President Obama sent a clear signal about the importance of early childhood education when he announced a proposal to make universal preschool available to all children nationwide. The plan includes a series of new investments intended as the foundation for a...
Amado Ulloa
KIM BELSHE, FORMER SECRETARY OF CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY, SELECTED TO LEAD FIRST 5 LA
LOS ANGELES--------Kim Belshe has been named the new Executive Director of First 5 LA. Belshe, a veteran public administrator and nationally-recognized policy expert, will join the agency in early November. Belshe served as the Secretary of the California Health and...
Policy Pick: Children’s Council Bill
Late last week, the state Senate passed AB 823, one of several kid-friendly bills First 5 LA is supporting this year. The bill has the potential to improve services and programs serving young kids while eliminating duplicate efforts and maximizing resources. Authored...
Budget Brief: Senate Subcommittee Rejects TK Cuts, Defers Decision on Other Kids' Programs
Key legislators in the California Senate sent a message about the importance of early education when they rejected Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to eliminate the state transitional kindergarten program. Headed by Sen. Carol Liu (D-Glendale), the Senate Budget...
State Budget Update: Legislators Voting On Deep Cuts To Children’s Programs
Members of the State Assembly and Senate are voting on a finalized budget plan that includes deep cuts to a host of programs that young children, pregnant women and their families rely on for their most basic needs.State child care programs are among those being hit...
Policy Update: Health Insurers Resume Children’s Insurance Policies in Light of New State Law
Five health insurance companies rescinded their threats to stop selling new child-only policies in California, reversing direction just ahead of a new bill that will penalize carriers who adopt such practices. The initial decision to stop selling the policies came in...
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden Focus on Military Families at Women?s Conference
When first lady Michelle Obama told more than 14,000 women last week that women?s ways of knowing just how, and when, to support each other is one of the characteristics that sets them apart from their male counterparts, the largely female audience responded with...
Policy Update: Five Early Childhood Bills Await Governor?s Action
While the California budget remains in limbo, having long missed its deadline for approval, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is facing another critical deadline with important implications for young children. As of 10 a.m. today, he has only 86 hours to make decisions...
Policy Pick: Health Care Reform and First 5 LA’s Policy Agenda
Health care reform continues to be a top priority in First 5 LA's Public Policy Agenda, and several key provisions in the new national health care reform law are in line with what has been outlined in the First 5 LA Statement of Health Care Reform Principles. This is...
Policy Pick: Federal Budget, Place-Based Proposals
The trend of place-based investments has been growing in recent years, as demonstrated by First 5 LA's new Strategic Plan, and the Obama Administration is also riding the wave of targeted community-based investment strategies. Last August, a White House memo outlined...
