First 5 Riverside Bulletin December 2019
Our Mission First 5 Riverside invests in partnerships that promote, support and enhance the health and early development of children, prenatal through age 5, their families and communities. Our Vision All children in Riverside County are healthy and thrive in supportive, nurturing and loving environments, and enter school ready to learn and embrace lifelong learning.
A MESSAGE FROM TAMMI
Dear Friends, Happy holidays to all of our supporters and the children and families we serve! It is hard to believe that 2019 – and this decade – is coming to a close. First 5 Riverside has had an amazing year! We are well on-track in implementing our strategic plan goals this year and look forward to beginning work on some new initiatives in 2020. Our Riverside County Children & Families Commission will continue to help direct our work using tobacco tax funds generated by Prop 10 passed by California voters 20 years ago. I am excited to announce that First 5 Riverside will have three new Commissioners joining our current members in 2020. They will be the first Commissioners appointed to preside over First 5 Riverside as an independent department of the County of Riverside (effective October 1). The Riverside County Board of Supervisors also adopted the revised Health and Human Services Code, Ordinance No. 784 that governs First 5 and Proposition 10. The ordinance has also been updated to include the goals of Riverside County’s 2030 Vision and ensure Commission membership terms align with the terms of our County Supervisors who serve on the Commission. Our three new Commissioners and the seat(s) they represent on the Commission are:
Kimberly Britt Commissioner Director of the Riverside County Department of Child Support Services, to represent the County Human Service Portfolio
Dr. Judy D. White Commissioner Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, to represent the Riverside County Office of Education
Rosa Torres Commissioner Senior Manager of Programs at Martha’s Village and Kitchen, Inc., represents Riverside County Board of Supervisors, District 4
Kimberly Britt is the Director of the Riverside County Department of Child Support Services. She brings over 20 years of leadership, management and public service experience that began at the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department. Kimberly graduated from California State University Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in social work and received her master’s degree in public administration from California State University Northridge. Kimberly is the proud mother of her 14-year-old son Bishop. Dr. Judy D. White serves as the 12th Riverside County Superintendent of Schools. Dr. White has worked as a classified educator, teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent in San Bernardino City Unified School District and superintendent of Moreno Valley Unified School District. The community calls her a “history maker and stereotype breaker” because of the numerous recognitions and accomplishments she has earned. She graduated with honors from Cajon High School in San Bernardino and earned an academic scholarship to Occidental College where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in sociology. Dr. White received her master’s degree in education with an emphasis in counseling from California State University, San Bernardino and a teaching credential from UC Irvine. She later attended UC Riverside for her administrative credential and Azusa Pacific University for her doctorate in educational leadership. Dr. White is the proud wife of 40 years to Mr. Anthony Wayne White. She is the mother of four children and grandmother of nine. Rosa E. Torres serves as Director of Programs at Martha’s Village and Kitchen in Indio. She has worked at Martha’s Village for six years serving homeless and impoverished children and families. Rosa specializes in areas of program development, grant compliance, and social service. She graduated from Union Institute & University with a bachelor’s degree in child growth and development. She is also currently an instructor at UCR for trauma-informed parenting. Rosa lives in Coachella with her two children.
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Our Commission membership remains at nine members representing the following:
Our new Commissioners will be seated during the next Commission meeting on January 22. They join our current Commissioners:
Jose Campos, Commission Chair Director of Parent Involvement and Community Outreach, represents Riverside County Board of Supervisors, District 2
Susan Rainey Commission Vice Chair Retired School Superintendent/ Educator, represents Riverside County Board of Supervisors District 1
Chuck Washington Commissioner Riverside County Board of Supervisors, District 3
Cameron Kaiser, MD Commissioner Riverside County Public Health Officer, Riverside University Health System-Public Health
Diana Walsh-Reuss, Ed.D. Commissioner Association Superintendent, Riverside County Office of Education, represents Riverside County Board of Supervisors, District 5
Deborah Clark-Crews Commissioner Executive Director, Consortium for Early Learning Services
On behalf of the Commission and First 5 Riverside team, I would like to wish all of you a healthy and happy holiday and new year. Sincerely,
Tammi Graham, Executive Director First 5 Riverside
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COMMISSION
• One member of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors (no term); • One member shall be from among the persons responsible for management of the County functions within the Human Service Portfolio specializing in children prenatal through age 5; • One member shall be from among the Health Officer or persons responsible for management of County functions within the Riverside University Health System (i.e., Public Health, Behavioral Health or Medical Center and Clinics) specializing in children prenatal through age 5; • One member shall be from a representative responsible for management of County functions from Riverside County Office of Education specializing in early childhood development; • Five (5) members - a representative from each supervisorial district from among categories described in the Children and Families Act Health and Safety Code 130140 (A)(iii):
GOAL AREAS UPDATE
QUALITY EARLY LEARNING Quality Start Riverside County (QSRC) Celebration F5R partnered with the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) to celebrate more than 500 child care center and family child care owners at the first QSRC Celebration on October 12 at the Riverside Convention Center. Providers who participate in QSRC received awards for maintaining QSRC tier scores, increasing Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) scores, Environmental Rating Scale (ERS) scores, and for participating in the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC). Speakers included F5R Executive Director Tammi Graham, RCOE Assistant Superintendent Sharon Baskett, Riverside University Health System-Public Health (RUHS-PH) Supervising Nutritionist Jennifer Stewart, and Consortium for Early Learning Services Program Coordinator Andrea Del Valle. Commission Chair Jose Campos and Commissioner Dr. Diana Walsh Reuss also attended. At the end of the celebration, F5R Commission Chair Campos told the participants, “Our children are our passion. He also recognized the hard-working Quality Start partners, stating “Quality begins when we have all of our partners working together, including our child care centers (and) home care providers. You are all champions for children.”
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Parents of babies and toddlers ages 0-3 who participated in the first LENA Start parent groups learned how talking to their little ones can help them close the “early talk gap” and help prepare them for kindergarten. The 10-week LENA Start parent group began in September at the Jurupa Unified School District Parent Involvement and Community Outreach Center. Parents received an orientation about how LENA Start (which stands for Language ENvironment Analysis) and were sent home with vests for their child to wear that has technology to record their interactive talk. One parent said, “My 8-month old is babbling so much that it feels like she must have known that she was participating in LENA Start!” Many of the parents are already reporting positive results from using the technology and implementing the tips to engage with their child. Another parent said, “I posted the 14 tips First 5 gave to us on our refrigerator. I’ve used these strategies on how to communicate with my baby and she is already looking at me with enthusiasm. She has a look on her face that says, ‘You are sitting next to me and engaging with me.’ My baby is babbling and I’m practicing listening, repeating, and expanding language with her!” Additional LENA Start parent groups will be scheduled in 2020 throughout Riverside County.
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GOAL AREAS UPDATE
First LENA Start Parent Groups Teach Power of Interactive Talk
GOAL AREAS UPDATE
First 5 Riverside (F5R) Receives Award for Raising a Reader Program F5R received the President’s Award at the United Way of the Desert’s (UWD) Heroes United Luncheon on September 20 for investing in the Raising a Reader Program in the Coachella Valley. Since F5R began funding the program in 2018, about 1,300 pre-K and kindergarten students and their families have access to books on a weekly basis in the Coachella Valley and Desert Sands school districts. “The President’s Award is the highest award we recognize and exemplifies what it means to live United,” said UWD Executive Director Kristal Granados. “First 5’s partnership means that teachers and parents in the Coachella Valley have the books and support to ensure our children have the tools they need to ultimately be successful in school and life.” F5R Deputy Director Yvonne Suarez accepted the award and thanked United Way “for the opportunity to recognize the value of literacy in a child’s early ages.” She added, “I can share from personal experience that I was fortunate to always have access to books as a child and it set the stage for me growing up.”
California Early Care and Education Workforce Study First 5 California (F5CA) announced it will help fund the California Early Care and Education Workforce Study that will create a data profile of the early child education (ECE) workforce in Riverside County. Surveys are being conducted with licensed family child care providers, center administrators, center-based teaching staff, and transitional kindergarten (TK) teachers. Data profiles will include a brief narrative providing context for county-level workforce data and data tables and figures highlighting findings from the surveys. Data elements will include demographic information for children served, staff information, and Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) participation.
COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH & DEVELOPMENT HealthySteps Physician Champion Profile: Dr. Mikhal Schiffer Dr. Mikhal Schiffer, Pediatrician with Children’s Primary Care Medical Group in Temecula, shared the impact HealthySteps has made in her practice. “HealthySteps has been such an important addition to our practice,” Dr. Schiffer said. “Before we had a HealthySteps specialist in the well-child visits, it could be a challenge to spend the amount of time we wanted answering parents’ questions about development and behavior.” Since HealthySteps began in May, 1,060 children at Rady Children’s Hospital in Temecula have received screenings. Of those screened, 180 children (17%) had follow-up visits with a doctor due to concerns raised in the screenings. Dr. Schiffer said having HS Specialists as a resource “has been a game changer.” She said all parents now have easy access to a child development expert who can answer their questions and provide tips for managing behavior. She said an added bonus is that the HS Specialists also monitor new moms for postpartum depression, which, she said, “ensures our parents and patients are taken care of when maternal depression is a concern.”
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First-Time Moms Graduate from Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) Program F5R Executive Director Tammi Graham gave the keynote address to a group of 15 first-time mothers who graduated from the NFP program in November. She told the beaming graduates, “We celebrate with each of you and want you to leave here today knowing that First 5 and your community are here to support you and your children as they continue to grow and learn.” The mothers and their children participate in this home visitation program for 2 ½ years, from the time they are pregnant and up until their child’s second birthday. NFP nurses visit the first-time mothers regularly while they are in the program to empower them to transform their lives and create better futures for themselves and their babies by providing on-going support and resources. The mothers build close relationships with the nurses as they work together to ensure that their children are safely cared for and have the support necessary for healthy futures. During the ceremony, the graduates wore caps and gowns and each carried their toddler as they walked up to receive their “diploma.” F5R also provided tote bags full of books, pamphlets and accessories for each graduate. F5R has invested $500,000 in NFP since 2018, serving more than 100 mothers throughout Riverside County in collaboration with the county’s Public Health and the Department of Social Services.
Black Infant Health (BIH) Program Prenatal Graduations with Cribs for Kids Pack ‘n Plays F5R funds were used to purchase 128 Pack ‘n Play crib sets to give to new mothers who have graduated from the Black Infant Health Prenatal Program, which teaches parents about the health benefits and reduced risk of infant death when babies sleep on their backs. The portable cribs help reinforce safe sleeping. Since July, 21 moms have graduated from the prenatal program by successfully completing prenatal groups offered through Riverside County’s Public Health (RUHS-BH). Each graduate receives a portable Pack ‘n Play crib. Recent graduates completed their prenatal groups in Moreno Valley and Perris. RUHS-PH supports the BIH program to help black women have healthy pregnancies and raise healthy babies. Black mothers in Riverside County are four times more likely to have complications during pregnancy than mothers of different ethnicities. The program offers 10 weekly prenatal groups and 10 postpartum groups for black mothers who are less than 30 weeks pregnant, 18 years and older, and living in Riverside County. All mothers who attend at least 7 prenatal groups graduate the prenatal program with a special baby shower-themed celebration. The mothers may return to attend an additional (10-week) postpartum session. BIH provides social support and equips participants with stress-reduction strategies, goal-setting plans, and referrals to additional services within the community.
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GOAL AREAS UPDATE
RESILIENT FAMILIES
GOAL AREAS UPDATE
COUNTY WIDE IMPACT F5R Sponsors Cal Baptist University (CBU) Culture and Justice Lecture Series F5R is proud to be a sponsor of the CBU College of Behavioral and Social Sciences 2019-2020 Culture and Justice Lecture Series that hosts professionals in behavioral science and community development-related fields to share their experiences with students, as well as provide information on current trends, practices, and research within their respective professions. About 300 students attend each lecture, providing them a unique opportunity to engage with speakers and further explore future career interests. To learn more about the Culture and Justice Lecture Series, please go to: https://calbaptist.edu/collegeof-behavioral-and-social-sciences/culture-and-justice-lecture-series The lecture series kicked off in October with first lecture in the series, ‘Children and the Law,” was given by Jessica Munoz, Esq., MFS, Executive Director of Voices for Children in, Riverside in October. The second lecture was on On November 21 and featured , Sophia Grant, MD, Chief of Medical Services for the, Riverside County Child Assessment Team within the, Riverside University Health System, who presented “I Turned Out Fine, Didn’t I? The Effect of Childhood Trauma.” Next year, two additional lectures will be held: • •
On February 20, Addison Cooper, LCSW, Regional Programs Manager of Olive Crest will present: “The Golden Mean for Mission – Driven Professionals: Avoiding Burnout While Living Your Purpose.” On March 26, Blair Burns, JD, Chief Partnerships Officer of International Justice Mission, will lecture on: “Transforming Justice Systems by Trauma Informed Care.”
F5R staff attended the lectures in October and November and hosted a table with information and promotional items to inform lecture attendees about F5R resources in the county.
Census 2020 Riverside County kids count – including babies and children under age six! First 5 Riverside is taking the lead in our county to ensure that children ages 0-5 are counted in the U.S. Census on April 1, 2020. A big way our community gets money for child and family programs is by participating in the U.S. Census. The state and federal government uses census information to decide where money for programs like child care, free school lunches, and Medi-Cal will go.
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F5R and F5SB held a first-ever joint Commission meeting on October 9 at the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. Co-led by executive directors Karen Scott, F5SB and Tammi Graham, F5R, the joint meeting highlighted the strength in partnership between both commissions on behalf of families and their young children throughout the region. First 5 staff from both counties provided updates on joint initiatives, such as Help Me Grow and the Dental Transformation Initiative; and presented opportunities for future partnerships. Tammi Graham said to the Commissioners, “The opportunities (for future partnerships) are endless. Karen’s leadership with our First 5 Association as our southern regional representative has brought continued focus on our partnerships here.” She also discussed the practical aspect of partnering with joint investments, “We are reducing the administrative costs by the partnerships we’re creating. With Help Me Grow (HMG), we’re sharing the design and implementation cost across two counties. If we did it independently, those costs would have doubled for each Commission.” This is also true of the Dental Transformation Initiative (DTI), where resources to administer the program are shared between both counties. F5SB Executive Director Scott said the joint partnerships provide an opportunity “where we can use the same language in this vast region, as our goals definitely mirror one another. As a voice for the counties’ youngest children, we bring together partners and leverage multiple funding systems to strengthen systems of care.”
F5R Commissioner Profile: Supervisor Chuck Washington F5R Commissioner Chuck Washington represents the Riverside County Board of Supervisors as the county’s District 3 Supervisor. Supervisor Washington said serving on Riverside County’s First 5 Commission “has been one my favorite activities as a County Supervisor. I’ve always enjoyed interacting with children, but serving on the Commission has helped me better understand the importance of early childhood development and how important it is for the future of our County.” He also said, “Now that I’m a grandparent, I also get to watch that development firsthand. The Commission has so many great programs that help families and children thrive! It makes me proud and excited for our bright future.”
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F5 JOINT COMMISSION
First 5s of Riverside and San Bernardino hold Joint Commission Meeting