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California Budget Signed by Governor Newsom Strengthens Foundation for Young Children and Their Families
Solidifying his commitment to California’s youngest children, Governor Gavin Newsom on June 27 signed his 2019-2020 budget that includes nearly $2.8 billion focused on early childhood development priorities. Advancing a whole child approach, these significant...
First 5 LA: State Budget Reflects Governor Newsom and Legislative Leaders’ Comprehensive Commitment to Children and Families
LOS ANGELES – First 5 LA Executive Director Kim Belshé today commended Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders for enacting a strong budget that reflects a comprehensive commitment to California’s young children and families. “Governor Newsom and the Legislature...

What We’re Doing: June 2019
Pictured L–R: [Top] Family Supports Program Officer Christine Tran; Family Supports Senior Program Officer Anna Potere; Director of Family Supports Barbara Andrade Dubransky; Family Supports Senior Program Officer Leticia Sanchez; Communities Program Officer Roberto...

Democracy Starts at Home: Why Every Baby Counts in the 2020 Census
When most people think of their first experience with democracy, turning 18 years old and gaining the right to vote usually comes to mind. What many don’t realize, however, is that democracy actually begins long before that benchmark birthday, starting first in the...

Commission Meeting Summary for June 13, 2019
The Board of Commissioners meets on the second Thursday of each month at 1:30 p.m., unless otherwise indicated, at the First 5 LA offices. All meetings are open to the public, and agendas are posted on our website at least 72 hours in advance. Please check our...

Making the News: Baby Bust or Birth of a New Outlook on Kids?
People in the United States are having fewer children and later in life, mirroring a trend in many developed nations. The U.S. birthrate is currently less than it was in the 1980s, and this raw data has demographers and sociologists speculating as to why and what it...

Promoting Family-Friendly Workplace Policies and Practice: Landscape Analysis
Work-life balance, often referred to as work-family balance or life-work balance, refers to an employee’s ability to minimize stress by having an adequate balance between the responsibilities of work and home life. In this Landscape Analysis funded by First 5 LA in...

Strengthening Families Through Home Visiting
For Midori, her home visitor’s advice on breastfeeding her newborn was crucial in deciding to keep nursing him. For Lidia, her stress and fears were allayed by reassurance from her home visitor that her son, born five weeks early, was developing normally. For Helen,...
First 5s: Trump Proposal to Recalculate Federal Poverty Level Will Hurt Millions of California Children
ALAMEDA, CA – First 5 Association of California, First 5 California, and First 5 LA today announced their opposition to the Trump Administration’s proposal to recalculate the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) — a plan that could disqualify struggling children and families...