First 5 Advocacy Day participants on the steps of the California State Capitol
May Bulletin A MESSAGE FROM TAMMI Dear Friends, I just returned from First 5 Advocacy Day where 41 counties joined us for visits with legislators and El día de los ninos/El Dia de los libros (Day of the child/Day of the library), with kids, advocates, and California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newson. I was honored to be a part of our 2019 team comprised of Commissioner Clark-Crews (Consortium of Early Learning Services), Advisory Committee member Webb (University of California Riverside Extension), Sundae Sayles, Board of Supervisor District III Chuck Washington, Stephanie Virgen, Board of Supervisor District IV V. Manuel Perez, Danielle Huntsman, Deputy Director, Riverside University Health System – Public Health, and Piera Causley, First 5 Riverside Administrative Services Manager. In seven hours, we held nine meetings with Senators, Assembly Members, and staff allowing us to share First 5 Riverside accomplishments, local stories and data on Riverside County children and families. The Governor’s budget proposal is an historic investment in California’s children and families and is aligned with the Commission’s strategic plan. As a first step, the majority of us have follow-up meetings scheduled to advance Governor
Newsom’s agenda prior to and immediately after the May revise. Join us in support of building A Stronger California For All Kids! Learn more ​h ere. Sincerely, Tammi Graham, Executive Director First 5 Riverside (F5R)
GOAL AREAS UPDATE 1. QUALITY EARLY LEARNING A BIG congratulations goes out to our Quality Start Tier 5 providers who are being honored by the Commission. Your work to increase or maintain quality at your site deserves recognition. More children will be ready for kindergarten because of you! Hemet Unified School District Fruitvale Head Start Jurupa Unified School District Ina Arbuckle Head Start Jurupa Unified School District Pacific Avenue Head Start Lake Elsinore Unified School District Railroad Canyon Head Start Riverside Unified School District Jackson Head Start Riverside County Office of Education Phillip M Stokoe Head Start Riverside County Office of Education Banning Head Start Bobadilla Family Child Care in Indio Rosalina Bobadilla Dobson Family Child Care in Mira Loma Tamara Dobson Garlich Family Child Care in Wildomar Pamela Ann Garlich Green Family Child Care in Perris Ansina Green Nash-Jordon Family Child Care in Banning Tiffany Nash-Jordon
The Build Initiative and QRIS The BUILD Initiative will partner with QRIS efforts in California to run focus groups across the state to identify strengths and challenges of QRIS. BUILD works with early childhood leaders in other states and nationally to better prepare young children to thrive and succeed by supporting state leaders from private and public sectors as they work to set policy, offer services and advocate for children age 0-5. Piera Causley, First 5 Manager, attended the April 24 focus group at First 5 LA with RCOE and other county representatives. The focus group identified areas of strength that include
collaboration and engagement as well as problem-solving efforts happening at the local level. Data collection, data systems, matrix revisions and expectations regarding trainings and workforce development were identified as problem areas. Information collected by BUILD will guide recommendations to First 5 California and the California Department of Education on how QRIS work should move forward.
2. COM PREHENSIVE HEALTH AND DEVELOPM ENT Blindness Support Services (BSS)
BSS CEO Peter Benavidez with Tammi Graham in front of the new wall mural
Inland Empire Autism Assessment Center Opens First 5 Manager Piera Causley attended the opening of the Inland Empire Autism Assessment Center (AAC) Riverside on April 24. The center is the first of its kind in Riverside County and will expand greatly needed specialized autism assessment services across the Inland Empire. Keynote speaker Dr. Bradley Gilbert, CEO of Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), highlighted the collaborative efforts of various partners to build the center, including: First 5, Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, school districts, Inland Regional Center and medical treatment centers. Over 35 staff will support the work at AAC, allowing for transdisciplinary teams to assess children for autism spectrum behaviors. The center will be a “one-stop” for children to be thoroughly assessed (cognitive sensory, social, emotional, and physical aspects) and ensure a seamless experience for children and their parents to obtain answers and increase their awareness and understanding of what is happening to their child. The expansion ties in with other First 5 Riverside investments, such as Help Me Grow and Early Identification and Early Intervention investments, and will increase access to coordinated services for more children. The Commission previously invested $300,000 to support the launch of the original center in San Bernardino in July, 2014 with the goal to expand to Riverside County. Mission accomplished!
BSS teamed up with the Riverside Art Museum’s (RAM) Creative Horizons Program to unveil a tactile wall mural for children receiving services at BSS. The mural was created by at-risk youth who are on probation and are participating in the RAM Creative Horizons Program. Youth in the program worked with RAM artists-instructors to learn about art and collaboratively design and paint the largescale wall mural, which includes 3D materials and textures. Awards and gift cards were given to each youth who worked on the mural. When the mural was unveiled, those in attendance – including young children – were blind-folded so they could experience it as a visually impaired person would – through touch.
Help Me Grow Summit III
Team HMG from F5 Riverside and F5 San Bernadino
The final Help Me Grow Summit III engaged more than 120 participants from both counties to continue to lay the groundwork for a HMG Strategic Plan and Launch this summer. Participants did a gallery walk through a “World Café” with poster sized sections of the strategic plan for their review and to write down their comments and input on what may be missing or questions about the content. The HMG Inland Empire Strategic Plan will be presented at the 2 nd Annual Symposium on Infant and Toddler Mental Health and Adverse Childhood Experiences on May 20.
Educare Los Angeles visit As one of the nation’s most effective early childhood schools, a team assembled by First 5 recently visited Educare Los Angeles (in Long Beach) to learn more about this promising model that incorporates everything science says young children need to flourish. Sharon Baskett from RCOE, Stephanie Virgen from County Supervisor V. Manual Perez’s office and Tammi Graham and Mary Alvarez from First 5 Riverside visited Educare’s Long Beach site on April 10 to learn more about this model. Educare partners with families because learning doesn’t stop when children leave the classroom. The model is designed to support the continued learning of “passionate” teachers and staff to empower them to do their best work. The Educare model is based on research from early childhood development, education, social work and other allied fields with four core features:
Sharon Baskett, Stephanie Virgen, Tammi Graham, and Mary Alvarez pose with Educare staff
Data Utilization Embedded Professional Development High-Quality Teaching Practices; and Intensive Family Engagement
18 th Annual Early Care and Education Legislative Breakfast Hosted by College of the Desert, the focus of the breakfast was “Keys to a Brighter Future” with discussions about the positive shift in the early childhood landscape, especially at the state level. First 5 Riverside achievements as well as investment priorities were highlighted. Speakers included Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, Assembly member Eduardo Garcia and Tammi Graham.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Mental Health Conference Tammi Graham was asked to welcome those attending the Annual PCIT Southern California Regional Coaches Works hop: Increas e your E! Connected Coaching to Build FamilyEnjoyment & Engagem ent on May1 in Riverside. First 5 Riverside invests in RUHS-BH Preschool 0-5 Program s, sponsor of the event. Works hops around PCIT included: engaging fathers , generational factors , tools to increas e caregiver participation and coaching and coding.
PCIT presenters pose with Tammi: Dr. Emma Girard, RUHS-BH, Dr. John Abner, Milligan College and Dr. Christina Warner-Metzger, DePaul University
2 nd Annual Infant and Toddler Symposium The May 20th Symposium featuring Dr. Bruce Perry has SOLD OUT and has a wait list of 80 people!
3. RESILIENT FAM ILIES Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) Graduation The 16 families that completed the two-year NFP program donned caps and gowns – and big smiles – as they participated in a graduation ceremony on April 4 surrounded by family, friends and community partners. The program is designed to improve the health and well-being of low-income, first-time parents and their children. NFP is funded in part by First 5 Riverside and supports our strategic goal of resilient families. Tammi Graham was a speaker at the graduation ceremony and was accompanied by Sundae Sayles from County Supervisor Chuck Washington’s office and Denisse Lopez from Senator Richard Roth’s office.
Learn more about the program here.
Graduating families pose with Sundae Sayles and Hermia Parks
2019 LENA Start Matching Funds First 5 Riverside will receive $33,000 in start-up funds through the 2019 LENA Start Matching Funds Program to use the early-language technology to teach Quality Start parents the benefits of daily interactive conversation. F5R will use Prop 10 as match to implem ent LENA Start parent groups beginning in September.
4. COUNTYWIDE IM PACT #WOYC2019 Events and Toolkits! From March 26 through April 30, F5R distributed over 43 Week of the Young Child (WOYC) "tool kits" filled with books and resources. Kits were set-up at: Avaxat Elementary Banning Library City of Coachella Copper Mountain College DPSS Family Resource Centers (Desert Hot Springs, Perris, Rubidoux, and Mecca) Hemet Elementary Hemet Library IEHP Moreno Valley USD Mt. San Jacinto College Nuview USD RCOE Renu Hope Foundation Riverside University Health SystemsBehavioral Health Riverside USD Valley View Elementary 11 Child Care Centers and Family Child Care Homes As part of the tool kits, 4,617 books, 1,780 toothbrushes, Resource Directories and New Parent Kits were distributed countywide.
Click here to view our 3rd Quarter Agency Progress Report
First 5 Advocacy Day First 5 counties all over the state went to Sacramento on April 30 for First 5 Advocacy Day, an annual event sponsored by First 5 Association to raise awareness and support for early childhood legislation. The First 5 Riverside team was represented by Commissioner Debbie Clark-Crews, Advisory Member Annette Webb, Sundae Sayles from Supervisor Washington’s office, Stephanie Virgen from Supervisor Perez’s office, Danielle Huntsman, RUHS-Public Health, Tammi Graham and Piera Causley. The team met with Senator Jeff Stone (shown in photo), Senator Richard Roth and Assembly member Sabrina Cervantes; and met with staff from assembly members Chad Mayes, Jose Medina, Eduardo Garcia, Randy Voepel and Senator Mike Morrell. The discussion focused on the Governor’s proposed budget (over $3 billion) and his commitment to prioritize all California children. Proposed bills include increased access to infanttoddler care for children 0-3, reforming the current bifurcated reimbursement rate system, creation of a preschool Facilities Bond and grant funding for facilities, workforce development for expansion of ECE provider education attainment, developmental screenings (including ACE’s screenings), expansion of home visitation and alignment with other First 5 funded programs to bolster services to vulnerable families, paid family leave and tax benefits for working families. This was an incredible opportunity to build relationships and connections with state elected representatives from Riverside County to increase funding and resources for all.
First 5 Leadership Network Cohort The world of First 5 is changing….
First 5 Leadership is changing too… First 5 leaders across the state are looking toward the future using a systems change lens: cross sector, networks, systems leaders, innovation. I am honored to be part of the First 5 Leadership Network Cohort that allows leaders throughout the state to participate in peer coaching, training in systems thinking and building a network strategy through a human centered design to help make us become better collaborators, facilitators and systems-level problem solvers.
The First 5 Network Leadership Cohort in Santa Cruz
Stay tuned for updates of my participation in this leadership network~
First 5 Staffing Changes Farewell Aimara Freeman, First 5 Riverside Public Information Specialist, left the agency to take advantage of a promotional opportunity in San Bernardino County. She will be missed!
About First 5 Riverside First 5 Riverside, the Riverside County Children & Families Commission, is a division of the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services. The Commission is funded by tobacco taxes generated by Proposition 10, which passed in November 1998. The act created a system of programs that promote, support, and improve the early development of children from the prenatal stage to five years of age.