News And Annoucements Index

The Antelope Valley Mall in Palmdale is not just a place to shop - it's a place to learn, too.

Sandra Ball-Rokeach, a First 5 LA research partner, is a professor in the Annenberg School for Communication at USC and principal investigator of the Metamorphosis Project, which studies how communications of diverse immigrant communities can be used to benefit families.

With the beginning of each new year come fresh opportunities for parents to help their children get ready to learn. First 5 LA encourages families to make 2006 the year for school readiness.

(LOS ANGELES)-- First 5 LA today announced the awarding of eight Partnerships for Families (PFF) grants totaling $8.6 million over the next year to begin implementation of a $50 million, five-year landmark initiative to prevent child abuse and neglect in LA County.

First 5 LA will publish new research findings this month about how to reach LA County's vast and diverse Latino population with healthcare information.

In what is being billed as a premier event in the evolution of healthcare science, the 6th Annual March of Dimes Health Professional Conference Jan. 18-20 in Long Beach will bring together top national experts on genetics, obstetrics, and neonatal care.

Last year, Karla Torres decided she would go back to school become a medical biller/coder, so husband Carlos took charge of their two sons, Anthony, 5, and Andrew, 2.

As president and chief executive officer of KCET since 1996, Al Jerome has led Los Angeles' public broadcasting station in developing KCEd, which provides programming and outreach to enhance learning experiences of preschoolers by increasing resources of caregivers.

The first comprehensive book in Spanish and English for young children about spina bifida will be published this spring by First 5 LA and Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Nearly 3,300 more students would graduate from high school each year and almost 10,000 fewer criminal charges would be filed against juveniles if all 4-year-olds in LA County were given the chance to attend a quality half-day preschool program.

Christmas came early to nearly 1,000 low-income children and families Saturday, when First 5 LA and the Children's Bureau hosted a holiday celebration and toy giveaway.

When 4-year-old Amelia noticed that she couldn't walk like most of her friends, she asked her mother why.

As director of California local government affairs for BP, Commissioner Rezvani serves on numerous boards.

In this joyous season of celebration and giving, I want to acknowledge the tremendous contributions of First 5 LA partners, grantees, friends, and staff during this past year.

First 5 LA and Children's Bureau Holiday Celebration where nearly 1,000 children and families from low-income families will receive an early visit from Santa at one of the largest holiday toy giveaways in LA.

First 5 LA, the largest local funder of children's health insurance in Los Angeles County, last Thursday joined a coalition of health care funders and advocates in calling for state officials to create permanent, long-term policy solutions to provide health coverage for the more than 800,000 uninsured children in California.

More young children in LA County have access to free or low-cost health insurance, quality preschool, and other early learning programs than ever before.

Whenever her 3-year old Alyssa was near a body of water, Michelle Ochoa of Bellflower would be worried about her daughter falling in and drowning.

Karen Hill-Scott is a nationally-recognized child development expert who specializes in early education and children's TV programming.

The holiday season can be so busy that we don't have much time to spend with our children.  This holiday, give the gift of learning to a child by spending precious time in creative, stimulating, and productive activities

More than 100 representatives of First 5 LA grantees that provide School Readiness, Family Literacy and Community Development programs participated in a one-day networking and information-sharing workshop.

Moradhi, 18 months and Mozart, 3, went to college recently. They were accom-panied by their parents Jorge and Lourdes Casas, for whom the visit to UCLA was a first, too.

Michael L. López is a nationally-recognized early childhood research consultant, working with First 5 LA on the development and implementation of a long-term research and evaluation plan for the Universal Preschool Initiative.

With the arrival of the holiday season, I want to remind all of Santa's helpers of the importance of selecting safe toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

Los Angeles, CA – The case last Saturday of a newborn baby turned over to doctors and nurses at a hospital emergency room in Newhall highlights the importance of California's Safely Surrendered Baby Law, which allows parents in dire situations to give up their babies confidentially without fear of prosecution.

First 5 LA recently reached out to the Korean American community to pro-mote Healthy Kids and other free or low-cost health insurance programs.

Cindy Oser is a nationally-known authority on the development of babies and young children.

Two years ago, Leoncia Tzompatle was a timid mother of two who could not read in English or her native Spanish.