|
JULY / AUGUST 2017 ISSUE
- Strengthening and supporting children prenatal to age five and their families.
- Emphasizing health and wellness, parent education, and early child care and education.
- Empowering funded providers through integration of services.
|
|
FIRST 5 KERN NEWS -
Planning documents released
2017-2018 Strategic Plan - The First 5 Kern Strategic Plan booklet is a snapshot of effective strategies working towards measurable outcomes, maximizing the resources of Proposition 10. CLICK THE RED LINK.
Town Hall Meetings Recaps - The 2020-2025 Strategic Planning process has begun for First 5 Kern. The process is leading towards the launch of the next ‘Request for Proposal’ effort. In preparation, staff hosted 12 community Town Hall meetings in early 2017. CLICK THE RED LINK.
The Town Hall meetings were for the purpose of:
- Sharing First 5 Kern’s history and planning steps for the next funding cycle.
- Identifying priority needs and gaps in services that First 5 Kern may address in the next funding cycle.
- Utilizing direct discussions with residents to best understand the needs throughout the county.
- Gathering attendee input, ideas, and priorities.
Town Hall meetings took place in the following cities and surrounding communities (not in order of priority): Arvin/Lamont, Bakersfield (including Greenfield, Oildale, Southeast), Delano, Frazier Mountain Communities, Kern River Valley, Lost Hills, Mojave, Ridgecrest, Shafter, and Taft. Thank you to the family resource centers and community agencies who hosted meetings!
|
|
The United Way of Kern County Day of Action, June 21, celebrated volunteerism and advocacy in education through events. Activities focused on getting new books into homes of children from birth to age five, and providing them with tools to foster a life long love of reading.
First 5 Kern donated Potter the Otter books and First 5 Chief Finance Officer Kathy Ives participated.
Efforts resulted in 400 books and $3,900 gifted towards the purchase of over 5,000 new books for children to be distributed through a Book of the Month Club, home libraries, Born Learning Trail field trips, and the Raising a Reader program. United Way also distributes First 5 New Parent kits to new parents in local hospitals. CLICK THE RED LINK .
Here's to lifelong reading adventures for the families
and children!
PHOTO (r to l): Sal Saavedra, CalCPA Bakersfield Chapter President (event host); Rachel Hoetker, United Way Community Impact and Investment Manager; Della Hodson, United Way Chief Executive Officer; Kathy Ives, First 5 Kern Chief Finance Officer and CalCPA member; Lauren Be, CalCPA Bakersfield Chapter member and Kathleen Valenzuela, CalCPA Bakersfield Program Associate.
|
|
First 5 Kern's Parent and Child Care Provider Resource Library is now online on the First 5 Kern website. The library provides links to 'Talk Read Sing', Sesame Street and other tools and learning opportunities for centers or at home. Areas of adventure include music, videos, words of encouragement, parent and safety tips, fun ways to incorporate reading, and social interaction (almost all in English and Spanish). Themed activities such as bath time and grocery shopping can be a learning experience for children. Many tips are interconnected with First 5 Kern's Pinterest boards. Anyone who parents, or provides care for little ones, will definitely to check it out! CLICK THE RED LINKS.
|
|
Potter the Otter Activities - Follow the adventures of First 5's furry friend Potter the Otter featuring free activities, color pages, games and more and a new free Fruit and Veggie Activity Book in English and Spanish. Enjoy this new adventure of Potter the Otter with your kiddos. CLICK THE RED LINKS.
More than 30 recalls and alerts have been posted in July to the Kern County Department of Public Health website to help families be informed and safe. Products listed include: Burt's Bees, toys, refillable propane tanks, CLIF Bars (including kids' protein), Whole Foods salad, Home Depot lights, tattoo ink and more. CLICK THE RED LINK .
|
|
|
FOR AGENCIES AND SERVICE PROVIDERS
|
|
Did you know the Early Childhood Council of Kern
posts child education job openings? If you are seeking an early childhood profession or have a center job opening visit the ECCK website. They also feature early child education training opportunities. CLICK THE YELLOW LINK.
FIRST 5 KERN FUNDED EARLY CHILD EDUCATION PROGRAMS
CLICK THE LINKS
Paid sick leave explained. Anthony Zaller, AAL presents 'Five common questions about California’s paid sick leave requirements' in a five-minute video simplifying the California Healthy Workplace Healthy Family Act of 2014 and Senate Bill 3 which amended the Act. Zaller is an employment litigation attorney who has represented fortune 50 companies, appeared on national news networks, published nationally, and has spoken to state and national audiences. CLICK THE YELLOW LINK.
See the California KIDS COUNT Book derived from the
KIDS COUNT Data Center
who collects and provides state and national interactive data and statistics on education, social, economic, and physical well-being of children. Hundreds of indicators examine the effects of poverty and race on child outcomes.
The California summary reflected positive stats [better averages; ahead of US averages] in the areas of child and teen deaths, low infant birth weight, children without health insurance, and teen births. CLICK THE YELLOW LINKS.
The report showed:
- 22% lack a head of household with a high school diploma (US 14%)
- 32% of parents lack secure employment (US 29%)
- 45% of children live in households with high cost burdens (US 33%)
- 72% of 4th graders are not reading proficient (US 66%)
First 5 Kern funded programs make a difference in children's access to health insurance.
|
|
NATIONAL NEWS
New infant mortality research
on the differences between US born black babies and white babies was released this month in the Journal of American Medicine Association. "Infant mortality rate is an important indicator of public health" the article reports adding that infant mortality in the US has decreased 15% over the last 10 years.
Findings determined that fewer black babies are dying each year; yet 4,000 more
c
ould be saved with better care.
Black infants and white infants (up to one-year-old) saw improvements from 2005 to 2015; and black babies saw more dramatic decreases than white babies. This was not enough decline to eradicate the sizable gap between the two races. CLICK THE RED LINKS.
First 5 Kern funded programs making an impact in local infant mortality.
The 40th annual Health, United States, 2016, report on the health trends in the nation was released featuring a Chartbook (tables) on long-term trends in health and health care delivery 1975-2015. The report includes over four decades of information from declines in cigarette smoking and increases in prescription drug use to changes in expenditures for hospitals and home health care. It explores population changes affecting patterns of disease, as well as health care access and utilization. The 27 charts and 114 tables present birth rates and infant mortality, life expectancy, and leading causes of death, health risk behaviors, health care utilization and insurance coverage, and health expenditures. The 'at a glance' report can be accessed here. CLICK THE RED LINKS.
|
|
STATE NEWS
AB1250: Why Tying Counties’ Hands on Contracts Will Cost Taxpayers - Kern County Supervisor and First 5 Kern Alternate Commissioner Leticia Perez co-authored an op-ed with First 5 Association of California's Executive Director Moira Kenney, Ph.D. published in the Sacramento Bee July 11th. The letter shares the detrimental impacts on county services should AB 1250 limit county contracting. Perez also serves as Vice President of the and County State Association of Counties. AB 1250 narrowly passed out of committee last week and now heads to Senate Appropriations. CLICK THE RED LINK.
Legislation: Family Leave Senate Bill 63
is in Assembly at Committee. The Judicial and Appropriations Committees both recommended its passage. A recent article in the
Sacramento Bee
, written by First 5 California Chairman George Halvorson, former CEO of Kaiser Permanente shared the positive impact and motives of First 5 California to provide Family Leave for its residents.
CLICK THE RED LINKS.
COUNTY NEWS
|
|
PURPLE RIBBON MONTH
July is Purple Ribbon Month – a time to draw awareness for the safety of children in and around cars.
In the US, 19 children have died this year due to being left in hot cars.
At a press conference held Thursday, July 13th,
at St. John’s Lutheran’s Children's Center in Bakersfield, Kern County Department of Human
Services Director and First 5 Kern Commissioner Dena Murphy welcomed attendees and provided insightful and shocking statistics. A presentation featured a mother in the driver's seat of a small SUV, showing as many as 30 small children could be in the blind spot before they were seen by the driver - only visible when they jumped up and down. Children from St. John's participated as CHP Officer Laura Browning warned them not to play around cars. Browning shared that her own nephew, the same age as these children, was saved from being backed over by a passer by.
The second demonstrated
how quickly the inside of a car can heat up. A thermometer measured an exterior temperature of 99 degrees and the interior raged at 127 degrees; raising from 86 interior degrees in just 45 minutes. Murphy shared that just the week prior an infant was freed at a local agency by a good samaritan who broke open a window to free the child who was sweltering in the car.
Read other safety tips, or stories about families who have lost their little ones to heat in car related deaths by clicking here.
Leaving a child in a car, even for a minute, is illegal and drivers can be cited.
|
|
DROWNING IS SILENT
- THUMBPRINT FEATURE PROVIDERS
Kern Valley Aquatics Program and Make A Splash
REPRINTED FROM HEALTH FOR LIFE, A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF KERN MEDICAL HOSPITAL, DELIVERED TO 20,000 HOMES.
WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE LOLLAR, COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA SPECIALIST OF FIRST 5 KERN; EDITED BY NORMAL BELL, SENIOR WRITER - AMF MEDIA GROUP
Drowning happens quickly and silently – there are no warning sounds or splashing. Brain damage or death can occur within two to five minutes and often victims are out of sight for less than five minutes. Families should purpose not to let kids swim alone. It is not a risk not worth taking.
Staying cool during Kern County’s hot summer months often involves taking a swim. Whether it’s a backyard pool, a city pool or a nearby lake, the Kern area has some great recreation spots. Families must keep in mind that drowning is the nation’s leading cause of death for children ages one to four (most often in pools); 75% of those tragedies occur during the summer.
In Kern County drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death among all children. A total of 120 children were hospitalized and 49 died from drownings between 2003 and 2013.
Prevention is key. Most child drowning victims were not expected to be in or near the water
but slipped away unnoticed while adults were distracted by routine activities;
many victims were missing only a few minutes before being discovered in a pool.
First 5 Kern provides funding to two local water safety programs: The City of Bakersfield’s Make a Splash program provides CPR and First Aid classes free to parents of children under age five, through Bakersfield's Department of Recreation and Parks. The next sessions are August 5th and September 9th, at the McMurtrey Aquatic Center and registration is required. Check the BakersfieldSwim.US website for details. CLICK THE LINK.
- Kern Valley Aquatics Program (KVAP) provides families with children, ages five and under, with certified
- American Red Cross water safety, injury prevention and swim lessons. Check the KVAP.org website for details. CLICK THE LINK.
|
|
 |
|
Parent / Child classes at KVAP are offered to those whose infants who are six months to five-years-old. Together they practice getting wet, learn front and back floating, leg and arm actions, using the side of the pool and how to locate and use the steps and ladder. Children gain from the bonding and trust of the child oriented class.
|
|
|
|
|
The Level 2 Class at KVAP, for children three to five-years-old who are (and comfortable in the water, able to swim a short distance and can float on their front and back). They learn: jumping in, submerging their head, arm and leg action, fining, sculling, breathing, backstroke kicking, and more.
|
|
|
|
|
Drowning prevention steps are simple and help is available.
- An adult must supervise children when they swim, staying within an arm’s reach of inexperienced swimmers. Keep a constant eye on children in or near any water including bathtubs, buckets, toilets, ponds, spas, pools, and open waterways e.g. lakes and the ocean. In public areas (pools, lakes, beaches) lifeguards are not babysitters. Stay close and keep your eyes on your children constantly.
- Make sure your pool isn’t a safety hazard. Fence pools with a self-latching, self-closing gate as required by local codes. Install alarms on house doors, windows and gates leading to the pool area. By not leaving pool toys out and draining baby pools immediately after use, you can eliminate the lure of unsupervised water play for children. Remove any barriers that could block your view of the entire pool area. Make sure drain covers are secure and up to code. If you’re at someone else’s home, assess the area so you know the risks – especially if your child isn’t used to a pool. If you have a pool and have visitors to your home who don’t, inform them of drowning prevention, safe practices.
- Children and any inexperienced swimmers should wear US Coast Guard-approved life vests (and learn how to fit them appropriately) in open water areas such as ponds, reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Inflatable toys can be fun but they are not a substitute life jacket. It’s important to understand the difference.
- Learn CPR and ask grandparents, babysitters, older siblings, and any caregivers to do the same. The techniques can be learned in a few hours and can save a life. The sooner CPR is started in an emergency, the better the chance for recovery.
- Teach everyone to swim. USswimming.org estimates that formal swim lessons could reduce the likelihood of a child drowning by 88%. American Red Cross 'Learn to Swim' classes are offered at six levels of instruction and are available throughout the summer in Bakersfield at the city’s four pools and in many rural communities. Visit BakersfieldParks.US for details.
- If trouble strikes, call 911 immediately.
Visit First5Kern.org for water safety tips, a child friendly small poster for your home or business, videos, activity pages, even sing-a-long videos about water safety and more.
|
|
|
PLEASE TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW:
'DO NOT SWIM IN THE KERN RIVER'!
11 DEATHS IN 2017 - 4 REMAIN MISSING
|
|
SAVE THE DATE(S)
1300 17th Street, Bakersfield
Nurse-Family Partnership Graduation Ceremony
August 4, 3:30pm, Kern County Public Health Services Dept.
RSVP at 661.321.3000
August 4-6,
Frazier Park
Safe Sleep Conference:
September 29
Hosted by the Kern County Child Death Review Team, 661.868.0401
|
|
|
EDITOR NOTE: The June / July 2017 Handprints Newsletter incorrectly listed the name of the Medically Vulnerable Care Coordination Project. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
|
|
|
Visit the FIRST 5 KERN website for more information about
funded programs, meetings, activities,
events,
resources and more!
|
|
|
We invite you to follow, like, share, join, link, post, tweet and retweet and
share your memes, events, projects and exciting news on First 5 Kern's social media sites!
Let's all be proactive, supporting educated,
healthy children prental to age five-years-old and their families.
|
|
|
For newsletter or social media information contact
Please share the HANDPRINTS Newsletter with staff, colleagues, clients, friends, and family!
Previous issues are available on the website; and as a pdf upon request.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
