Despite such a dire time in our nation's history, I am pleased to see that even the President is joining early childhood advocates, pediatricians, and noted economists in understanding that investments made in the early years yield significant returns and reduce the need for more expensive tax-payer services later.

California voters had the foresight to approve Proposition 10 in 1998 and designate local funding for young children. Since a child's brain will be almost fully developed by the time she enters kindergarten, there is no better time to invest. A child may never get back what was lost in these critical early years. Now that local and state funding and foundation dollars are significantly reduced, First 5’s revenue is just about the last discretionary funding left to support Contra Costa's kids and help them get the best start in life.

I hope you’ve had a chance to read First 5 Contra Costa’s latest annual Report to the Community. In it you’ll learn more about the local programs effectively using Proposition 10 funds to benefit our County's children. You will also meet some children - our next generation of students, workers, and parents - whose lives are better off because of our funded programs.

- Sean Casey, Executive Director

• Read First 5 Contra Costa’s Frequently Asked Questions about Proposition 1D in English or Spanish.

• The annual Contra Costa County Youth Summit, sponsored by Supervisor Federal D. Glover and hosted by the City of Pittsburg, will be held on Saturday, April 25th at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, 2700 E. Leland Road, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event is for middle school through high school students and features summer youth employment information, college/scholarship & career information, and workshops on violence substance abuse, relationships, positive attitude and leadership. Contact (925) 427-8318 for more information.

• West County First 5 Center Director Alexina Shepard will guest on the April 5 Nuestros Niños show called “Promoting the Development of Nuestros Niños During the Fundamental First Five Years”. Listen live at 8:00 a.m.on KLOK 1170 AM or online at www.nuestrosninos.com.

• Click here to find classes and activities happening at the Antioch, Bay Point, Delta, Monument, and West County First 5 Centers this month.

With a $600,000 three-year grant from First 5 Contra Costa, STAND! Against Domestic Violence has opened a new therapeutic child care for toddlers and preschoolers who have been exposed to domestic violence.

Called the Rainbow Room, the program provides onsite child care and therapy for children ages 2 to 5 living at the agency’s emergency shelter or transitional housing programs. The Rainbow Room is like any typical child care center. Children have routines, do art, take a nap-time, and participate in singing and storytelling at circle time. But at the Rainbow Room, the teachers are all trained to care for children who have witnessed domestic violence and know how to address the children’s unique needs.

Children under age five are more likely to live in a household where domestic violence occurs than children in any other age category. This is especially alarming since a child’s brain develops most dramatically in the first five years.

When the attachment between a child and parent is distressed by domestic violence, it can negatively affect how a child develops. Children may have emotional and behavior problems, anxiety, insecurity, problems with aggression, or trouble sleeping. Without intervention, these children may go on to have problems in school or with the criminal justice system and are more likely to become victims or abusers themselves as adolescents or adults.

It’s been an exciting time for Monument Community First 5 Center Director Ruth Rodriguez, needless to say. In February she had an opportunity to meet President Barack Obama when she was in Washington D.C. for a violence prevention conference (see photo!).

Last week, she participated in a live in-studio interview on Telemundo’s 11:00 p.m. newscast to talk about the Center’s successful “Parents Raising Kids in Safe Environments” program. The interview included calls from viewers asking questions about how to keep their children safe. One caller was a parent who had participated in the “Raising Kids in Safe Environments” series at the Antioch First 5 Center. She praised the class and the other programs offered at the Center.

Because of the great response from the community, Telemundo (channel 48) asked Ruth to return Wednesday April 1 for another live interview. That interview focused on setting limits and healthy discipline practices for children. Congratulations Ruth!

First 5 Contra Costa debuted its new and improved Web site this week. The new site is more visually appealing and designed to help the community quickly find information about First 5 and its funded programs, along with information to help parents raise their children.

First 5 staff is continuing to update and improve the new design, and will soon add a parent education section providing tip sheets in English and Spanish on a range of topics such as health and safety, immunizations, oral health, child development, kindergarten readiness, and discipline.

Send your suggestions for the new site to tirwin@firstfivecc.org.

First 5 Contra Costa will join hundreds of organizations throughout the country to celebrate the Week of the Young Child, April 19 through 25. This annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is designed to focus public attention on the needs of young children.

Positive, healthy experiences during the first five years – when a child’s brain develops most dramatically – are critical. Parents, teachers, caregivers, and other adults play important roles in the lives of young children, and Week of the Young Child celebrates their efforts.

Join us in celebrating the Week of the Young Child at the following local events: 

• First 5 Contra Costa’s 8th annual Week of the Young Child Fair April 25th at Small World Park in Pittsburg. The fair runs from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and provides fun, free activities for young children and educational information and resources for their parents on health and safety, parenting, school readiness, finding child care and more.

• The Contra Costa Child Care Council is holding its 15th annual Early Learning Conference on April 25th for early care givers. The conference, which takes place at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, focuses on the importance of encouraging healthy social-emotional development in children and will explore how parents and caregivers can improve their skills to help all children learn.

The following articles and studies related to young children’s health and development were released last month:

• Teen Births: Examining the Recent Increase

• America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness

• Six firms stop sales of hard plastic baby bottles

• Child Care in America: Parents' Perspectives

• A Guide to Improved Policies for Infants and Toddlers

• Strengthening Families and Communities: 2009 Resource Guide

One in every 150 children is diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means 1.5 million Americans have some form of autism, and that number is on the rise.

Right now, there is no cure for autism, but early intervention can help. Children who are diagnosed at a young age and receive early intervention services show improvements in learning and communication skills. While some parents may be concerned about the safety of vaccines and whether there is a link to autism, the American Association of Pediatrics continues to recommend that children receive their immunizations to protect them against childhood diseases.

In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, First 5 Contra Costa offers the following information to help parents understand autism and connect them to the resources they need.

Early Warning Signs
Autism is complex and can be difficult to diagnose because it affects each child differently, but there are signs that parents should look out for – like the ones below. As soon as you notice symptoms you should take your child to a doctor or health care provider.

• Eye Contact. Autistic children make little or no eye contact.

• Speech. Look for late speaking or no speaking at all. Some children with autism have trouble expressing needs or do not respond to verbal communication.

• Relationships. Sometimes children with autism have difficulty relating to other people, prefer to be alone or don’t like to cuddle.

• Play. Children are active and creative, so take note if your child doesn’t play. Also keep in mind that autistic behavior sometimes includes unusual play patterns like spinning objects over and over again.

• Extreme Behaviors: Watch for extreme behavior like too much laughing or crying for no reason, tantrums and sensitivity to pain (or lack of it). Sometimes children with autism don’t have a natural fear of danger, and are fixated on certain objects for a long time. Repetitive movements like hand-flapping also can be an early sign of autism.

Read more here. You can also download flyers in English and Spanish.

First 5 Contra Costa has partnered with 33 local family child care providers to implement Raising a Reader (RAR), a national book-lending program that encourages daily reading between parents and children. Raising a Reader provides the children enrolled at these family child care programs with new books every week to take home and enjoy with their parents.

“Children who are read to regularly by their parents typically have better vocabularies and enter kindergarten more prepared to learn to read,” said Contra Costa’s RAR program coordinator Jeannie Peirce. “Child care providers are the perfect messengers. They see parents every day and can use this time to stress the important role they play in their child’s early literacy development.” 

San Pablo-based child care provider Kelli Tharpe agrees, “I remind the children during circle time when Raising a Reader bags are going home. Because they love the program so much, I know they’re asking their parents to read the new books with them. Both the children and their parents report back which books they liked, and then I try to read those stories at circle time with all of the children.” 

Participating family child care programs were selected through an application process, with priority going to those currently participating in First 5 Contra Costa funded child care quality improvement efforts (the Professional Development Program and Early Learning Demonstration Project) and sites providing child care in communities with low-performing elementary schools.

To encourage families to visit the library more often, First 5’s RAR program recently launched a new project with the Contra Costa County Library. Now when Raising a Reader families visit the library, they get a card stamped. On the fifth and tenth visit, children receive a prize.

“This is a fun activity that helps the families develop their own routine for going to the library, and also increases children’s access to books,” said Peirce.

For more information about Raising a Reader, contact Debi Silverman (925) 771-7333. Raising a Reader programs are also offered at First 5 Centers.