Better Beginnings

SONOMA COUNTY BILINGUAL RESOURCE GUIDE

By

Defining Our Community’s Child Care Crises How to locate child care

The future of child care funding

Support for student parents

Child care resources for low-income families

Impacts of COVID-19

Integrating bilingual education

Sponsored by:

2 Better Beginnings

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Better Beginnings 3

Introduction & Table of Contents Child care is a critical part of the quality of life in Sonoma County.

The community that takes the best care of its babies and youngest learners will reap the most benefits at many levels of its shared community life. Where child care goes lacking, many other social, health and economic factors can be negatively impacted as well.

Every child deserves the best beginning that a family and community can provide. This nurturing cycle must begin with prenatal checkups, well-baby clinics and new parent education programs.

Sonoma County has some of all of these — but we do not have nearly enough.

We know that, by the time they are 5 years old, babies form over 90% of the brain connections that determine how they talk, think and grow.

This is what we mean by “better beginnings.”

Families and working parents need affordable and accessible child care, beginning with infant care and continuing with preschool and after-school programs almost until high school. Preschool-aged children benefit greatly from quality early childhood experiences.

Working parents and their employers produce economic gains where there are reliable work schedules matched with affordable or subsidized child care programs.

Investing in Sonoma County’s child care infrastructure wins immediate health and economic payoffs and avoids later social costs of social disruption, substance abuse, mental illness, poor scholastic performance and a lifetime of lower economic productivity. Case after case has shown that a child who experiences supportive child care and quality early childhood education is more likely to graduate from college or lead a successful career.

Better beginnings is a cause and concern for everyone. In the pyramid of Sonoma County’s social needs, we believe child care should be at the top. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the local child care industry hard, with massive facility closings and lost caregiver jobs.

Local, state and federal governments are providing one-time relief funds and the current state and federal administrations are proposing some historical reforms and increased funding for child care, universal kindergarten and increased worker salaries. But these remain promises made and not yet secured.

Meanwhile, we urge everyone to make full use of this publication and resource guide to see how better beginnings for our babies mean better beginnings for all of us.

— SoCoNews

Table of Contents Community First Credit Union .................................... 2 Introduction and Table of Contents............................ 3 The unmet need for child care.................................... 4 Sponsors...................................................................... 5 Navigating the barriers to child care.......................... 6 Watza Creative Lab...................................................... 7 Bolstering services in Healdsburg.............................. 8 Corazón Healdsburg................................................... 9 SoCoNews................................................................. 10 Lots of program choices, little supply....................... 11 Sonoma County Library............................................. 11 Kids blooming at Little Wildflowers Preschool..... 12-13 First 5 Sonoma County.......................................... 14-15 The youngest years matter the most.................... 16-17 Northern California Public Media......................... 18-19 Seeking solutions for on-site care............................ 20 Les Enfants Baobab.................................................... 21 Laura Kay Tew............................................................. 21 County of Sonoma, Public Health Division............... 22 RCCS helps refer families to resources.................... 23 River to Coast Children’s Services............................ 23 Post-pandemic picture may brighten....................... 24 Sonoma County Office of Education........................ 24 Local Design Company.............................................. 25 Community Resources..........................................26-27

Launching a preschool amid a pandemic Pages 12-13

Helping student parents with care Page 20

4 Better Beginnings

The unmet need for child care The child care and early education needs of Sonoma County’s young children and their working parents continue get worse, and are now being called a “crisis” by child care leaders, elected officials and other social service organizations.

The recent natural disasters beginning in 2017 and the coronavirus pandemic have doubled the problem, with the closure at the beginning of the pandemic of almost half the county’s licensed child care centers and licensed private family child care homes. Those that remained open were required to lower their enrollments to meet social distancing measures.

Sonoma County is home to just over 90,000 children ages 017, and only 12,749 were enrolled in a childcare program prior to the coronavirus

pandemic. Infant and toddler care services were only meeting 34% of the demand, prior to the pandemic. For school-aged children, ages 6 to 12, only half the need for 13,672 school-aged spaces was being met, according to the most recent County Child Care Community Profile, prepared by the Sonoma County Office of Education in 2015.

There is an even more urgent need for providing child care services to 22,000 low-income families that qualify for state subsidies but often can’t find available services in the needed location or with workable schedules. In 2015, the county only had 3,522 subsidized spaces.

In late March, a consortium of county child care and early education leaders asked the county and eight cities to fund $5 million for post-pandemic recovery to cover five years of expanded services. These

Better Beginnings July 2021 A special supplement to the July 22, 2021 edition of:

Publisher: Rollie Atkinson Staff Writers: Heather Bailey, Camille Escovedo, Brandon McCapes, Katherine Minkiewicz-Martine, Zoë Strickland Consultants: Local Design Company, Ricardo Ibarra Production: Noe Naranjo Advertising & Sales: Teresa Mangiapani, Laura Tew Office & Administration: Jan Todd, Jamie Harrington All contents are copyrighted by ©Sonoma County Local News Initiative, Inc. PO Box 518, Healdsburg, CA 95448 POSTMASTER: This mailing is made under Periodical Class Permit 238-460 USPS. Periodicals Class postage paid at Healdsburg, CA. 95448. Send address changes to: Sonoma West Publishers, PO Box 518, Healdsburg, CA. 95448

included early childhood mental II. “I’ve been fighting this same battle for 20 years. We don’t have health ($1 million), safety-net the right hours or the right places navigation ($500,000), home at affordable costs, and we have visiting services ($1 million), undervalued and underpaid direct support to child care caregivers.” providers ($1 million) and Without any subsidies, stabilization of 0-5 infant and Sonoma County parents are toddler services ($1.5 million.)

The smaller cities are being asked paying a range of $12,000 to almost $20,000 per year, per to fund $40,000 each and larger child for various child care cities are being asked for programs. Government subsidies $120,000 to $240,000. The effort for parents and child care centers is being led by First 5 Sonoma are based on past years’ surveys County which is allocating matching funds from Prop. 10 and do not take into account (anti-tobacco funds) to address Sonoma County’s high cost of rising impacts of parental living. substance abuse, childhood Some of the tuition or care trauma, increased cases of child charges collected by Dodson’s abuse and long-term 4Cs include $175 impacts of poverty and per week for 3 to low percentages of 3.5 hours per day; school readiness. half-day preschool Like all parts of costs $755 per America, Sonoma month; school day County has a “mixed care (6 hours daily) delivery” system of early costs $940 per childhood education month; and and child care services. extended daily care This includes private (9 -10 hours) costs licensed homes, public $1,425 per month. before- and after-school Infant and programs, licensed and toddler care is the MELANIE DODSON coordinated child care scarcest and most centers, the federal expensive service.

Head Start program and Current COVID-19 safety unlicensed care from relatives precautions have greatly and neighbors. increased these costs. Hourly The “mixed delivery” system care in licensed private family could also be described as a “hit care homes averages $11.07 per and miss” or “gaps and holes” hour, but can cost as much as $15 system. per hour in some communities, Melanie Dodson, executive according to a 4Cs survey. director for the county’s Currently, there is a series of nonprofit Community Child state and federal early childhood Care Council (4Cs), doesn’t shy education and child care away from calling the situation a proposals, extended tax credits, “crises,” using the plural version one-time COVID-19 pandemic of crisis. She lists a lack of relief and calls for universal services, unaffordability, low kindergarten and transitional caregiver salaries, loss of work kindergarten for older 4-yeardays or hours by working parents olds. These proposals represent and extra burdens on women, billions of one-time or recurring low-income families and ethnic government funding. Dodson minorities. and others in her profession are “Our culture needs to pull grateful for this new funding, but itself up by its bootstraps,” also point out that very little of Dodson recently said, citing a these initiatives address the half-century of a broken system historical crises of the “mixed still based on a society that was delivery” system. just emerging from World War — Rollie Atkinson

Better Beginnings 5

Thank you to t our spons p sors This bilingual publication is made possible e by our advertisers, sponsors and communitty partners.

First 5 Sonoma County First 5 Sonoma County funds programs and services for Sonoma County children from the prenatal stage to age five and their families. Firsst 5 focuses on building effective, collaborative and culturally responsive program ms and systems to ensure children start kindergarten ready to succeed in school an nd life.

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Northerrn California Public Media

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Northern Califo ornia Public Media (NorCal), located in Rohnert Park, provid des our community witth the best of PBS, NPR and Independent Public Media. NorrCal encourages full participation in society and community by providing educational, informational and a cultural telecommunication services on two television stations, KRCB TV Chan nnel 22 (PBS member station), KPJK TV Channel 17 (Independent Public M di ) and d on their h i radio di station i KRCB 104 104.9 9 (NPR M Member b S Station). i ) Media)

Watza Creative e Lab Watza Lab is a creative com mmunication studio specializin ng in brand identity, d bilingual communication strrategies. Our expertise multimedia storytelling, and involves ventures related to o diverse industries: restaurants, food, wine, government, products, and services for better b living. We keep our worrk in balance with cultural heritage and contemporary y aesthetics. T Ta ake a peek at wa atzalab.com!

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Coraz zón Healdsburg

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When Corrazón Healdsburg was founded in 2016, it could never have e predicted the challenge es our community would face in such a short time. Working closely with neighborss through fires, floods and a pandemic, Corazón has built a foundation of trust. B Based on those relationships, Corazón is ready to expand an nd deepen its impact wiith an intentional, strategic plan for the future.

Corazón H Healdsburg’’s mission is to build a compassionate and just c community by empowering and dignifying individuals and families, advocating aga ainst injustices, and unitin ng people to celebrate diversity. To Together we are more!

Sonoma County y Department Of H Health Services The Dental Health Program aims to improve the oral health of young children in Sonoma County y, with a primary focus on those experiencing the most significant oral health disparities. Our program collaborates with schools to achieve better health outcomes; children’s oral health is assessed regularly at school and referrals for care are made, as needed. The resulting data are collected in order to better understand the balance of needs vs the capacity of our local system to meet those needs. The Dental Health Network, a coalition of oral health related partners, has developed a strategic set of activities working toward the vision of having an effective and equitable oral health system in Sonoma County.

Impact Sonoma The Impact Sonoma Tobacco-Nicotine Prevention Program provides support and resources to the community to address the health effects of tobacco / nicotine use. Impact Sonoma’s ’s goal is to prevent youth (under the age of 21 years old) from initiating tobacco use. The team further supports local jurisdictions and community members across Sonoma County interested in passing policies proven to further these goals.

Impact Sonoma and the Dental Health Program are programs of the Public Health Division of the Department of Health Services for Sonoma County. iedecWYekdjo$ o$YW$]el% l%>[Wbj^#I[hl_Y[ii -&-Ȍ+,+Ȍ*-&&

6 Better Beginnings

Navigating the barriers to child care For many Sonoma County parents, finding safe and reliable child care for their families can often be difficult, as they have multiple barriers to navigate.

“People are struggling to find child care, period,” said Renee Whitlock-Hemsouvanh, coowner and operator of Child Family Community in Santa Rosa. “They’re also struggling to find care that meets their needs.”

For families who juggle different schedules, finding a child care provider who can accommodate them can be challenging, and the financial loss that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused for child care service providers has only made that harder.

“Currently, we are only accepting full-time children because from a financial perspective, it’s the only way we can make it,” she said. “But for a family that doesn't need care five days a week or that can’t afford that, it makes it inaccessible for them.”

According to WhitlockHemsouvanh, many families have turned to look for supportive care elsewhere if they can, “like a family friend, neighbor or grandparent who can help out.”

Child care was expensive before the pandemic, but Whitlock-Hemsouvanh said it’s only getting more expensive.

“We’ve had to increase prices, and it just marginalizes those who need the help the most.”

There are, however, programs available to financially support families with the costs of child care. Community Child Care Council, (4Cs) offers subsidies to qualifying low-income families, thanks to state funding.

According to Melanie Dodson, executive director of 4Cs, the Alternative Payment Program provides child care vouchers to income-eligible families in Sonoma County. Families who qualify for the voucher can enroll their children in child care services at a more affordable

Photo courtesy 4Cs Children sit in a circle at 4Cs Willow Creek Preschool in Santa Rosa.

Photo courtesy 4Cs

cost, but even that support is limited.

According to Dodson, although the subsidies help, there aren’t enough of them to meet demand.

“For our low-income families, they can't afford child care and they need a subsidy, but there aren't enough subsidies for the families who are eligible under the state guidelines,” she said.

Besides cost, families face other challenges in finding suitable care. Dodson pointed out that the locations of the programs are an additional issue, particularly for families living in rural areas of the county, like the Russian River, “So many of our families travel to get the child care that they need, so that can be a barrier too.”

For elementary-school-aged children, child care tends to look different. After-school programs, which tend to be located on campus, are a great resource for working parents, but they also have limitations.

“They only have so much capacity,” said Dodson. “If it’s full, there’s no other place for them to go, unless the parent leaves work in the middle of the day to pick them up and take them somewhere else.”

A large challenge for providers and families has been the reduced capacity of their centers.

“There's been a huge reduction in the slots available, and right now, one-third of all of our programs are currently still closed,” Dodson said.

Dodson believes that many child care providers and programs are waiting to reopen in the fall when schools are back in session, “They've had to, as a business, withstand the closures, so we aren't exactly sure what that will look like come September.”

4Cs is also working on supporting people to become child care providers, with funding from a grant from Impact Redwood Circle.

“We help them to get their home license so they can break into this industry, which is very exciting,” Dodson said.

As the pandemic winds down, she’s seeing an increase in demand for care, “We’re getting the same number of calls for child care now that we were preCOVID, which is a good sign — that means that people are looking again.”

— Mayra Lopez-Rocha

Better Beginnings 7

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8 Better Beginnings

Bolstering services in Healdsburg Corazón’s history of helping the community extends to providing low-cost child care Corazón Healdsburg has a history of connecting Healdsburg and north county residents to a bevy of assistance programs, strengthening the Latino voice in Healdsburg and creating dynamic cultural events for all to enjoy. Over the years they’ve also provided key child care and early childhood development programs amid a shortage of child care resources in Sonoma County.

According to a 2019 report by the Child Care Planning Council of Sonoma County (4Cs) and the Sonoma County Office of Education, Sonoma County suffers a shortage of almost 5,000 child care spaces across all ages.

Child care financial assistance is also sparse. According to a report issued in 2019 by First 5 Sonoma County, 3,100 infants qualify for subsidized child care but only 445 spaces are available.

Corazón is working to bolster affordable, and in some cases free, child care services in the area with four childhood development and child care programs that are run in collaboration with several county-based organizations.

The programs include Avance Pasitos, adult education, free child care and the Early Childhood Workforce Development Program.

“We do a lot of partnerships with existing organizations. A lot of it was pre-COVID just because it has been hard and we haven't been able to get back into the office quite yet to resume as we did before. Pre-COVID we had a strong partnership with Avance Pasitos through Community Action Partnership,” said Marcy Flores, a program manager with Corazón.

Avance is a class for parents with children from newborns to age 3. Through the program, parents learn about early

childhood development, learning activities and parenting.

The corresponding program Pasitos, is a playgroup/care program for parents and their children ages 2.5 to 4. The playgroup focuses on fun activities that support school readiness.

“They work with the parent and the child simultaneously,” Flores said of the program. “We would celebrate their graduation and moving on, then they would just stay with us, with our preschool, and we would work with them (students) to get them ‘kinder’ ready.”

Additionally, Corazón offers free child care for anyone who participates in their adult education classes, since child care is often a barrier to adult education.

Corazón’s adult education classes include English as a second language and financial literacy.

Cheryl Morales, a mother of two, said her kids loved attending adult education child care.

“They gave me the opportunity to go back to school and pursue better learning in computer skills and child development. I gained all this thanks to their child care center. My kids loved going.

Every time I would go to class my oldest son would be learning his shapes, numbers, reading, singing, etc. And I would be able to check in with my baby girl when I needed to,” Morales said.

In partnership with Sonoma County Adult Education, Sonoma County 4Cs and the Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC), Corazón also offers a program that helps participants obtain an in-home day care license in order to create child care programs from home.

“What we did at Corazón was provide the space, provide the outreach and provide the

Photo courtesy Cheryl Morales Pasitos program graduate Logan Morales.

financial incentive for families to be able to take time off work to join this program,” Flores said.

“Since there is a lack of child care services in this area, we decided that this would be an amazing opportunity for our community.”

Corazón’s child care center and related child care programs have been on hold due to COVID-19.

Flores said they’re in constant communication with the city of Healdsburg, SRJC and Sonoma County Adult Education in order to determine when they can restart their programs.

“As of now we do not have our child care center open because of COVID, but it is something that we are in continuous conversation about with city partners to see how we can support particularly the 0 to 3 range because a lot of our families are struggling to go back to work or go back to school because of childcare, so that (child care) is going to be our focus when we start back up,” Flores said.

— Katherine MinkiewiczMartine

Better Beginnings 9

10 Better Beginnings

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Better Beginnings 11

Lots of program choices, little supply For working parents and other people with young children, there are many kinds of child care and early education programs to choose from, and some of the services are even subsidized. The problem is there are not nearly enough of any of the programs to meet all the needs. Local child care leaders say we are facing an extended crisis of scarce services, unaffordability, low wages and reimbursement rates for caregivers.

Child care and preschool education programs are offered by licensed centers and private homes, public schools, federal Head Start, Sonoma County Community Child Care Council (4Cs) licensed preschools, afterschool care and infant and toddler private caregivers.

Unlicensed care is also available from relatives, neighbors, inhome nannies and drop-in

programs at boys and girls clubs, churches, gyms and elsewhere.

Parents seeking appropriate and available child care can use the online resources of the 4Cs at sonoma4cs.org. A complete list of providers is available by location and average rates and tuitions are summarized. The site also has suggested questions and criteria parents should use when making a child care selection.

Parents can enroll in the Child Care Eligibility List for possible vouchers or subsidies.

To get started, call the 4Cs office at 707-544-3077. The Parental Choice Alternative Payment Program (APP) or Voucher Program (VP) also provide assistance for eligible families to select their own child care provider. In these programs, 4Cs pays the cost of child care up to the market rate ceilings allowed by funders. Parents may have a

co-payment if they select a provider that charges more than 4Cs can pay.

In Sonoma County, unsubsidized child care can cost $12,000 to $20,000 a year per child, depending on hours and types of programs. Many public schools offer limited pre-school programs and county schools are now implementing transitional kindergarten classes for older 4-year-olds under a program being supported by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom has called for universal preschool programs and, as part of his pandemic recovery plan, he proposed $14.5 billion in funding for public schools. The plan includes a proposed universal pre-K program by 2024, savings accounts for 3.7 million children and a reduction in class sizes. The eventual implementation of these programs will require pass-

through funding by local schools, locating classroom space and hiring additional teachers.

Other changes in the lives of working parents and their children are also expected following the COVID-19 pandemic. Many jobs that have shifted to work-at-home or more flexible hours may remain and raise new scheduling problems for households with children. Currently, almost no child care providers offer evening or weekend hours.

— Rollie Atkinson

Resources For extended child care resource listings, see pages 26 and 27.

Early Learn ning Resources The Sonoma Counttyy Library ry has effectiv vee earllyy literaccyy resources.

Loc cal tax dollars are hard at work supporting earrly learners in Sonoma County. The library offe ers opportunities for families to talk, play, y, rea ad, write and sing. Virtual story times, picture boo ok collections, videos and reading programs give parents and caregivers the tools to help tots become readers for life.

Itt’’ss ne oo oo early to get childr er ttoo hild en nev ever eex xcit reading g and ccited itted about b d llearning i .

sonomalibrary.org

12 Better Beginnings

Kids blooming at Little

Photo Ricardo Ibarra It's time to learn Spanish at Little Wildflowers, singing!

Photo Ricardo Ibarra A child plays with his “claw.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a recordshattering 8,500 child care sites have closed throughout California. In Sonoma County, the mass shutdown of early education programs was only compounded by the chaos of climate change disasters: wildfires, toxic air derived from dense smoke, power outages, home evacuations and flooding — all inciting instability in the fragile development of the county’s young children.

Last year, Little Wildflowers Preschool in Santa Rosa, a Montessori child care facility, unknowingly became a lifesaver for children whose care had been unexpectedly disrupted. They opened their doors on March 16, 2020, the same day six Bay Area counties established their shelterin-place order, restricting all residents to their homes. Sonoma County followed the next day.

“Children are so resilient and

adaptable,” said Maria Jasso, codirector of Little Wildflowers Preschool. “Parents reach out to us because they see the need for their children to socialize. Some of our students don’t have siblings and it’s been very hard for them during the pandemic to not be around other kids their age. Children have to socialize, develop language skills and other skills to interact with their peers,” says Jasso, 34, originally from Michoacán, Mexico, and mother of Scarlett, 7.

This past May, Little Wildflowers completed a year of operations, serving a population of 24, nearly half its total capacity of 55 children. Currently, there’s a waitlist of over 20 families.

"It's unfortunate, but this is the norm for these kids today," says Jasso. "We follow the Montessori philosophy, where each child learns our program differently Continued on next page ...

Better Beginnings 13

Wildf lowers Preschool ... Continued from previous page and where we talk about everything in a language that is comprehensible to them."

Jasso and Evelyn Contreras, also 34 and with three children, spent two years strategizing the development of Little Wildflowers before it became an official daycare center. They saw that kids in Sonoma County needed a place where they could comfortably learn to adapt to their environment. They also wanted to create a center where each child was encouraged to cultivate their own personality, and Spanish and English were taught in equal measure.

“We speak in Spanish all day,” said Jasso. Families who speak English at home want their children to grow up learning a second language, and those from Latino households want to reinforce the education they receive at home.

In their school activities, Jasso and Contreras welcome other cultures and talk about them with the kids.

"I was amazed at the way my kids talked about Obama and Martin Luther King after having a whole topic on Black History Month, and they were also talking about social justice issues, COVID, the fires. How children absorb is amazing," said Elly Grogan, mother of Hazel and Julian, 4 and 2, respectively.

Hazel spent that spring afternoon outside in the Little Wildflowers garden playing with the chicks that she and her classmates watched grow up in an incubator. That's what she enjoyed the most, she said, "playing outside."

“When I pick up my kids from Little Wildflowers, they are often covered in dirt from head to toe, with big smiles on their faces and brimming with excitement about finding ladybugs in the garden or making mud pies in the clay kitchen,” said Grogan. “Preschool feels like this oasis where all the challenges from COVID and fires just go away and our kids can have fun and just be kids.”

— Ricardo Ibarra

Photo Ricardo Ibarra A child plays and learns at Little Wildflowers Preschool in Santa Rosa.

Photo Ricardo Ibarra Evelyn Contreras and María Jasso, left to right, are co-directors of Little Wildflowers in Santa Rosa.

14 Better Beginnings

Sponsored

First 5 Sonoma County

Photo Canva Reading stories aloud to children builds a strong language foundation.

Supporting dual language learners Understanding and speaking in two or more languages is a remarkable skill and provides many benefits to a child, family, school, and society. We often hear that teaching children more than one language gets them confused, but in fact science shows that raising children to be bilingual actually helps with brain development, increased memory, flexibility and focus.

First 5 Sonoma County is committed to supporting and addressing the needs of young dual language learners (DLLs) to promote optimal learning and development in early learning and care systems.

Sonoma County’s dual language learners vary along many characteristics such as home language, race/ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, and country of origin.

Currently, over 60% of children from birth to age 5 in California live in households where a

language other than English is spoken. Dual language learners are children who are learning two or more languages at the same time.

Research has shown that in our county, dual language learners are half as likely to be ready to go academically and socioemotionally for kindergarten. Incorporating ways that early childhood teachers and providers can support the learning and development of dual language learners is not optional, but a necessity in our county. Loss of home language in the early years due to lack of support causes dual language learners to fall behind when entering kindergarten, and many never catch up.

Parents, caregivers, and families are key to holding high expectations and supporting home language development for their dual language learners.

Help promote positive experiences for these young children by: • Listening and singing songs in multiple languages.

• Recite rhymes that teach them new words.

• Read stories aloud to children in their home language.

• Building a solid foundation with their home language will make it easier for them to learn others.

Thanks to First 5 California Dual Language Learner Pilot grant, First 5 Sonoma County has been able to identify effective strategies that support dual language development across early learning settings and has delivered effective professional learning opportunities so early childhood educators Continued on next page...

Sponsored

Better Beginnings 15

...Continued from previous page and child care providers can effectively support the learning and development of young DLLs. With this pilot, First 5 has also been able to engage families in the Abriendo Puertas Program, a 10-session evidence-based comprehensive program developed by and for Latino parents with children ages 0-5 that equips parents as their child’s first and most important teacher and advocate in the areas of school readiness, and family well-being.

With even more investments in this area by the First 5 Commission over the next three years, and commitment to collaborate on supporting dual language learners by community partners, the system of support for dual language learners and their families will continue to grow.

To learn more about programs supporting dual language learners and training opportunities for early childhood educators, visit first5sonomacounty.org.

707-522-2021 first5sonomacounty.org

Photo Canva Reading is a great way to bond with your grandchildren.

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16 Better Beginnings

The youngest years Storybook Village Preschool, located in Santa Rosa, focuses on building a strong community around its infant care program.

“Our infant and toddler programs aim to implement relationship-driven learning and strategies through continuing caregiving routines while being partners in care with families,” said Nicole Monachello, the director of Storybook Village.

“Our goal is to strengthen families while keeping children safe and loved. As a high-quality, trained site through the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) Partners for Quality, Storybook Village Preschool believes each infant has the right to be very

special to the people who care for them. Infant and toddler care teachers are mentored and coached on implementing the PITC philosophy and essential policies to promote high-quality, responsive, relationship-based infant and toddler care,” she continued.

Monachello said that she’s tried to transform Storybook Village into a place where both children and parents are supported and valued through hiring passionate teachers and building a caring community.

“As a single mom to an amazing son who is days away from being a teenager, I knew the power of community care,” she

Photos courtesy Storybook Village Preschool Storybook Village Preschool in Santa Rosa focuses on social-emotional development by emphasizing free play and small groups.

said, reflecting on her experience finding child care when her son was younger. “I learned how my son’s preschool experience in Millbrae strengthened our family through support and connections: I balanced work, went to school and raised a young child. As a single parent, I was never raising a child alone.

We were surrounded by people who cared about us.”

For parents trying to find infant and preschool care programs for their kids, Monachello wants Storybook Village to provide a similar experience.

Storybook Village is a partner site for California’s Teaching Pyramid Program, which focuses on social and emotional development, so children are ready for kindergarten and life as kind, lifelong learners. “The activities for infants and toddlers are facilitated through small groups and free play. They will

have opportunities to explore and learn through interactions, music and movement, sensory and art, and outdoor physical

“I love my role within our preschool because there will be moments when a child or family needs an advocate, and that is who I am.”

activity,” said Monachello.

The first steps toward enrolling in the Storybook Village’s infant/child care program starts with families visiting the preschool. If there is availability, the families will pay a registration fee and complete an enrollment packet to enroll their children. If they are full, the Continued on next page ...

Better Beginnings 17

matter the most ... Continued from previous page families will complete a waiting list application with a fee which will be applied to the annual registration.

Although there is no cost relief for the families, the program does work with agencies that provide subsidy payments.

“When we received a grant through Santa Rosa, I used those funds to credit families’ accounts 50% (three weeks of tuition) if they were not using child care, but wanting to hold their spot.

We have an annual budget, and any relief for families means teachers suffer since their pay and job security is at risk. We always pay the teachers, regardless if children attend,” Monachello explained.

“As one of the preschools in Sonoma County that pays teachers the best, it is still too expensive for families.

Unfortunately, I have to choose, and at the end of the day, we’re not for profit; we’re for quality.

We’re missing our mark, and that is why I continue my work with extraordinary community members and advocates as a private preschool,” added Monachello.

Still, Monachello said she understands the child care crisis

Where to look for licensed care facilities After parents are through with their time on parental leave, they have access to three types of child care in California.

These types of child care include child care centers in which non-medical care and supervision are provided for infant to school-aged children in a group setting for periods of less than 24 hours; family care homes that reflect a home-like environment where nonmedical care and supervision is provided for periods of less than 24 hours; and finally,

Photo courtesy Storybook Village Preschool

and the difficulty surrounding access to quality child care programs and she helps to find solutions while there may not be any.

“I love my role within our preschool because there will be moments when a child or family license-exempted child care.

California's child care regulations are intended to promote health and safety in child care facilities. However, it should be noted that state regulations allow certain exemptions for types of providers of licensure, meaning they can operate legally.

Four groups of child care providers are exempt by the state from obtaining a child care license according to the California Department of Social services (CDSS). The first group includes individuals who care for the children of a relative, or who care for the

needs an advocate, and that is who I am. It takes a lot of work and vulnerability to establish healthy relationships,” said Monachello. “Families choose us for all of the qualities we put within our care. Families, parenting and child care look children of one other family in addition to their own children.

The second group includes public as well as private nonprofit programs that offer recreational services. The third group includes businesses that offer limited child care to their clients and customers. The fourth group includes programs that are overseen by state agencies other than Community Care Licensing.

For example, organized camps that are overseen by the Department of Public Health and heritage schools that are overseen by the Department of Education.

different today, so we have a lot of work to inform our community and policymakers of what’s needed to address the crises within child care. We’re here to help.”

– Elina Sadeghian The California Department of Social Services has a searchable database of licensed child care facilities on its website - ccld.dss.ca.gov/ carefacilitysearch The information supplied in the database contains facility inspection reports, violations, inspection history and other pertinent information for prospective parents/caregivers.

If your child is already enrolled in licensed care, you can subscribe to your child's facility in the database and get updates when any new information is provided about that facility.

18 Better Beginnings

Sponsored

Northern California Public Media

Involved In Our Community Northern California Public Media (NorCal) is a highly visible community information media hub that offers unique services and initiatives to the San Francisco Bay Area.

We sat down with Darren LaShelle, NorCal’s President and CEO, to learn more.

LaShelle explained, “We are a PBS member station on KRCB TV Channel 22, bringing you outstanding favorites like NOVA, Sesame Street, Nature and PBS NewsHour. Our other television station, KPJK TV Channel 60, airs independent public broadcast productions like Rick Steves’ Europe, Democracy Now! and America’s Test Kitchen from Cook’s Illustrated.”

We learned that of special interest to Sonoma County is NorCal’s local NPR station, KRCB 104.9, airing NPR favorites like Morning Edition, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and All Things Considered. Midday finds local music personalities Brian Griffith and Doug Jayne on air with an eclectic mix of

music. Weekends KRCB 104.9 airs the popular environmental show Climate One, Reveal, and a mix of music shows for Sonoma music lovers.

“We are a PBS member station on KRCB TV Channel 22, bringing you outstanding favorites like NOVA, Sesame Street, Nature and PBS NewsHour.”

— Darren LaShelle, NorCal President and CEO LaShelle went on to explain that NorCal has been a vital resource to the community in

times of crisis, whether during the Tubbs Fire, the Kincaid Fire, the LNU and Glass Fires, or the on-going COVID-19 crisis.

NorCal is a trusted voice linking the community with emergency updates, information and resources, and brings to its coverage a deep understanding of the area and its community members.

To learn more about NorCal Public Media or to make a donation to our local PBS, NPR and independent public media channels go to norcalpublicmedia.org/donate.

707-584-2000 norcalpublicmedia.org

Better Beginnings 19

Trusted. r Independent.

Esssential. ial

N C lP NorCalP P blicMed Publ i M dia.o i org Mobile: NorC Cal Public Me edia App

20 Better Beginnings

Seeking solutions for on-site care

Photos courtesy Melissa Nelson The Children’s School, located at Sonoma State University, provides child care for student parents as well as university staff and faculty.

Finding child care solutions can be a struggle for many parents who are either working or in school. During the pandemic, this issue was amplified as many parents had to work from home and simultaneously take care of their children.

Given that preschools and child care centers have become more expensive and offer limited hours, child care being interrupted is a common problem for working parents. Finding a preschool or daycare that is affordable and easily accessible is challenging, according to local family therapist and mother, Maria Daverede. Child care costs have nearly tripled what they were in 1990, surpassing the rate of inflation. This is a problem because when families don’t have access to full-time child care, it limits the parents’ ability to find or keep a full-time job as their child care is disrupted on a daily basis.

One institution in Sonoma County that provides child care for not just its employees but also its students is Sonoma State University (SSU). SSU has a child care center for children ages 1 through 5, available for incomeeligible students and employees in need of child care and who want their children to receive an early education.

Melissa Nelson, interim director at SSU’s The Children’s School, said that the child care program “greatly benefits students as they are able to create a child care schedule based on the classes they are taking.”

Nelson said that the number of children attending whose parents are university staff or faculty varies depending on the year, since The Children’s School prioritizes income-eligible students before moving on to staff and faculty.

The site’s maximum capacity is 60 kids, but it was cut down due to COVID-19 restrictions and is slowly building back up.

The center provides meals and the children receive a nationally accredited early childhood

education; this institution helps many people involved in Sonoma State and is a solution to the parents’ struggle to find child care.

The Children’s School has contracts with the California Department of Education, Nelson said, which allows the program to provide subsidized services for income-eligible families to qualify for a tuition-free base.

“Child care and early education is hard to afford, so that lessens their stress and they can take classes without having to worry about also working or working enough to pay for it,” Nelson said.

If parents don’t qualify for a fully subsidized space, Nelson said that they offer partially subsidized and that, for students

“It’s a good connection to have and it’s a great way to make relationships with families.” who don’t qualify for any subsidies, the school also offers a student rate for child care that differs from the faculty rate.

“We try and make it affordable for student families,” she said.

“Obviously that doesn’t mean we’re raising the price for staff and faculty, but it’s a different rate.”

Nelson said that having on-site child care for students, faculty and staff also means that parents can be closer to their kids — in some cases, they may see the cohort from The Children’s School walking around campus on breaks and interacting with the environment around them.

“It’s a good connection to have and it’s a great way to make relationships with families. I think when you work or go to school in the same place, we all have a common theme,” she said.

— Sofia Nordvedt

Better Beginnings 21

HOUSING. SUPPORT. EDUCA AT TION TION. HOPE. I have vivid memories of my mother making food for street ch hildren.

We would ask her what she was doing she would say y,, “ the ere are many out there that do not have food and live on the stree ets.”

My mother always had a servant’s heart. T To oday y,, my husband and I are striving for this family tradition to continue and to help those Les Enfants Ba aoba aobab .ab in Our goal is to raise money for the street children of Kinshasa, Congo and our plan is to proviide hope through housing, suppo ort and education, but we need your help to make this a reality.

To learn more about our mission: www.lesenfantsbaobab.org

22 Better Beginnings

Sonoma County Public Health Services Say no more to smoke in yo our air!

Laws are e in effect to protect residents of multi--unit housing complexes—whe ether th you rentt or own—from f exposure e to unhealthy second-hand smoke and vaping. Local law covers ople in the county: Petaluma, most peo Sonoma, Healdsburg, Sebastopol, he Town of Windsor, and Cotati, th Unincorrporated Sonoma County, or anyone living l in government-funded housing.

Smoking cigaretttes, recreational marijuana, or va aping inside homes, homes on one one’ss patio/balcony/d deck, in common areas within a complex, and parking lot is prrohibited.

Be aware of thesse laws then contact your lan ndlord, owner, and property ma anager, when you are experien ncing a problem.

For more e information: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Health/Public-Health/ Communities/Tobacco-prevention/ Healthy-C

Get Y Yo our Child Ready With a Dental Ch heck-up Child Children entering t i Kindergarten Ki d t need d to t have h ad dental t l exam before b f school h l starts. Make sure to book that appointment tod day! Healthy teeth are an important part of your child’s overall well-being, so make sure you are doing all you can to protect their teeth and gum ms.

Practice good habits everyday by helping your child with proper daily oral hygiene, scheduling regular dental check-ups, and a limiting sugary foods or drinks to lower the risk of infection, gum diseasse and tooth decay.

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Wh hether yo you are someone who is ju ust thinking about a quitting or fully committed,, making your first quit attempt or the te yo enth, there is support out there for yo you!

Ready to make the call, call or looking to support someone you love to quit, call 1-800 NO O-BUTTS for English or 1800 NO-FUME for Spanish,, or text: Quit ng to 66819 for support in either language.

Smokin you are interested in quitting, the bilingual phone number is If it is vaping v NO-VAPE or by texting: NoVapes to 66819.

1-844-8-N

Better Beginnings 23

RCCS helps refer families to resources River to Coast Children’s Services (RCCS) is the place for families to get connected to diapers, car safety seats and financial aid for child care in west county.

A sister agency to Sonoma County’s Community Child Care Council (4Cs), RCCS is a child care resource and referral center focused on providing subsidized child care and supporting local providers in Forestville, Guerneville, Monte Rio, Rio Nido, Bodega, Jenner and other areas in west county, according to Diana Avila, child development program coordinator.

RCCS can also serve families from Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Windsor, but with limited funds allocated to those outside its service area. For referrals and services, Community Resources and Referral Coordinator Elaina Boyce encourages people to call the RCCS at 707-869-3613 or email info@rccsservices.org.

Nearly all employees are bilingual in English and Spanish, Avila said, to effectively serve Spanish-speaking Latinx families that she estimated are more than half of those seeking services from the organization.

At no cost, anyone looking for child care can call seeking a referral for child care options, Boyce said, and RCCS maintains a list of all licensed child care facilities in its service area.

“That’s preschools, licensed family child care homes, afterschool programs that are available. We keep a listing of what we call license-exempt providers, also,” she said, like local babysitters, “but one thing we stress to parents is if we give a referral, it is not a recommendation.”

Boyce said the organization assists families and guardians with education around the different types of child care and narrowing down what services

they’re looking for.

Families can also go to the new state website mychildcare.ca.gov/#/home to find local child care options, but when they call RCCS, staff can provide information for resources besides child care through RCCS or the county, she said.

RCCS can provide referrals for housing, health care, dental care, clothing, food and other resources, its website said, and Boyce added that RCCS uses the regularly updated county 2-1-1 line for information and referrals, through United Way of the Wine Country.

In addition to child and family counseling services and a newsletter, RCCS also offers more immediate services like an emergency resources program to get parents food, diapers, formula and other necessities, as listed on its website.

Further, RCCS runs a child safety seat program with certified

16300 First Street / PO Box 16 Guerneville, CA 95446 Monday - Friday 9AM-5PM

SERVING WEST SONOMA COUNTY WITH: HELP paying for child care for eligible families FREE referrals for child care and community resources FREE SUPPORT and resources for child care providers FREE Emergency Resources Program for West County families

AND Low Cost car safety seats

phone (707) 869-3613 / fax (707) 869-2616 info@rccservices.org / http://www.rccservices.org

car seat technicians at its office in Guerneville who can evaluate car safety seats and train parents to install them, Boyce said. The RCCS website describes this as a “low-cost program” intended for low-income families in west county that also offers booster seats for older or bigger children.

RCCS started up a parent advisory committee, or PAC, meeting at the Guerneville office in July, Avila said, inviting families out for food and discussions about various topics.

Next year, RCCS hopes to resume its “Kindergym” programs with large motor development activities like slides and tricycles, but so far, the veteran’s hall in Guerneville and the Methodist church in Forestville that hosted them are still closed due to the pandemic, Boyce said.

— Camille Escovedo

24 Better Beginnings

Post-pandemic picture may brighten The need for more support for child care services in these later days of the COVID-19 pandemic is now being supported on Wall Street by some of the nation’s largest employers, by the chair of the Federal Reserve and also by the Biden White House and California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.

Seldom, if ever, has the child care industry had so many advocates in such high and powerful places. But it should be cautioned, there have been similar moments when historical reforms to the nation’s child care crisis looked promising only to be entombed by congressional inaction or a president’s lack of political will.

But many good things are already happening, thanks to new funding programs from the Biden and Newsom administrations.

Most help is temporary, but ask local child care leaders and they’ll tell you they’re grateful for it.

“Child care is one of the most

important investments we can make to our struggling economy,” said Ananda Sweet, of the Sonoma County Workforce Investment Board.

In supporting material for President Joe Biden’s $1.8 trillion American Families Plan it is stated that every dollar spent on early childhood and child care programs equals a 13% return on investment. These include reduced needs for special education, better health outcomes for infants and young children, reduced needs for social services and later intervention programs, as well as support for working parents.

“Our peers, our competitors, advanced economy democracies, have a more built-up function for child care, and they wind up having substantially higher labor force participation for women,” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell told a congressional hearing recently.

In California, the state

subsidizes a limited number of preschool children at an average of $4,981 per year, according to an annual report from the Sonoma County Office of Education.

Biden’s American Families Plan proposes universal preschool and ensures that no household would spend more than 7% of its income on child care. He also proposes a Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC), which allows households to receive a tax credit for up to $4,000 for one child or $8,000 for two or more children under age 13.

The extended tax credits would benefit an estimated 66 million children and would lift 40% of children above the poverty line.

Biden’s program also includes increased paid leave for working parents.

Biden and Newsom are also sending funds to child care providers for facility upgrades, one-time COVID-19 emergency funds, block grants for training, caregiver subsidies and other

direct one-time stipends.

There are so many government proposals and pending legislation that Lara Magnudsottir, public policy director for the Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County (4Cs) said her job is like “drinking from a fire hose, right now. There’s a little of everything being proposed.” But she cautioned that ongoing budget hearings and legislative actions could turn the fire hose to a trickle.

Potential new funds are being directed at one-time stipends for caregivers to offset the impacts of the pandemic; one-time facility grants; workforce training and development programs; and increased subsidy rates for centers and parents, according to Magnudsottir.

“One of our biggest worries is over facilities. They are so expensive and (it’s) difficult to find locations,” Magnudsottir said.

— Rollie Atkinson

Resources for Parrent’’ss of Y Yo oung Child dren The Sonoma County Office of Education supports t kindergarten readiness through numerous programss and resources including our literacy and kindergarten n readiness publications.

We encourage all parents of young children to take advantage of these free materials to help the eir children prepare for school!

Raising Readers: Download SCOE’s family reading guide

Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools Steven D. Herrington, Ph.D. s oe.org sc

A Parent’s Guide e: Getting Ready fo fo or Kindergarten: Download SCOEE’s Kindergarten readiness guide!!

Better Beginnings 25

26 Better Beginnings

Community Resources Health care Alexander Valley Healthcare Cloverdale, CA 707-894-4229 Alliance Medical Center Locations in Healdsburg and Windsor, CA 707-433-5494 West County Health Centers Locations in Occidental, Guerneville, Sebastopol and Forestville, CA 707-824-3391

Mental health Adverse childhood experiences Northern California ACEs Aware – norcalaces.org 530-526-2854 Hanna Institute – hannainstitute.org Sonoma, CA 877-994-2662 Sonoma County ACEs Connection – pacesconnection.com/g/sonoma-county-aces-connection Sonoma County Department of Health Services – sonomacounty.ca.gov/Health/Behavioral-Health Santa Rosa, CA 707-565-4850 ACEs Aware Clinician Directory – acesaware.org/learn-about-screening/clinician-directory

Child care Extended Child Care Coalition of Sonoma County - extcc.org 707-545-2402 Extended Child Care provides before and after school programs on elementary school campuses in Sonoma County. Extended Child Care currently provides before and after school programs for the Mark West, Wright and Windsor school districts at nine different school sites.

Better Beginnings 27

Resources and referrals Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County (4Cs) – sonoma4cs.org Referral Number: 707-544-3077 Administration Number: 707-544-3077 Serving the Following ZIP Codes: 94926, 94927, 94928, 94931, 94951, 94952, 94953, 94954, 94955, 94972, 94975, 94999, 95401, 95402, 95403, 95404, 95405, 95406, 95407, 95409, 95412, 95416, 95425, 95431, 95433, 95436, 95439, 95441, 95442, 95444, 95448, 95452, 95471, 95472, 95473, 95476, 95487, 95492, 95497 River to Coast Children’s Services – rccservices.org Referral Number: 707-869-3613 Administration Number: 707-869-3613 Serving the Following ZIP Codes: 94922, 94923, 94926, 94975, 94999, 95416, 95419, 95421, 95430, 95444, 95446, 95450, 95462, 95465, 95472, 95480, 95486

Parents and Caregivers California Child Care Resource and Referral Network – rrnetwork.org San Francisco, CA || 415-882-0234 First 5 Sonoma County – first5sonomacounty.org Santa Rosa, CA || 707-522-2020 First 5 Sonoma County aims to maximize the development of all Sonoma County children from the prenatal stage through age 5 through support, education and advocacy.

United Way of the Wine Country – unitedwaywinecountry.org 2-1-1 Sonoma – 211sonoma.org United Way of the Wine Country hosts Sonoma County’s 2-1-1 service, providing free telephone, text and web-based information and referrals about health and human resources to Sonoma County residents. If you need help, have questions about access to service, dial 2-1-1 and a team of multilingual specialists will be ready to support you. The resource is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To text the service, text your ZIP code to 898-211.

State of California Community Care Licensing – cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/community-care-licensing California Department of Social Services – cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/guides