Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Program and Evaluation Committee
 
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
1340 Arnold Dr., Suite 125, Conference Room, Martinez

Monday, August 13, 2007
Executive Committee
 
9:30 a.m.
1340 Arnold Dr., Suite 125, Conference Room, Martinez

Saturday, August 18, 2007
Brookside Community Health Center
Healthy Eating-Healthy Living Fair
 
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
2023 Vale Road, San Pablo This fair will provide information about diabetes and asthma and other ways to keep your family healthy.

Monday, September 10, 2007
Commission Meeting
 
6:00 p.m.
50 Douglas Drive, Second Floor Conference Room Martinez

Saturday, September 15, 2007
Antioch First 5 Center Grand Opening
 
10:30 a.m.
512 West 5th Street, Antioch Celebrate the grand opening of the Antioch First 5 Center. For more information contact: (925) 757-5303.

October 5, 2007
Creating Responsive Systems for Children Exposed to Domestic Violence
 
8:00 a.m.
Walnut Creek Marriott Hotel
A professional development conference exploring emerging practices, policies and innovations on children exposed to domestic violence. Topics include fatherhood and male leadership, cultural dynamics, child custody, and new prevention models. Contact (925) 335-1092 for more information or visit www.contracostazt.org.

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.

8/5/07:
Breastfeeding Your Baby

8/12/07:
Using Stories to Help Children Understand Their World

8/19/07:
The Transition to School

8/26/07:
Black Infant Health

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.

8/5/07:
Breastfeeding: Benefits, Complications, Solutions, and Options for Nuestros Niños and Families

8/12/07:
Peace at Home, in the Neighborhood, and in the World Today and Tomorrow: Teaching Nuestros Niños to Solve Conflicts in Non-Violent Ways

8/19/07:
Discipline!: How to Promote Respect and Responsibility in Nuestros Niños with Awareness, Patience, and Consistency

8/26/07:
Nuestros Niños Ready for School: Teaching Them to Manage Their Emotions, Impulses, and Conduct

In June, First 5 Contra Costa recognized 200 child care programs in several full-page Contra Costa Times ads who had staff complete college coursework and training in early childhood education, both significant indicators of quality child care.

First 5 Contra Costa, through the Professional Development Program, provided college scholarships and $400,000 in financial incentives, a new BA program at Cal State East Bay in Concord, and free classes, tutoring, and academic advising on community college campuses to help these child care providers reach their educational goals. With this support, child care providers are enrolling in college like never before and meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse population of families.

It is remarkable to see how invested local institutions of higher education have become in developing the current child care workforce and educating our next generation of child care professionals.

In fact, in the last year alone, more than 800 child care providers participated in the Professional Development Program. Fewer than half of these participants held a two-year degree or higher and 25% worked in family child care. Nearly all providers surveyed felt that they provided higher quality care as a result of their participation in the PDP.

Despite their extremely long and exhausting work days, these providers are investing the time and energy to provide our county’s children with the best possible care. Congratulations to all of you. As the ad says, these educators are “more qualified and better prepared to help children learn.”

Find out more about the PDP by clicking here.

- Sean Casey, Executive Director

• Click here to find programs and services happening at the Antioch, Bay Point, Delta, Monument, and West County First 5 Centers.
  
  
• Children Now’s 2007 County Data Book is now available. It provides county-level statistics about California children's health, education, family economics and child welfare. Click here for information about how children are doing in Contra Costa County.
  
  
• Highlights of the Preschool Makes a Difference Strategic Plan are now available in English and Spanish.
  
  
• Dental disease, including untreated cavities, is the most common chronic and infectious disease among children in Contra Costa County and nationwide. Despite some improvements in access to care, the epidemic continues with many children still needing oral health treatment, according to a new report released by Contra Costa Health Services' Children’s Oral Health Program.
  
  
• First 5 Contra Costa is hiring! Please click here to view several available job openings.

According to a recent Children Now report, Contra Costa County is a leader in the state for enrolling children in preschool. Despite this accolade, 43 percent of local children are not enrolled and are entering kindergarten without the emotional, intellectual and social skill benefits a preschool environment provides.

But, nearly 180 Contra Costa children will have an easier time starting kindergarten this fall thanks to their participation in summer pre-kindergarten programs held at seven elementary school sites in Pittsburg, Richmond and San Pablo. These free summer programs, made possible by First 5 Contra Costa in partnership with the Pittsburg and West Contra Costa Unified School Districts, provided classroom experiences for 4- and 5-year-olds who had not attended preschool to help them enter school more confidently.

Children participating in the programs met their future teachers, took tours of their new school, practiced lining up and taking turns, engaged in story time and singing, and practiced number, shape and color recognition. Parents of enrolled children volunteered in the classroom and attended workshops on school readiness activities they could do together with their children.

Tambra Harck may not have had a TV crew following her around, but she did rally a group of dedicated volunteers for a Not-So-Extreme-Make-Over Event at the Antioch First 5 Center last weekend. Volunteers spent two days brandishing paint brushes, sewing curtains, washing windows and spiffing up the yard of the recently remodeled building at 512 W. 5th Street in downtown Antioch.

The Make-Over Event follows months of extensive remodeling and the addition of a Community Room and Children’s Developmental Play Room at the Center. Ms. Harck designed Theme Rooms such as a Garden Party Community Room, a Latin American Entry, African Passage Hallways and a Playful Play Room. “The volunteers had a great time turning this Center into a special place where children and families can learn and grow,” said Ms. Harck.

A Grand Opening and Dedication of the Antioch First 5 Center will be held on September 15, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. with an open house, family activities and ice cream social to follow.

Childhood Matters host Rona Renner has become a frequent quest on ABC Channel 7’s “View from the Bay.” Rona appears on the program twice a month to share important parenting information, such as kindergarten readiness, positive ways to discipline, and information about child temperament.

Click here to watch clips of Rona’s latest appearance.

Child care providers from 220 different licensed child care programs in Contra Costa County will go shopping this weekend on First 5 Contra Costa’s dime at the fifth Annual Ready, Set, Read Child Care Literacy Fair. First 5 Contra Costa has allocated a total of $120,000 in “First 5 bucks” for providers to purchase high quality children’s books and toys from a range of vendors. Each site receives $500.

Before the shopping spree, providers will attend workshops on the importance of early literacy. Participants were selected using a lottery system, with priority going to first-time participants.

The West County Regional Group of First 5 Contra Costa is planning their sixth 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 13, 2007 from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Kennedy Park 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 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, click here for the application form, which is due August 24, 2007.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month and parents are likely to receive an abundance of information about the importance of vaccinations. However, many parents may still be unsure about the benefits vaccines offer their children. Here are some common myths associated with vaccines and useful facts to help parents make the right decision for their children.

Fiction: Vaccines could hurt, not help my child.
Fact: The benefits of vaccines outnumber the slight pain some children experience. Vaccines help fight off diseases by building immunity to specific viruses. If your child is introduced to a full version of a disease and has not been vaccinated, his or her immune system can become overwhelmed, often resulting in serious illnesses.

Fiction: Vaccines are not necessary for my child.
Fact: By law, children need to be vaccinated to protect against disease. The California School Immunization Law requires children to have certain vaccines by the time they enter kindergarten. Often, child care providers and preschools also require vaccinations before enrollment.

Click here to continue reading.

Kathy Lafferty, an Alternate Commissioner representing District 4, has served as the Executive Director of Cambridge Community Center for the last 13 years. She has more than 22 years as a teacher or administrator in publicly and privately funded child development programs, as well as several years as a licensed family child care provider. Ms. Lafferty is currently the chair of the Contra Costa County Local Planning Council for Children.

What was your favorite book as a child?
It's a toss up between “Black Beauty” and “Little Women”.

What food did you refuse to eat when you were a child?
I wish I remember refusing any food! (Well - I think I refused jalapeños as a child.)

Who are your heroes?
My Dad (now deceased) is my hero for overcoming so much as a child, for being a good and honest attorney, loving husband and father, and for the humility and dignity with which he accepted the disability and pain that lasted the last ten years of his life. My son is just like him and also a hero to me. My Grandma Kennedy was a hero for the joy she found in her children and grandchildren, and her love of play and fun. She was also a bastion of good old common sense.

Which historical person do you most admire?
I admire Jesus Christ, and next, Abraham Lincoln.

What would make Contra Costa a better place for kids?
Contra Costa would be a better place for kids if the entire community truly put them first - in planning, in funding priorities, in creating environments for all families that are safe, clean and nurturing. If we truly acted like we believe "Children are our Future", taxes and fees that support educational and health services for all children (from birth) would pass by a landslide.

What is your motto?
Be true to yourself, so you can be true to all others.

Violence in a child’s life can have negative effects that last throughout life. That’s why Concord’s Monument Community First 5 Center provides local families with an eight-week violence prevention workshop called “Parents Raising Safe Kids” designed to help parents learn how to raise children to avoid violence in their lives.

“The purpose of the parent series is to prevent violence by providing young children with positive role models and environments that teach nonviolent problem-solving,” said Ruth Rodriguez, program director of the Monument Community First 5 Center. “Children learn by observing and imitating those around them. Violence prevention begins early in life.”

Nearly fifty parents with children ages five and younger have completed the training, which is based on the American Psychological Association’s ACT Against Violence Training Program. The program covers topics such as child development, the effects of violence on children, and skills for prevention, including anger management, social problem-solving, positive discipline practices and reducing the influence of media on children.

“Our program is completely voluntary and both parents attend,” said Ruth Rodriguez. “Some of the parents are now even looking into starting Neighborhood Watch programs.”

For Andres Rodriguez, the father of two-year-old and two-month-old girls, the program changed the way he communicates with his daughters. “I learned how to interact with my two-year-old when she’s having a temper tantrum at the store, how to listen to my baby’s different cries, and most of all, how to be a patient dad,” said Rodriguez.

Before he participated in the training, Rodriguez said that he spent most of his free time playing soccer with his friends. Now, he says, family is the most important thing to him. “I play with my daughter all the time and she loves me even more,” said Rodriguez. “It’s funny, when you buy a new car you get an instruction manual, but there’s no manual when you have a baby. This class was like the instruction manual I was looking for on how to be a good parent.” Julia Silva, the national director of the ACT Against Violence Training Program, will visit with families at the Monument Community First 5 Center on August 16th to discuss violence prevention strategies for Latino families.

Contract Ruth Rodriguez for more information about the “Parents Raising Safe Kids” program: (925) 671-3268.