offered by a public university in Contra Costa County. Classes will start this fall at Cal State’s Concord campus and at Contra Costa Community College.

For more information about the PDP, contact Debi Silverman (925) 335-9991 ext. 33 or click here.