Policy Pick: Advocates Oppose First 5 Funding Grab In SacramentoFebruary 1, 2010 |
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 First 5 community advocates from across the state came together in Sacramento last week to testify at a California Senate budget hearing in opposition to a plan to divert Proposition 10 funding from local communities. More than 15 health, education and child welfare advocates spoke out at the January 26 hearing against the Governor’s proposal to redirect more than $1.5 billion in First 5 funding for the next five years. Many represented First 5 commissions throughout the state -- including Alpine, Contra Costa, Solano, San Francisco, and Los Angeles -- while others spoke on behalf of agencies such as the Dental Health Foundation and Easter Seals in Northern California. A number of speakers stressed the importance of First 5 resources in securing additional funding for California. Speaking on behalf of the First 5 Association, Sherry Novick explained that approximately 30 percent of First 5 funding went towards public health and human services programs, hospitals, clinics, and other public agencies. As a result, additional federal funding was secured from federal programs such as Medicaid Title 19 and Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) Program. "This is money for counties to provide services, at no cost to the state," Novick said. Other advocates stepped forward to explain to legislators how First 5 funding was utilized to meet specific needs of children from low-income families in their communities. One mother from Oakdale, Karen O’Bannon, spoke about how First 5 funding enabled her town to build a family resource center that provided vital programs for local families, who would otherwise have to drive 40 minutes to access county services. O’Bannon emphasized that First 5 programs look different from state programs and vary from county to county because communities in which children live also vary across the state. "This is a situation where different is really good," she said. "Each community can design what their children really need." Sue Greenwald, a representative from Children’s Hospital in Oakland, recounted the plight of Gabriel, who was born four months early and weighed less than one pound. His condition required a three-month hospital stay. After his discharge, a social worker on a home visit discovered Gabriel’s mother suffered from clinical depression, with suicidal ideation and thoughts of killing her baby. Staff took action immediately, placing Gabriel in temporary foster care while the mother was assisted in accessing mental care. Without First 5 support for home visitation programs, Greenwald noted, "this would have been another infant mortality statistic for Alameda County.” The State Assembly is tentatively scheduled to consider the issue during a hearing this week. For more information, please contact Ruel Nolledo at RNolledo@First5LA.org.
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Parents need assistance with childcare cost
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