Saturday, August 6, 2005
The Healthy Kids Family Fun Fest
 
11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
North Richmond Health Clinic parking lot
1535 Third Street, Richmond
Free resource fair with fun activities for kids including a petting zoo, pony rides, tricycle obstacle course, raffles and food. The fair is coordinated by the Brookside Community Involvement Group and funded by a First 5 Family-Friendly Community grant.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Preschool for All Planning:
Work Force Development Work Group
 
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Contra Costa Child Care Council Learning Institute
1035 Detroit Avenue, Concord

Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Preschool for All Planning:
Access/Facilities Work Group
 
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (dinner provided)
Contra Costa Child Care Council Learning Institute
1035 Detroit Avenue, Concord

Thursday, August 18, 2005
Preschool for All Planning:
Governance Work Group
 
8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Contra Costa Child Care Council Learning Institute
1035 Detroit Avenue, Concord

Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Domestic Violence Summit on CCTV
 
10:00 a.m.
CCTV will air the Creating Safe and Bright Futures for Children Exposed to Domestic Violence Summit. National and local experts discuss how to help children exposed to domestic violence grow up safe, healthy, and nurtured. CCTV is Comcast channel 27 and Astound channel 32.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Program and Evaluation Committee
 
12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
First 5 Conference Room
1340 Arnold Drive, Suite 125, Martinez

Thursday, August 25, 2005
Domestic Violence Summit on CCTV
 
6:00 p.m.
See program description above.

Monday, September 12, 2005
Commission Meeting
 
6:00 p.m.
50 Douglas Drive, Martinez

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.

8/07/05:
Get Your Kids Excited About Science

8/14/05:
Rona's Book Club: The Scientist in the Crib with Dr. Alison Gopnik and Dr. Debi Silverman

8/21/05:
The Social, Emotional & Cultural Needs of Pre-Schoolers with
Dr. Paula Moten-Tolson

8/28/05:
Getting Ready for Middle School

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.

8/07/05:
Medios de Comunicación: El Impacto de los Medios en Niños y
Pre-Adolescentes (Media Matters: The Impact of Media on Children and Pre-Teens)

8/14/05:
Leche Materna: Comienzo Saludable para Nuestros Niños (Maternal Milk: Healthy Start for Nuestros Niños)

8/21/05:
El Impacto del Machismo en el Desarrollo de Nuestros Niños y Familias (Machismo and How it Impacts Nuestros Niños and Families)

8/28/05:
De la Primaria a la Intermedia: Qué les Espera a Nuestros Niños y Cómo prepararlos (From Elementary to Middle School: What’s Awaiting Nuestros Niños and How to Prepare Them)

Our third annual Volunteer & Grantee Celebration is coming up in November. At this event, we take time out to celebrate individuals who go above and beyond to improve the quality of life for young children and families in Contra Costa County. We’re now accepting nominations in several categories. Nomination forms are available here and are due by September 23, 2005. Thanks!

-- Brenda Blasingame, Executive Director

• Our very own Dr. Debi Silverman will join Nurse Rona on the August 14th Childhood Matters program. Debi, along with Alison Gopnik, the noted UC Berkeley childhood development expert and author of the best-selling book “The Scientist in the Crib,” will provide practical information about how parents can turn everyday life into school readiness experiences. Listen to the show on 98.1 KISS-FM at 9:00 a.m.
• And don’t miss former Commission member Dr. Paula Moten-Tolson on Childhood Matters the following week. Paula will be on a show titled “The Social, Emotional & Cultural Needs of Pre-Schoolers.”
• The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2005 KIDS COUNT Data Book and Online Database Is Now Available! KIDS COUNT is a national and state-by-state effort to track the health and well being of children in the U.S.
• Find out the latest on our Preschool for All strategic planning efforts by clicking here.

In an effort to ensure young children receive high-quality child care, First 5 Contra Costa recently allocated an additional $1.4 million over the next three years to help increase education opportunities for local child care providers. The funding will enhance First 5’s Professional Development Program (PDP), which offers financial stipends to providers meeting educational and professional goals.

“Research shows that teachers with a bachelor’s degree (BA) in early childhood education or a related field tend to provide higher-quality child care, but going back to school is difficult for many,” said Dr. Debi Silverman, First 5 Contra Costa’s Early Childhood Education Specialist. “The new programs offer additional support to providers as they work toward their bachelor’s and even higher levels of education. Children learn best in stimulating environments with well-trained, well-prepared teachers.“

Beginning this fall, PDP enhancements include mini-grants for books, tuition or field experience. In addition, new Education Advisors will be hired at three local community colleges to help providers set and reach educational goals.

The PDP will continue to offer financial stipends to providers who sign up for and advance on the Child Development Permit Matrix, a credentials program for early care professionals. First 5 will also continue to fund the Early Learning Alliance, which provides activities that promote peer-to-peer professional growth, networking, and public recognition.

“This new program gives providers the support necessary to achieve their educational goals,” said Janice Townsend, professor of early childhood education at Los Medanos College.

To find out more about the new programs soon available for local child care providers, call (925) 335-9991.

The West County Regional Group of First 5 Contra Costa is planning their fourth annual Super Saturday Family Fest, a free parent resource fair providing fun activities for children and valuable information for parents. The event will take place on October 8, 2005 from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Richmond Civic Center (located at 2600 Barrett Avenue in Richmond). 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 2,000 people.

Volunteers are needed to help plan the event and for day-of activities. To sign-up, call (510) 669-0610.

If your agency would like to have a booth at Super Saturday, please complete an application form by September 1, 2005.

Congressman George Miller Welcomes Summit Participants

More than 230 people attended the Creating Safe and Bright Futures Summit last month, which was an effort to educate the community and key leaders of Contra Costa County about the traumatizing impact domestic violence has on children. The summit was sponsored by First 5 Contra Costa, the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence Initiative and the Child Abuse Prevention Council.

Renowned national domestic violence experts presented information on the impact domestic violence has on the early development of children. Congressman George Miller along with representatives from local law enforcement, mental health, the district attorney’s office and domestic violence organizations also participated.

“Domestic violence is like an emotional tsunami in children's lives,” said Marguerite Wright, a senior psychologist at Children's Hospital in Oakland. “It uproots everything in their developmental path.”

In Contra Costa alone, there were 4,037 domestic violence cases reported to law enforcement in 2003, resulting in approximately 1,609 children being affected.

In 2004, the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence Initiative, a multi-jurisdictional partnership to reduce domestic violence and elder abuse in Contra Costa, was awarded a $150,000 two-year planning grant through the Federal Department of Health & Human Services. The grant’s purpose is to diminish the lasting and damaging effects of domestic violence on children and adolescents and to stop the cycles of abuse and intentional injury.

Following this summit, a planning team will continue to develop a coordinated system of prevention, intervention, and treatment programs for children who have witnessed or been exposed to domestic violence. Click here for more information.

Have you seen the Delta First 5 Center lately? It’s now filled with colorful toys, cozy furniture, and hundreds of children’s books and has special areas just for toddlers, dramatic play, and phonics games.

Delta’s classes include Mommy and Me, music and movement, art and sports, parent support groups, tobacco cessation programs, storytimes, movie nights and more. Click here for their August program calendar. All programs are free and for children 0 to 5 years old and their parents.

If you want to find another First 5 Center (we fund five altogether) click here.

West Nile Virus is a disease spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Not all mosquitoes are infected with West Nile Virus and the virus does not spread from person–to–person.

Already mosquitoes and birds in Contra Costa have tested positive for West Nile Virus. You cannot catch the virus from birds.

Most WNV infections produce no symptoms in people or symptoms are mild to moderate. However, the virus can cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and –in rare cases– death.

The virus can strike people of all ages but people over the age of 50 and those with weakened immune systems face the highest risk of becoming seriously ill if infected.

Children are not especially at high risk for West Nile Virus infections but since they are often outside and are prone to being bitten by mosquitoes, steps should be taken to protect them.

Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself and your children:

• Limit time outdoors during dark and dusk.
• If you do go outdoors wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, socks, and a hat.
• Wear light colored clothes, so as not to attract bugs.
• Avoid using scented soaps or other scented products, since the fragrances can attract insects.
• Use an insect repellent that contains DEET– use according to label instructions.
• Fix holes in screens and make sure they are tightly attached to the doors and windows.
• Dump and drain water-holding containers around your house. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as a tablespoon of water.

More information about West Nile Virus is available on the Contra Costa Public Health web site at www.cchealth.org, or by calling 1-888 959-9911.