New Report: Opportunities to Enhance Supports for Contra Costa County’s Early Educator Workforce
Plus, learn more about policy advocacy efforts to advance two key pieces of child care legislation
Click here to download the report
First 5 Contra Costa has released a new report of a landscape analysis of the county’s early childhood education workforce, including its strengths and the challenges that continue to threaten its stability. The report identifies three priority opportunities to strengthen the early educator workforce:
- improving compensation and benefits
- expanding on-the-job supports that promote retention, and
- creating stronger credential and career advancement pathways
First 5 Contra Costa is also convening a short-term multi-sector planning group to develop a countywide action plan. The group includes representatives from business, higher education, philanthropy, elected officials, and early education.
We hope this report serves as a valuable resource for decision-making, advocacy, and partnerships, while helping build momentum for the investments needed to strengthen and sustain Contra Costa County’s early educator workforce.
Advancing Policy to Strengthen California’s ECE Workforce
Two important child care bills have advanced through the California State Legislature, helping strengthen the early care and education (ECE) system by reducing barriers for providers and supporting safe, accessible care for families:
SB 902 (Grayson) modernizes child care paperwork by allowing electronic signatures instead of requiring families and providers to rely on slow, paper-based processes. This change will help families access care more quickly while improving payment timeliness and reducing administrative barriers for providers.
AB 2230 (Ávila Farías) gives child care providers clear guidance on how to handle immigration enforcement activity, requiring proper legal documentation before officers enter nonpublic areas of a facility. These protections help ensure that families feel safe accessing early learning programs and reduce fear-based barriers that keep children out of care.
First 5 Contra Costa supported both bills, with Executive Director Ruth Fernandez traveling to Sacramento to testify on AB2230. Both bills passed the State Legislature and are now headed to the Governor’s desk for signature.
A heartfelt thank you to Assemblymember Ávila Farías and to Senator Grayson—and to the incredible advocates, partners, and community supporters we work with each day—for your authorship and efforts to advance two key pieces of child care legislation this year.
First 5 Contra Costa at statewide summits, building stronger systems and partnerships for children and families
2026 First 5 California Summit: Their Futures First
The First 5 California Summit was held from August 31 through September 2 and several members of the First 5 Contra Costa team had the opportunity to attend and present at the annual gathering of partners, advocates, practitioners, and leaders from across California to explore how we can strengthen systems and advance outcomes for young children and their families.
Dr. Ruth Fernández, Executive Director, participated in a panel discussion on sustainability, sharing insights and lessons learned from developing First 5 Contra Costa’s sustainability plan while remaining rooted in the organization’s mission.
Mackenzie Whipps, Data and Policy Manager, also had the opportunity to present on the recently released Early Childhood Systems Map, a strategic tool illustrating the many systems and programs families with young children in Contra Costa County rely on.
2026 Policy & Philanthropy Summit: All Together
The Policy & Philanthropy Summit on August 6 brought together leaders from across California to explore the opportunities and challenges of our state’s rapid growth, with a shared focus on collaborative solutions and regional strategies to move forward—all together.
Ruth participated in the closing panel, “Making Great Strides Together: All Together from Other Places,” where she joined leaders to share how regional partnerships are driving meaningful change. Alongside Duffy Newman of the Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation, Ruth highlighted Contra Costa County’s collaborative efforts to improve outcomes for children and families through cross-sector partnerships.
John Muir Community Health Fund’s 3rd Annual Community Partner Convening
On August 27, Ruth joined a panel at the John Muir Community Health Fund’s 3rd Annual Community Partner Convening. The gathering brought together community partners from across East Contra Costa County to explore the changing health equity landscape, strengthen collective voice, and share strategies for resilience and sustainability.
Joined by fellow community leaders for a powerful conversation on how community voice drives collective advocacy and shapes policy, Ruth highlighted the importance of collaboration in advancing equity across our communities.
Coming Up Next:
Ruth will join a panel at the 25th Annual Young Children’s Issues Forum, “What Comes Next?” on Saturday, September 26 at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center. The discussion will focus on key issues affecting young children and families, the rising cost of childcare, access to quality early learning programs, and the importance of a strong, well-supported early education workforce, including professional development and fair compensation.
Building Blocks Mini-Grants: Small Grants, Big Possibilities
Last year, First 5 Contra Costa launched the Building Blocks Mini-Grants to support local organizations working to advance policy advocacy for young children and families.
Through the first round, First 5 Contra Costa invested $20,000 in five organizations whose projects centered the experiences and expertise of parents, caregivers, early childhood providers, and community organizations. Their work ranged from building advocacy and leadership skills to creating opportunities for community members to share their lived experiences directly with decision-makers.
These small, six-month grants created opportunities to build relationships, strengthen advocacy skills, elevate community voices, and lay groundwork for longer-term policy and systems change.
Explore the accomplishments of our Building Blocks Mini-Grant recipients
Additional funding opportunities in Contra Costa County
- Building Blocks Mini-Grants: We’re excited to announce that the next round of Building Blocks Mini-Grants will be released later this fall. If you’d like to be among the first to hear when applications open, click here to join our funding notifications email list.
- Early Childhood Referral Phoneline: A new funding opportunity to support child development through care coordination efforts that help connect children under 6 and their families to the services and resources they need will be released in the fall. If you’d like to be among the first to hear when applications open, click here to join our funding notifications email list.
- East Contra Costa Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative: Supports local nonprofits in strengthening their organizational capacity, leadership, infrastructure, and workforce to build long-term sustainability and better serve East Contra Costa County communities. Click here to learn more and share with partners.
New Multilingual Resources Promote Developmental Screening
We’re excited to share new outreach materials in Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic to support our efforts to ensure all children receive developmental screenings. By partnering with the Sparkler Screening App, this pilot effort aims to give families whose primary language is not English access to developmental screening, play-based activities, and parent education resources.
Developmental screening is a critical step in identifying developmental delays and disabilities, but not all children receive screenings routinely due to a variety of challenges including language barriers, lack of access to health care services and other obstacles.
By partnering with Contra Costa Library System, Asian Community Resource Center, Hijas del Campo, and others, First 5 Contra Costa is conducting outreach in communities that may be facing access barriers to developmental screening. The pilot will run through the end of February 2027.
For more information about the pilot or collaboration opportunities, please email Daryn Nabeta at dnabeta@first5coco.org.
Celebrating Black Families at the Annual African American Community Baby Shower
On August 29, First 5 Contra Costa joined A More Excellent Way in Concord for Contra Costa County’s 14th Annual African American Community Baby Shower, celebrating thriving Black families and connecting families with valuable resources and supports.
The event offered families free education and resources, fresh food, essential baby items, and opportunities to connect with the community through a health and resource fair. The event was able to assist families in accessing prenatal and other health and social services and essential supplies and First 5 Contra Costa was able to distribute ‘new parent kits’ filled with information about local resources and supports available to families across Contra Costa County.
If you’d like more information on how you can receive, or help distribute our New Parent Kits, contact us here.
Reaching Even More Families Across Our Community
- In July, we donated 250 New Parent Kits to The Rock Church’s Bay Area Baby Shower, helping provide new and expectant mothers with essential items and resources as they prepare for their babies. The event brought together community organizations, businesses, and volunteers to support families and help ease some of the financial challenges that come with welcoming a new baby.
- We also delivered more than 600 folders to the Labor and Delivery unit in the Perinatal Department at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center. Packed with early childhood information and resources, including our “Growing Together” developmental milestones calendar. The folders will be included in the hospital’s new parent kits, connecting hundreds of families with trusted information and local resources from the very beginning of their parenting journey.
Welcoming the 2026–27 Parent Advisory Group
First 5 Contra Costa is excited to welcome the 2026–27 Parent Advisory Group (PAG). Building on the success of our inaugural group launched in 2024, this year’s group brings together 20 parents of children ages birth to five from across Contra Costa County. The group will hold its first meeting later in September, kicking off a year of learning, discussion, and parent engagement.
The PAG provides a space for parents to learn more about First 5 Contra Costa and explore important early childhood topics while sharing their experiences, insights, and feedback. Throughout the year, members will connect with First 5 Contra Costa staff and Commissioners and contribute parent perspectives to help inform the agency’s ongoing work to support young children and families.
We’re grateful to welcome this year’s parent leaders and look forward to learning from their experiences and perspectives!
East Contra Costa Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative
We’re pleased to share that the East Contra Costa Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative’s 2026 Sub-Grant RFP is now open.
The East Contra Costa Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative is a three-year investment strengthening nonprofit organizations serving East Contra Costa County. The Initiative includes diverse professional development opportunities such as free nonprofit focused workshops, academic and community education courses, leadership development opportunities and a grantmaking program in capacity-building grants over two grant cycles.
The initiative is offering $240,000 in funding through this RFP, with approximately 10–12 awards ranging from $10,000–$20,000. Funding will support either Capacity Building Projects (such as strategic planning, board development, technology, and other organizational investments) or Workforce Development Internship Projects.
Eligible organizations must:
- Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or fiscally sponsored organization
- Primarily serve residents of East Contra Costa County
- Have an annual operating budget under $2 million
- Serve low-to-moderate income and/or historically marginalized communities
Application deadline: October 18, 2026
We encourage eligible organizations to learn more and consider applying. Please feel free to share this opportunity with others in your network.