To Build A Healthy, Integrated System Of Support For Young Children And Their Families And Caregivers

Greetings,

Happy (almost) New Year! We are excited to see the continued impact that our partners have on the lives of Butte County's young children and their families this coming year.

In this newsletter, you will find updates and information from the Commission, training opportunities, funding opportunities, 0-5 relevant news, community events we’re promoting or attending, and a partner spotlight. We encourage you to forward our newsletter to your partners that would find the content useful by using the ‘Share This Email’ button at the bottom of the email. If you were forwarded this email and are interested in signing up for the newsletter, please visit our website and complete the newsletter form.

Thank you,

First 5 Staff

Anna Bauer, Kimberly Brooke, Shelly Miller, Lor Yang & Georgia St. Louis

First 5 Updates

Grant Writing Cohort

First 5 Butte hosts a collaborative grant writing cohort where partners come together to discuss funding opportunities and fund development for their agencies and programs. This meeting was moved from monthly to a bi-monthly occurrence. The next meeting is scheduled for January 19, 2024 from 9-11am in person with a hybrid option at the Foundation Building (1811 Concord Ave Suite 220, Chico, CA 95928). Email First5@buttecounty.net to be added to the mailing list.

First 5 Butte is still offering grant writing and fund development assistance to qualified organizations that participate in the cohort. Organizations can receive training, technical assistance, and proposal support from an experienced grant writer. Learn more about this opportunity and how to apply on our website.

Mothers Strong Coalition

First 5 Butte hosts the Mothers Strong Coalition meeting. Mothers Strong is a group dedicated to bringing vital mental health information to moms and families in Butte County. The Mothers Strong coalition meets quarterly; the next meeting takes place on January 5th from 9-11am in person with a hybrid option at the Foundation Building (1811 Concord Ave Suite 220, Chico, CA 95928). Email First5@buttecounty.net to be added to the mailing list.

Butte Strong Fund Awards $3 Million in Support of First 5 Butte's Family Center Initiative

The First 5 Butte County Children and Families Commission has funded and supported hundreds of local programs and systems to provide services to families with children up to the age of 5 or with a child on the way. The grant will support existing and planned family centers throughout Butte County for the next six years.

“Our Butte Strong Fund Citizens Committee wanted to make one last large, impactful grant as we exhaust the funding in the Butte Strong Fund grant program. They agreed that support for families and children in the coming years is paramount,” said Alexa Benson-Valavanis, NVCF president and CEO. “First 5 is the perfect organization to pull this off, with its combination of experience and a heart for the work. We all look forward to watching this vision come to fruition in the next few years.” The Butte Strong Fund is a partnership of NVCF, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and the Aaron Rodgers NorCal Fire Recovery Fund.

Family support centers are community-based resource hubs where families can access formal and informal support to promote their health and well-being. Family centers can be located in apartment complexes, schools, health centers, libraries, community centers, storefronts, churches and so forth. Family center services are always free, voluntary and inclusive of all families. Family centers can serve as a food and diaper bank, a clothing closet, a service and referral hub, and a place where families can receive support and assistance navigating the complex social service system.

“Supporting families is a key step in building a more resilient community,” said First 5 Butte County Director Anna Bauer. “Quality support and nurturing during early childhood is the most important thing we can do for young children to help them thrive. First 5 Butte County is proud to partner with the Butte Strong Fund to provide quality programs for families with young children.”

Read the entire press release here.

View the Action News Now Segment here.

ATTEND OUR NEXT COMMISSION MEETING

The next Commission meeting will be held on Friday, February 16, 2024, from 9 am to 12 pm in the Condor Room at the Department of Employment and Social Services Office in Chico (765 East Avenue, Chico CA 95926). You can access Commission Meeting materials via the First 5 Website one week before the meeting. We hope to see you there!

Learning, Funding, & Outreach Opportunities

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.

January 11, 2024 Understanding IEP's and Assessments Learn about the process of obtaining an IEP and how to effectively advocate for appropriate services and placement.

February 5-6, 2024 Engagement Redefined: Harnessing Community Power for Equitable Health Delve into the intersection of policy-making, health care delivery, and grassroots efforts to reshape the way we approach health equity, from the ground up.

March 12-28, 2024 Addressing Behaviors that Challenge This course explores how to use a relationship-based care approach to understand and respond to child behaviors that providers find challenging.

March 13-21, 2024 The How of Family Engagement This course is an intensive training program that introduces the Touchpoints Approach, which is an evidence-based approach to building strong family-child relationships from before birth through age 5.

2024 Maternal Mental Health Conferences Events in the maternal mental health space organized by date. This agency curates a list of events, learning opportunities, and resource via their newsletter.

Safe Spaces Online Training

Safe spaces is a free, online training designed to help early care providers, TK-12 educators and other school personnel recognize and respond to trauma and stress in children.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Department of Healthcare Services (DHCS): Children & Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI)

The RFA for round six has yet to be released as of December 20, 2023. This round is focused on community defined programs and practices.
Awards for rounds 2-5 have yet to be announced. According to the DHCS website, round 5 awardees are anticipated to be announced in late January.

Department of Social Services Office of Child Abuse Prevention: Road to Resilience

This RFA will award competitive grant funds to partnerships that, through interagency collaboration and integration of services, identify and serve pregnant individuals with known histories of substance use, pregnant individuals with current substance use, and parents/caregivers of substance-exposed infants. Grantees will provide the priority population, their infants, and their families in-home case management that links them to community-based agencies and resources for parenting and concrete supports to mitigate risks of substance exposure and maltreatment to infants. This RFA is due on January 12, 2023 by 5:00 pm.

UPCOMING EVENTS

If your favorite event is not listed here, please let us know by emailing first5@buttecounty.net so we can update our calendars!

The Butte County Library also regularly hosts a variety of events for young children at most of their branches.

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

Butte County Oral Health Program Survey: In collaboration with UCSF School of Dentistry, the Local Oral Health Program has developed a survey designed to gather valuable insight into the oral health practices and concerns of Butte County residents. All responses are confidential and participation will contribute to the collective effort to enhance oral health in our community.

Diapers & Formula: Butte County Adventist Health, in partnership with the Inspire Hope Project, has FREE diapers and formula available to agencies for distribution to families. Please reach out directly to Joleen at nevesjm@ah.org if your agency would like to learn more about how to access these resources.

Children & Families in the News

Cannabis use in pregnancy may raise infant health risks

A large Kaiser Permanente study of more than 360,000 mothers and infants found increased likelihood of low birthweight and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit for babies whose mothers used cannabis during pregnancy.

Doctors may have identified a possible new syndrome in newborns linked to fentanyl exposure

Doctors believe they may have discovered a new syndrome after finding severe birth defects that may be linked to fentanyl use during pregnancy in at least 10 babies.

This femtech startup is unleashing AI on fetal ultrasounds

A Paris-based startup is developing technology to support fetal ultrasound readings—thanks to image-trained artificial intelligence. At Sonio, founder and CEO Cécile Brosset Dubois is leading AI-powered software that automates ultrasound reporting, trawls images for abnormalities, and ultimately secures safer outcomes for infants and their expectant parents.

A promising treatment for postpartum depression

One in seven women experiences postpartum depression (PPD), with more new mothers dying from suicide or overdose than anything else. Correspondent Tracy Smith examines the heartbreak that can come when postpartum depression is not diagnosed or treated; talks with experts and sufferers hoping to destigmatize PPD; and looks at a new drug, Zurzuvae, the first-ever pill for PPD, set to become available this week.

Partner Spotlight

National Parent & Youth Helpline

Provides vital information, support, and referrals through calls, texts, and chats to diverse parents, children, and youth seeking help nationwide. The National Parent & Youth Helpline is operated by Parents Anonymous and will be available 24/7 beginning January 2, 2024.

Call or text 855-427-2736 or live chat at nationalparenthelpline.org. Available in every language, including ASL.

If your agency is interested in being one of the partner spotlights in the coming months, please reach out to first5@buttecounty.net.

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