Monday, September 11, 2006
Commission Meeting
 
6:00 p.m.
50 Douglas Drive, Second Floor Conference Room
Martinez

Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Program and Evaluation Committee
 
1:30 p.m.
1340 Arnold Dr., Suite 125, Conference Room, Martinez

Monday, September 18, 2006
Executive Committee
 
9:00 a.m.
1340 Arnold Dr., Suite 125, Conference Room, Martinez
Executive Committee Meeting

Monday, September 25, 2006
Commission Retreat
 
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Embassy Suites Hotel
1345 Treat Blvd., Walnut Creek
Parking will be validated

Saturday, October 14, 2006
Super Saturday Family Fest
 
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Richmond Civic Center
2600 Barrett Avenue
First 5 Contra Costa’s West County Regional Group is hosting its fifth annual Super Saturday,
a free fun-filled event that offers valuable information for parents on health and safety, parenting, finding child care, nutrition and more. Free children’s activities include arts and crafts, a petting zoo, prizes, children’s entertainment, face painting, a jumpee structure, carnival games, and storytelling.

Monday, November 6, 2006
Fourth Annual Volunteer & Grantee Celebration
 
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Pleasant Hill Community Center
Save the Date!

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.

9/3/06:
Choosing Child Care

9/10/06:
The Doctor Is In!

9/17/06:
Helping Children with Transitions

9/24/06:
Language and Speech Development

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.

9/3/06:
Alcoholism in Women has an Impact on Nuestros Niños

9/10/06:
Fostering in Nuestros Niños Knowledge and Appreciation of their Latin American Roots

9/17/06:
Speech, Language and Communication Problems: Obstacles to Nuestros Niños' Development

9/24/06:
Nuestros Niños Can Indeed Pursue College: Barriers and Bridges to their Educational Success

A new study released last month by First 5 California, UC Berkeley and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network found that low salaries, high turnover and an aging workforce of early care and education (ECE) providers threaten the quality of child care in California.

Research shows that providers with bachelor’s degrees tend to provide higher quality care. According to the study, only one in four early care teachers statewide has a bachelor’s degree or higher. And many of the most experienced teachers -- those with a bachelor’s degree or higher -- are more likely to be over age 50 and approaching retirement.

The study confirms what we have known in Contra Costa for some time: ECE providers need more resources, incentives, and professional development opportunities to meet their educational and professional goals. That’s why First 5 Contra Costa has been offering ECE providers scholarships for college classes, financial stipends, and free classes, tutoring and academic advising through our new Professional Development Program (PDP).

This fall, with funding from First 5 Contra Costa, California State University, East Bay will launch a new four-year degree in Early Childhood Development -- making a bachelor’s degree much more accessible for Contra Costa’s ECE providers. We want as many providers as possible to take advantage of these professional development programs, especially those caring for children in communities with low-performing schools.

The new PDP and the four-year degree are steps in the right direction to ensure Contra Costa’s young children receive high-quality child care.

- Sean Casey, Executive Director

• Click here to find programs and services happening at the Monument and Delta First 5 Centers this month.
  
  
• First 5 Contra Costa’s annual Commission retreat is taking place September 25, 2006 in Walnut Creek (see calendar for more information). We will hear from our evaluators and review progress implementing our strategic plan. Join us!
  
  
• Job opening: First 5 Contra Costa is looking for a part-time Early Childhood Program Trainer. Learn more.
  
  
• The Contra Costa Child Care Council’s Inclusion Project is offering free workshops for parents and providers. Click here for more information.

Last month, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors named our Commission Chair, Joe Valentine, the new director of the Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD). Valentine is currently the director of the Contra Costa Community Services Department, which the Board voted to merge with EHSD.

The YMCA of the East Bay Infant and Toddler Program, located at Richmond High School, just received confirmation that it has successfully received accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The center serves children of teen parents attending Richmond High.

The center has been participating in the Contra Costa Child Care Council’s Early Learning Demonstration Project (ELDP), which provides grants and support to help child care centers and family child care homes move toward or achieve national accreditation. An accredited child care program lets parents know that their child is in a safe, stimulating setting and receiving the highest quality child care available. The goal of ELDP is to increase the quality of child care in the county, especially in low-income neighborhoods.

The Infant and Toddler Program at Richmond High is the eighth site to achieve accreditation through the ELDP. Seven additional sites are awaiting final visits from NAEYC, while another 16 will successfully graduate from ELDP this year in anticipation of NAEYC site visits.

Call Rossnina Ruggieri to learn more about the ELDP: (925) 676-5442.

	Orlando finds his new desk at Riverside’s orientation

The West Contra Costa School Readiness Program hosted a series of kindergarten orientations for incoming students and their parents last month to help children have an easier transition to kindergarten. The orientations were a chance for parents and children to meet their kindergarten teachers, take a tour of the school, and learn more about school policies and procedures.

Parents also received tips for helping their child be more prepared on the first day of kindergarten. Find the tips here.

The orientation held at Riverside Elementary School was featured in the West County Times. Read about it here.

First 5 Contra Costa has allocated approximately $100,000 to provide free arts enrichment classes for children ages 3 to 5 years old throughout the county.

The YMCA and the Fine Arts Preschool are offering arts and sports classes in Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Danville, and Walnut Creek. Parents should sign up now for a four-week session. The sessions take place weekly from September 18th through October 13th and October 20th through November 17th.

Contact (925) 943-5899 ext. 471 for more information.

The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts is providing free interactive two-hour performing and visual art workshops. The fall session runs Fridays from September 22nd until November 10th from 9:30-11:30. The session will take place at the Richmond Coronado YMCA in Richmond. Caregivers must be present on-site. Registration is required.

To register, call Susie Carter (510) 234-5624 ext. 24.

Families attending our fifth annual Super Saturday Family Fest on October 14th will have a chance to participate in activities sponsored by First 5 California’s "Hands-On Health" van. The van is a traveling health exhibit designed to address key health issues facing children ages 0-5, including childhood obesity, oral health, immunizations and prenatal care through fun, engaging activities.

The van has visited family-friendly destinations throughout the state, such as county fairs, zoos, and amusement parks, promoting important health messages through storytelling, music and entertainment. Families also have an opportunity to enroll in health insurance programs.

Super Saturday, a free parent resource fair organized by our West County Regional Group, will take place October 14, 2006 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Richmond Civic Center, located at 2600 Barrett Avenue.

In honor of September as National Baby Safety Month, First 5 Contra Costa recommends the following safety tips to help create a safe and healthy environment for your baby.

Car Safety:

• Use a car seat every time a child rides in a car; the back seat is the safest place for a child to ride
• Babies should ride in a rear-facing car seat until they are 1-year-old and weigh at least 20 pounds
• Children must be in child car seats or booster seats until they are 6-years-old or weigh 60 pounds

Home Safety:

• Keep first aid supplies handy
• Keep household products, beauty supplies and medicines out of children’s reach
• Use special safety locks on all drawers and cabinets
• Put outlet covers on all sockets
• Never leave children alone in the bathtub

Crib Safety:

• Place a baby on his or her back to sleep
• Do not cover a baby’s face or head while he or she is asleep
• Do not put blankets, pillows, bumper pads or stuffed toys in the crib

For additional safety tips to help you celebrate Baby Safety Month in September, please visit the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Web site at www.aap.org.

Susan Wittenberg, the founding Executive Director of the West Contra Costa Public Education Fund, has represented District 1 as an Alternate Commissioner since 2001. She is also the founder of Wittenberg & Associates, a consulting firm that provides business and technical writing training for corporations and municipal governments.

What was your favorite book as a child?
By the time I was seven, I loved to read and remember reading Heidi for the first time. As a child in New York City I found it hard to understand how a little girl could walk around the countryside so freely and so often without shoes!

What food did you refuse to eat when you were a child?
I detested lima beans.

Who are your heroes?
My goal as a child was to be like Eleanor Roosevelt, who was my hero when I was a child and remains so today.

Which historical person do you most admire?
I have always admired Abigail Adams; she was so intelligent and so far ahead of her times.

What would make Contra Costa a better place for kids?
Contra Costa and every place would be better for kids if we truly made kids a prime focus. We need to do everything within our power as adults to ensure that no children in this county want for food; safe, secure shelter; health care; quality education at all levels; and above all, adults who are able and enabled to love them and care for them as they deserve to be.

What is your motto?
“Children are our most important resource.”

The Contra Costa ARC/CARE Parent Network provided education and support activities for more than 300 parents of children with special needs last year. CARE receives grants from First 5 Contra Costa to provide systems coordination and training for professionals and to provide outreach and direct support to parents.

CARE offers intensive, individualized support to parents of newly-diagnosed children, training workshops tailored to assist parents in increasing their knowledge and skills, and an active Mentor Parent Program which links veteran parents to those with newly-diagnosed young children. Services are available in English and Spanish.

“Families develop better coping mechanisms when they have a good support network in place and understand how the disability service system works,” said Betsy Katz, program director of CARE. Last year, a newly trained group of Spanish-speaking Mentor Parents in West County enabled CARE to increase outreach and services to Latino families.

For example, CARE assisted a Spanish-speaking family with a two-year-old with a severe seizure disorder. The family had no car and relied on public transportation, which was difficult given the child’s condition. The mother often had to take the child to the hospital because of her fragile condition, taking along her two school-age children who were missing school due to transportation difficulties.

“In our first few months of work with the family we focused on demystifying the system, providing local resources, organizing paperwork, and monitoring service delivery,” said Katz. “Fortunately we knew the principal at the older children’s school. She quickly arranged a car pool with a neighborhood parent.”

CARE staff also connected the mother to Spanish-speaking Mentor Parents, and with the Esperanza de Amor parent support group in Richmond, which has reduced her isolation tremendously.

For more information about the CARE Parent Network, call 1-800-281-3023 or click here.