Saturday, November 11, 2006
Grand Opening Celebration
Hercules Public Library
 
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
109 Civic Drive
Hercules
The Hercules Public Library is hosting a grand opening celebration with entertainment, food,
children’s activities, and tours of the new library. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at
noon. Free books, provided by a grant from First 5 Contra Costa, will be given to children 5 and under while supplies last.

Monday, November 20, 2006
Executive Committee
 
9:00 a.m.
1340 Arnold Dr., Suite 125, Conference Room, Martinez

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Program and Evaluation Committee
 
1:30 p.m.
1340 Arnold Dr., Suite 125, Conference Room, Martinez

Monday, December 4, 2006
Commission Meeting
 
6:00 p.m.
50 Douglas Drive, Second Floor Conference Room
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.

11/5/06:
Diabetes in Childhood: Who's At Risk?

11/12/06:
Helping Kids Manage Their Emotions

11/19/06:
The Preteen Years: Growing and Changing

11/26/06:
Adoption

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.

11/5/06:
La Diabetes y la Obesidad Infantil en Nuestros Niños

11/12/06:
Los Asuntos de Inmigración Impactan la Formación y la Educación de Nuestros Niños

11/19/06:
¡Muchas Gracias!: Cómo Nuestros Niños y Jóvenes Aprenden Agradecimiento y Aprecio

11/26/06:
La Salud de Nuestros Niños Durante la Adolescencia: Crecimiento, Complicaciones, y Cambios en sus Cuerpos y Cerebros

November is National Prematurity Awareness Month.

Babies born too early can have serious complications such as respiratory distress and brain damage. Although preterm labor and delivery can happen to any pregnant woman, it is more likely to occur with African-American women, women younger than 17 or older than 35, and low-income women. Some studies have found that late or no prenatal care, smoking, drinking and drug use, and lack of social support may put a woman at greater risk.

To help ensure that at-risk pregnant women get prenatal care early, First 5 Contra Costa awarded Planned Parenthood Shasta Diablo a $500,000 Special Reserve Fund grant to provide prenatal care. Women who see a health care provider regularly during pregnancy have healthier babies, are less likely to deliver prematurely, and are less likely to have other serious problems related to pregnancy. First 5 Contra Costa’s Special Reserve Fund was established to provide short-term funding for programs that serve high-risk children and families.

With the new grant, PPSD has opened its Antioch clinic to accommodate the new prenatal program and has trained bilingual Spanish-speaking prenatal staff. To date, PPSD has served 60 women with high-risk pregnancies. Clients have been referred to licensed psychosocial and nutritional professionals, who along with PPSD prenatal staff, are helping these women to deliver healthy babies.

To learn more about the program, contact x. For more information about state-funded prenatal programs, contact x.

- Sean Casey, Executive Director

• Click here to find programs and services happening at the Antioch, West County, and Delta First 5 Centers in November.
  
  
• First 5 Contra Costa is hiring a Deputy Director. Click here to review the job description.
  
  
• First 5 Contra Costa’s English and Spanish fall newsletters are now available.
  
  
• First 5 California’s revised Kit for New Parents, which comes with DVDs instead of video tapes, will now be available in January, not November as expected. Thank you for your patience.

An advertising campaign launched last year by First 5 California to promote the benefits of preschool did not constitute political advocacy or a misuse of public funds, according to a report released by the California State auditor.

First 5 California “had clear legal authority to conduct its public advertising campaigns related to the benefits of preschool and nothing in the advertisements constituted political advocacy,” the Bureau of State Audits (BSA) concluded after reviewing the timing and content of the ads.

The audit was sparked by concerns that surfaced in the media earlier this year about how First 5 California spent its media funds promoting the importance of preschool while separate efforts unrelated to First 5 California were underway to pass Proposition 82, the Preschool for All Initiative.

Click here for more information about the audit from First 5 California.

Approximately 2,000 families attended the West County Regional Group’s fifth annual Super Saturday Family Fest in Richmond last month. Parents had more than 50 booths to visit on quality child care, parent education, dental screening, and child safety. Children enjoyed a petting zoo, arts and crafts, face painting, pony rides, carnival games, and raffle prizes.

First 5 Contra Costa’s West County Regional Group is made up of parents, child care providers and others who want to make West County a safer and more family-friendly place. The Group partnered with the City of Richmond, the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program, and Kaiser to coordinate the festival.

Richmond Mayor Irma Anderson and Childhood Matters host Rona Renner spoke at Super Saturday, thanking the Regional Group members for making a difference for children.

The West County Regional Group always welcomes new members! Please contact Rhea Elina Laughlin for more information: (925) 335-9991 ext. 12.

Monument Community First 5 Center Director Ruth Rodriguez appeared on Univision’s public affairs program “Encuentro en la Bahía” last weekend to talk about the danger of smoking around young children. Infants and children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to get colds or suffer from pneumonia, bronchitis and other lung diseases or develop asthma or allergies.

Incidentally, November 16 is the 30th annual Great American Smokeout, which encourages smokers across the nation to stop using tobacco for the day and provides effective ways to quit for good.

The fourth annual Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Contra Costa campaign is gearing up to help low-income families receive free tax help and deserved but often unclaimed federal income tax refunds. Flyers in English and Spanish with information about free tax assistance sites, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Child Tax Credit, will be available soon.

Help us to get the word out! If you would like to distribute flyers to the families you work with, please call First 5 Contra Costa by November 15th: (925) 335-9991 ext. 13.

The Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Contra Costa 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. To learn more about the program, please visit: www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org.

Childhood Matters’ Nurse Rona and the Contra Costa Child Care Council are presenting free workshops on Understanding Behavior through the Lens of Temperament for families and child care providers.

The first workshop will be held in Concord on Saturday, November 4; Rona will then be speaking in Richmond on November 8 and in Antioch on November 18. For more information, call 925-676-5442, extension 3118.

Judith Ortiz was recently appointed to the First 5 Commission representing District 1. Ms. Ortiz is currently a Regional Supervisor for Bay Area Community Resources where recruits and oversees more than 80 AmeriCorps members hired to work in community programs in the East Bay. She has also worked as a home visitor serving pregnant and parenting teens. Ms. Ortiz is bicultural/bilingual in English and Spanish and received her Master’s in Public Administration from California State University, East Bay.

What was your favorite book as a child?
Mi Gatito - I had my mom read this book over and over.

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

Who are your heroes?
My heroes are those who have survived physical, verbal, and emotional abuse.

Which historical person do you most admire?
She's still alive - Rigoberta Menchu.

What would make Contra Costa a better place for kids?
I feel children need safer streets and parks to play in, more lighting, more security, drug and weapons free places, neighbors need to get to know each other better to help take care of each other's children.

What is your motto?
If you have a question, ask.

Jesus was famous for his sudden and unexpected bear hugs, given with a smile but with an undercurrent of intimidation. He was only four years old but the size of a seven year old. Jesus was attending a First 5 Contra Costa school readiness preschool while his mother attended English classes through Mt. Diablo Adult Education.

Jesus was demanding almost all of his teacher’s attention. His mother did not know what to do and worked with the teacher to develop strategies. Family issues surfaced: a baby lost to SIDS eight months before, a father preoccupied with work, and in December, the mother became pregnant again.

Jesus’ teacher was concerned so his mother agreed to outside help. Program staff called Child Care Solutions, another program funded by First 5. Child Care Solutions provides all licensed child care providers in Contra Costa with free mental health/special needs consultation services when a child in their care is struggling with behavioral or emotional problems.

Working through an interpreter, the consultant learned that the mother was having trouble setting limits as she feared being “mean” and losing the love of her child. The consultant worked with the family to help them understand the importance of setting limits. The mother was delighted with the methods presented and felt that she could be helpful to Jesus without being unkind.

By April, as the parental fears about the expected new baby were alleviated and as discipline skills were practiced and implemented, the turn around began. Both parents came with Jesus to First 5’s evening Kindergarten Orientation workshop at Cambridge Elementary School.

Everyone is hopeful now about Jesus. This little boy in a 7 year-old body will continue to be helped as he enters Kindergarten. Early intervention has made a difference to this very special family.

For more information about Child Care Solutions, please contact: (925) 685-0207 ext. 108.