FYI April/May 2021

UPCOMING: Dr. Raj Chetty Joins First 5 Alameda County Commission Speaker Series, June 24

Join us on June 24, 2021, to hear from Dr. Raj Chetty, Economist and MacArthur Genius Studying Economic Inequality. Dr. Chetty will present Improving Equality of Opportunity in America: New Insights from Big Data. Children’s chances of earning more than their parents have fallen from 90% to 50% over the past half century in America. How can we restore the American Dream of upward mobility for our children? In this talk, Dr. Chetty will discuss recent work that he and his colleagues at Opportunity Insights have done to study this question. Among other topics, the presentation will cover ways that children’s life outcomes, including earnings, vary across neighborhoods and the root causes, such as structural racial disparities, that impact intergenerational wealth. Meeting Information Date: Thursday, June 24, 2021 Time: The Commission Meeting begins at 9:00 am, with speaker anticipated to begin approximately 9:50 am. Join: Register via ZOOM. A password-protected recording of the presentation will be available upon request for 30 days after the presentation.  About the Presenter A MacArthur “Genius” and one of the top economists in the world, Dr. Raj Chetty tackles the inequality in American society—including in education, housing, and longevity—through the powerful lens of economics. When COVID-19 hit, Dr. Chetty and his team of Harvard researchers created the first and only real-time economic tracker documenting the pandemic’s lopsided effects on the population. As jobs continue to disappear, education is stalled, and low-income and minority groups disproportionately bear the burden of the virus itself, Dr. Chetty’s data-driven insights are essential for our recovery. Read more.

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Materials from Dr. Philip Fisher, University of Oregon

Dr. Philip Fisher, Project Director of Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development-Early Childhood (RAPID-EC) and Director of the Center for Translational Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon, presented Bearing Witness: Family voices We Can't Ignore at our Commission meeting on April 22, 2021. Click to see Dr. Fisher' presentation materials, including slides and recording. For more information about First 5's Commission Speaker Series, visit our website.

Local Advocacy for Children, Families, and Caregivers

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a huge strain on families with young children, disproportionately impacting communities of color due to structural racism. With significant investments being made at the federal, state, and local levels, this is a critical time to engage in local advocacy. Read our response to President Biden's announcement of the American Families Plan. The documents below are tools for our early childhood colleagues to highlight local data in Alameda County and advance policies that support child care, kindergarten readiness, and family supports, including basic needs, such as access to food and housing. Child and Family Data for Action Guide Our Child and Family Data for Action Guide is a companion piece to our 2021 Policy Agenda. The Data Guide provides a summary of information about children, families, and child care providers in the county, including demographics, challenges to family economic security, racial disparities, pandemic effects on child care, and much more.  American Rescue Plan Advocacy Tool As part of the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund in the American Rescue Plan (ARP), $45.6 billion will be provided in direct aid to metropolitan cities. Cities and towns in Alameda County are expected to receive approximately $421 million (estimates by jurisdiction listed here), in addition to $324 million in funds at the county level. This tool helps community-based organizations and partners in the early care and education field make the case for investment in early childhood by tapping funds intended for local use available in the ARP. State Budget Letter Our letter to Governor Newsom and state legislators outlines proposed FY 2021-22 budget priorities and additional needs that support the well-being of children and families in Alameda County. With the release of the May Revise Budget, we are continuing to ask the administration and legislature to prioritize investments that strengthen and expand a comprehensive child care system and support public systems that proactively center the needs of families with young children.

Community Resilience Fund Update

Since April 2020, First 5 has administered more than $10 million to help children, families, and child care providers in Alameda County cope with the heightened challenges of the pandemic. Chromebook Distribution to Family Resource Navigators Thanks to a donation from the office of Alameda County Supervisor and First 5 Commissioner Wilma Chan, First 5 recently delivered 27 Chromebooks to our partner Family Resource Navigators (FRN), photo above. Many families have reported that they do not have enough devices in their home to access the distance learning, virtual parent support offerings, and other technology resources that their family could benefit from, and in some cases, large families must all share one device. This donation fulfills a critical need for FRN's families.  Essential Supplies Distributed to Alameda County Providers and Families April 2020 to April 2021

Since April 2020, First 5 has supported distribution of essential supplies with the support of Alameda County Social Services Agency and donations from First 5 California. We have 10 ongoing distribution hubs across the county that receive supplies on a monthly basis. In addition, our partners at DULCE-Highland Hospital, Eden United Church of Christ, and Family Resource Navigators have received multiple donations, and 38 sites have received one-time donations. Learn more in our Community Resilience Fund overview.

First 5 Programs Spotlight

Data and Evaluation—Help A Mother Out Interim Evaluation Brief

To support investments in families' health and economic security and concrete needs, First 5 has provided funding for an independent evaluation of Help A Mother Out's (HAMO) Bay Area diaper programs conducted by Public Profit. Data indicates that families are healthier and happier after receiving diapers from HAMO. See highlights above and on the HAMO website. "We see too many families having to keep their babies in dirty diapers, and it breaks our hearts. The addition of Help a Mother Out to our program offerings means that our families no longer have to make the impossible choice of diapers vs other basic needs, and we are so thankful. More clean diapers means less diaper rashes and healthier babies." –Laurie, Public Health Nurse Click here to check out the entire interim brief.

Alameda County Fathers Corps Dad-scussions

Dad-scussions 2021 is an ongoing virtual series that provides opportunities for fathers and father-figures to discuss current topics that matter to them. Click the video at left to view the 2020 Dad-scussions recap. Featured guest speakers have included Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, Jerry Trello, National Compadres Network, and Dr. LJ Jennings.

"As a father, I wish when I was young... as a young father, that this kind of forum existed. I am glad to be a part of this discussion." –Dad-scussions Participant

Partnership with East Bay Regional Parks District Supports Neighborhoods Ready for School

East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD) provided First 5 with 120 nature exploration toolkits for families, which will be delivered to our Neighborhoods Ready for School (NRFS) partners. The toolkits are full of high-quality supplies for children and families to support outdoor exploration, while also encouraging STEAM activities. Families who receive the toolkits will be offered virtual learning opportunities to get creative ideas on using the nature supplies in the toolkits, and to come alongside EBRPD staff as they explore a local EBRPD park.

Training @ First 5 Featured in Recent Podcast  First 5's Training Administrator Beth Hoch was featured with our partner Shawn Bryant, Teaching Excellence Center, in a podcast episode of Shift the Power: A Learning-Centered Podcast, hosted by Global Learning Partners (GLP). Beth and Shawn talk about adapting Mind in the Making, a training on children’s brain development, to a virtual setting. GLP consultant Sylvia Saenger shares how the addition of micro-learning nuggets helped increase the transfer of learning from the virtual sessions to their daily work. Subscribe to the Training email list to stay up to date with the latest offerings.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

"First 5 Alameda County celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month! One-third of our county is of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. We appreciate and honor the contributions of AAPI communities to our nation and the Bay Area region, and we continue to stand in solidarity with them against anti-Asian discrimination, harassment, and violence." –Kristin Spanos, CEO Selected Resources to Honor AAPI Heritage Month May 19, CA Preterm Birth Initiative at UCSF. Pacific Islander and Pregnant: How Inclusion Led to Erasure. RSVP  May 27, Training @ First 5. Seen and Heard: Supporting Asian American Children and Families in the Context of Anti-Asian Racism. Register San Leandro Public Library. Anti-racist Resources and Reads. Includes a round-up of picture books by Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander authors and illustrators.  PBS SoCal. 12 Children's Books to Celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage.

First 5 Alameda County Commissioners