These Commission Summaries are intended to provide highlights of the First 5 LA Board of Commissioners’ actions to advance the outcome areas of First 5 LA’s 2015-2020 Strategic Plan.
At the February 11 Commission meeting, highlights include the Board’s approval to launch Project DULCE with strategic partners in Los Angeles County, an update on the Expiring Initiatives review process, a briefing on First 5 LA’s federal advocacy efforts, a presentation on Gov. Brown’s proposed budget and approval of two key contracts for Best Start.
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 Commission Calendar for all updated meeting information and click here for Commission meeting packets, agendas, summaries and meeting notes.
- In a significant move to strengthen family protective factors in Los Angeles County, the Board authorized a strategic partnership with the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) to launch Project Developmental Understanding and Legal Collaboration for Everyone (Project DULCE) in L.A. County. Project DULCE enhances well baby checkups to support a child’s early development. The Board’s action approved strategic partnerships in the amount of $212,000 per clinic to implement Project DULCE at: The Children’s Clinic, Northeast Valley Health Corporation and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center.
- On the Consent Agenda, the Board approved two new contracts totaling $330,354 to implement strategies and activities for community-identified projects at the Best Start Lancaster and the Best Start Northeast Valley Community Partnerships. This action marks contract approvals for 13 of 14 Best Start community partnerships’ community-identified projects. The Board also approved a $1 million contract over nearly 2 -1/2 years with Viva Strategy to assist First 5 LA as it refines and implements a countywide Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) under First 5 CA’s IMPACT initiative.
- First 5 LA Director of Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Peter Barth briefed the Board on Gov. Brown’s new budget proposal, highlighting the impact of Brown’s proposed plan for child care vouchers. While the basic framework is a good starting point, Barth said, noteworthy concerns in the plan include the lack of new funding and no recognition of quality or accountability.
- Key federal victories in 2015 for young children and their families included the reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act and $1 billion in federal investments for early childhood education programs, according to Joel Packer of the Raben Group, First 5 LA’s federal advocacy partner. Packer presented the Board with a federal policy and sustainability review for 2015 and a look ahead.
- Per the Board-approved Governance Guidelines (Guideline #7), the Commission received an update on First 5 LA’s Expiring Initiatives Review Process and a timeline for Board presentations during spring 2016. As part of this process, First 5 LA staff will present their findings at the February 25 Program and Planning Committee meeting on the following legacy investments: Homeless Permanent Supportive Housing, Information Resource and Referral (211 LA County), Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Early Identification and Intervention – Autism and other Developmental Delays. Staff will seek further direction or endorsement of their recommendations from the Board at the March 10 Commission Meeting.
