First 5 Contra Costa’s 25-year history celebrated and recognized in proclamation from Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors proclaimed their commitment to children ages 0-5 and their families and celebrated the 25th anniversary of First 5 Contra Costa. County officials, First 5 Commissioners, and leaders from community and business organizations gathered at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting in Martinez on September 24 to recognize the role First 5 Contra Costa has played in improving the outcomes for the most underserved families with young children in our county.
First 5 Contra Costa has invested over $140 million to support families and young children in reaching their full potential over the last 25 years as a funder, convener, advocate, and leader in early childhood systems.
“I am excited and proud to be here with some of our staff, Commissioners and community partners. I stand here today representing all of them and our many other partners who could not attend today, and all of those who have worked with us in the past to invest in children’s most critical years – those first 5 years of life,” shared Dr. Ruth Fernández, First 5 Contra Costa Executive Director. “As we continue to add to this legacy of 25 years, we look forward to deepening how we all work together to make sure we are all wisely investing in our children’s most critical years and ensuring a brighter future for all in our county.”
First 5 Contra Costa was also presented with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition from the office of Congressman Mark DeSaulnier. “I would like to take this moment to congratulate First 5 Contra Costa on its outstanding work over the past 25 years,” said Ryan-Thomas Brown, Deputy District Director from the office of Congressman Mark DeSaulnier. “With the Congressman being one of the original commissioners of First 5, it’s always held a special place in his heart and the continued outreach, community service, and good that is done for early childhood education, both in training educators, program coordinators, parents, and the greater community as a whole is something to be absolutely commended.”
Stabilizing the child care workforce for educators & families: First 5 proposes an innovative wage-boosting solution
Sign-on to Support Enhanced Earnings for Early Educators (E4)
Over the last 6 months, First 5 Contra Costa has worked with our partners Clarity Social Research and UC Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Child Care Employment to gather community input and craft a wage-boosting program for early care and education (ECE) professionals in Contra Costa County.
With the goal of improving retention of the ECE workforce in order to stabilize early education programs that families depend on, we convened an advisory group of 10 leaders from county departments, community organizations, and early learning programs. The result is a proposed wage-boosting pilot called 4E (Enhancing Early Educator Earnings) Contra Costa. By piloting this model, our county can ensure stability for hundreds of families who depend on early learning programs to keep their jobs, invest in our economy, and maximize the impact of other public funding.
Join our sign-on letter today!
Click here to help ensure this model is implemented by endorsing it.
To learn more about this effort, visit bit.ly/early-learning-workforce.
Increasing inclusion in early learning care and education environments
More than100 community members including early care and education providers, early intervention providers, parents, and advocates attended two community convenings we held in August to gather input on how to make early learning care and education programs more inclusive of children with disabilities or socio-emotional needs. The convenings were part of a community planning process led by First 5 Contra Costa that also included a series of focus groups and stakeholder interviews.
Attendees had an opportunity to hear a preliminary summary of findings and provide additional insights. In collaboration with consulting firm Cardea, we will be releasing a report in October that summarizes the community planning process and resulting recommendations for enhancing inclusion in early learning programs in our county. For years, First 5 Contra Costa and many of its partners have been advocating for a deeper investment in inclusion, which resulted in the County Board of Supervisors allocating county Measure X funding to this planning effort.
Keep an eye on First 5 Contra Costa’s Supporting Inclusive Early Care & Education Environments webpage for more information and future funding opportunities.
Early Care and Education Providers: As part of this effort, we are offering free trainings and other resources related to inclusion: click here to register
Local leaders discuss the child care crisis
First 5 Contra Costa’s Executive Director, Dr. Ruth Fernández, was featured in a panel discussion about current child care challenges during an event hosted by CocoKids, our county’s child care resource and referral agency. Other panelists included Devorah Levine, Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation Executive Director; Benu Chhabra, Bay Area Professional Family Child Care Network President; and Laura Nakamura, Concord City Council Member.. The discussion addressed critical topics such as the high costs, equitable access, limited availability, and varying quality of child care.
“Addressing the workforce crisis for child care is an urgent imperative,” said Dr. Fernández. “Early educators deserve fair pay and recognition for the critical role they play to maximize the window of opportunity to invest in the early years of children’s lives. Our early educators deserve a dignified and well compensated profession, their wellbeing pays dividends into the education and care of our most precious resource, OUR CHILDREN!”
Families celebrate upcoming additions at 12th Annual Contra Costa African American Community Baby Shower in East County
On Saturday, August 24, A More Excellent Way hosted the 12th Annual Contra Costa African American Community Baby Shower at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Pittsburg. The popular event celebrated the upcoming additions to families and provided expecting families with access to information from 31 organizations, including First 5 Contra Costa and three of our First 5 Centers. The event was a huge success with 212 families attending.
“It was a beautiful day of being in community, sharing resources, and having conversations with parents, caregivers, and community partners about the programming and resources available through First 5 Contra Costa,” said Jessica Keener, First 5 Contra Costa Program Coordinator.
To learn more about opportunities for new parents, and events and activities for families with young children, connect with one of our First 5 Centers located throughout Contra Costa.
New partnership to promote free college savings accounts for newborns and low-Income public school students
First 5 Contra Costa is partnering with the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s Office to promote the state’s new California Kids Investment and Development Savings (CalKIDS) Program that gives free money for college to all newborns and eligible low-income K-12 public school students. The program aims to make it easier for more children to save for their future education.
Download a flyer that the Clerk-Recorder’s Office will be sharing with individuals that order a birth certificate for a young child, or check the CalKids website for more information.
Recruitment for First 5 Contra Costa’s Early Childhood Program Officer
First 5 Contra Costa is seeking an Early Childhood Program Officer with a focus on its Early Care and Education efforts, in addition to supporting projects in its Strengthening Families portfolio. This leadership position reports to the Deputy Director and will lead the agency’s systems change and policy efforts focused on early care and education issues. This position will have a prominent leadership role in Contra Costa County’s early childhood landscape by leading, influencing, and contributing to the design, planning and implementation of early childhood programs, policies, and approaches. Please help us disseminate the job announcement.
Click here to learn more about the position, or share it with your network