First 5 Fresno Executive Director Pens Medi-Cal Op-Ed
![A screenshot of the op-ed on the Fresno Bee website](https://first5association.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Continuous-Eligibility-Op-Ed-1024x1024.png)
First 5 Fresno County Executive Director Fabiola González was the author of a recent op-ed featured in The Fresno Bee and The Merced Sun-Star. The op-ed focuses on the importance of ensuring that low-income families in the Central Valley have access to health care, especially those who rely on Medi-Cal for health insurance coverage, and how […]
New Videos Feature Child Care Provider Testimonials About COVID-19 Vaccine
![](https://first5association.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-4.46.32-PM.png)
First 5 Association of California and First 5 California have created new COVID-19 vaccine outreach resources to reach child care providers in counties across California who have not yet gotten vaccinated. The resources include testimonials, in both English and Spanish, from providers who have been or plan to be vaccinated. See more videos featuring testimonials from child […]
First 5 LA Releases New Screening and Referral Toolkit
![The cover of the new First 5 LA screening toolkit](https://first5association.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/F5LA-toolkit-798x1024.png)
First 5 LA, in partnership with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, has released a new Early Screening, Better Outcomes: Developmental Screening & Referral Toolkit for Family Serving Agencies. This toolkit is a practical guide to support early care and education, foster care, home visiting, mental health and other family serving agencies to implement or refine a high-quality approach […]
First 5 San Luis Obispo Releases New Family-Friendly Workplace Toolkit
![Children playing on a playground and text advertising the new "Family-Friendly Workplace Toolkit"](https://first5association.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Family-Friendly-Workplace-Toolkit-Instagram_Update-1024x1024.png)
First 5 San Luis Obispo recently released a new, free resource to help workplaces become more resilient while meeting the ever-changing challenges working parents face balancing their jobs and family priorities. The online toolkit is designed to help employers assess their current business practices, explore the many benefits of family-friendly workplace policies, and identify opportunities […]
First 5 Santa Clara Releases New Video on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
![A still from the video showing Kathy Page speaking about FASD.](https://first5association.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-22-at-2.03.12-PM.png)
First 5 Santa Clara County recently released a new video on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). The new video explores what FASDs are, how FASDs affect behavior, and why FASDs are difficult to diagnose. Included are interviews with Dr. Balaji Govindaswami, Dr. Ira Chasnoff, president of NTI Upstream and a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Illinois College […]
First 5 Riverside Works with Local Board of Supervisors to Assist Child Care Providers
![Two volunteers wearing face masks load supplies into the trunk of a car](https://first5association.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Riverside-Supplies-1024x1024.jpg)
First 5 Riverside and Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez recently held drive-through distributions to give out masks and supply kits with sanitizing products and thermometers to child care providers.
First 5s Respond to COVID-19 Crisis
![A photo of First 5 staff distributing boxes of supplies during the pandemic](https://first5association.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Screen-Shot-2020-12-11-at-9.52.24-AM-1024x418.png)
First 5s around the state of California helping support families during the COVID-19 crisis.
First 5 Kern delivers COVID supply help
![Piles of boxes of gloves sit on palettes at a supply distributions](https://first5association.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/unnamed-3-1024x768.jpg)
First 5 Kern held a final distribution event for their programs in October. Thirty-one programs were able to come out to this event.Three dozen First 5 Kern-funded programs and over 200 child care facilities participated in six different distribution events, which first started back in April as providers were struggling with lockdowns and limited availability […]
First 5 Alameda County Joins Live Q&A with Congressman Eric Swalwell
![Kristen Spanos talks on a live video Q&A](https://first5association.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FBLive-w-Swalwell-1024x542.png)
First 5 Alameda County Chief Executive Officer Kristin Spanos sat down for a Facebook Live Q&A with Congressman Eric Swalwell on August 21. The conversation centered on the challenges that children and families are facing during the pandemic, particularly around access to food and other necessities, including diapers/wipes, educational materials, cleaning products, and personal hygiene items. The […]
First 5 Centers in Contra Costa Put On Graduation Ceremony Parade for Families with Preschoolers
![Teachers wearing masks strike celebratory poses, while two hold congratulatory posters](https://first5association.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rmtk-f5coco-4.jpg)
After a year-long Kindergarten readiness class taught at the Delta and Antioch First 5 Center, families lined up in their cars decorated with hand-made signs while graduation music played, bubbles floated in the air, and celebrated their accomplishment in a unique, yet memorable way. In previous years, a large and intimate celebration was held at the […]