F5 Association of CA

Slide 1: 

October 2004 Prop 10 Briefings

Association Meeting Highlights : 

2 Association Meeting Highlights Current Challenges faced by County Commissions Attendees divided into two groups and discussed how best to support communities as commission funding strategies evolve and how to manage competing interests within the county, particularly in the context of increasing public scrutiny. New FIRST 5 Association Website A website demo was presented by Carola Cabrejos-Healy, Project Manager for the Association. The new website offers greater technical assistance opportunities, peer mentoring, and a First 5 master calendar. To visit the site, go to http://www.f5ac.org.

Association Meeting Highlights : 

3 Association Meeting Highlights Preschool California Formed with seed funding from the Packard Foundation to run an advocacy campaign to achieve voluntary preschool for all 4 year olds in California. In 2005 Preschool California will: Work to bring together leaders from diverse sectors, including the early care and education field, law enforcement, business, and women’s groups, among others. Organize support for PFA regionally, with activities planned for San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Santa Clara, Fresno, and Sacramento. Build support for a PFA ballot initiative. Preschool California is working with Rob Reiner in his capacity as a private citizen-advocate. They anticipate an initiative will be written early in 2005.

Association Meeting Highlights : 

4 Association Meeting Highlights Preschool California (continued) Identify the benefits to the state through a cost-benefit analysis currently underway by the RAND Corporation. Local commissions are invited to give input to the ballot initiative, use Preschool California’s materials locally, and support PFA through the variety of advocacy activities described on Preschool California’s website at www.preschoolcalifornia.org.

Association Meeting Highlights : 

5 Association Meeting Highlights Response to the State Audit A Policy Statement and Action Plan in Response to the Audit of State and County Children and Family Commissions, establishing a range of activities the Association is undertaking to address concerns raised in the State Audit Report, was adopted. The Association’s partnership the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and the State Commission will result in model fiscal policies and a training curriculum designed for county commission staff. The State Commission is funding the project. Representatives from each region and the State Staff are serving on a Leadership Committee to guide the work of GFOA. The first training session will be at the Pre-Conference Institute in April.

Association Meeting Highlights : 

6 Association Meeting Highlights Response to the State Audit (continued) GFOA has also been retained to facilitate a state-county evaluation workgroup, which will review the current statewide evaluation system and recommend modifications. The intent is to arrive at a means of measuring the impact of the investment of Prop 10 funds in a manner that can be reported on a statewide basis. The State Audit Report and the GFOA assessment of county fiscal practices both noted the need to address this issue. Forums will be organized to collect input from all counties via teleconferences, in person, and online. The workgroup will meet over several months and its work will result in a new evaluation RFP to be released mid-way through 2005.

Association Meeting Highlights : 

7 Association Meeting Highlights Association Business Items The sixth annual First 5 Statewide Conference will be held April 27-29, 2005, at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel. The Association is working with State Staff, commissioners, and representatives of each region to plan and present the conference. The Zero to Three National Training Institute, “A Changing World for Babies,” will be held at the Sacramento Conference Center December 3 – 5. A Pre-Institute on December 2 has been designed for First 5 commissioners and staff. Go to http://www.zerotothree.org/nti00/index_main00.html for more information. A process for members to request new Association projects is under development by the Executive Committee.

Association Meeting Highlights : 

8 Association Meeting Highlights State Public Relations RFP A new PR RFP will be released next month. State staff sought input from the Association in developing the PR plan, but the final proposal includes a new component designed by State Commissioners, the “State Partnership Program.” It requires the PR contractor to subcontract with statewide organizations to reach diverse communities and to operate a parent empowerment program at the grassroots level. Because many county commissions fund similar parent outreach programs, members felt this new effort is likely to cause confusion and duplication of effort at the local level. Sherry Novick was asked to carry these concerns to the State Commission and work out protections against these potential problems.

Association Meeting Highlights : 

9 Association Meeting Highlights Update on the CA Legislature & the Outlook for FIRST 5: Report from Phil Isenberg There will be at least 34 new members of the state Legislature in 2005. This represents a nearly 28% turnover to new legislators who have no ownership of prior agreements. There will be hearings on the question of county commissions’ fiscal accountability and bills to address what the Legislature sees as the problems, such as financial accountability and contracting practices. The Governor and First Lady, through the California Alliance, will sponsor a major outreach to families of military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. This could be an opportunity for county commissions to reach out to these families. Meetings with legislators will be essential before early January.

Association Meeting Highlights : 

10 Association Meeting Highlights Outreach and Partnership Building Activities Consultant Nicole Singer is currently drafting case studies of collaborations between First 5 and Boys & Girls Clubs, as was requested by interested county commissions. The Association will make a presentation before CSAC’s Health and Human Services Committee at its Novemberl conference in San Diego. The Association has also met with staff of the California School Boards Association (CSBA) and the County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA) to explore partnerships. Representatives from Orange County and First 5 State Staff will speak about Preschool for All at the CSBA conference in San Francisco in December.

Association Meeting Highlights : 

11 Association Meeting Highlights Committee Updates TA Committee – Chair Pat Wheatley (Santa Barbara) expressed her appreciation to Carola and all those that contributed to the redesign of the Association’s website. Media Committee – Chair Amy Reisch (Marin) reported that templates for counties to use as collateral pieces to the annual report will be available soon. The committee will meet in January and she hopes to have materials to share. Advocacy Committee: Chair Mike Ruane (Orange) advised that there will be a strategic approach to new legislative initiatives. Sherry noted that Assemblywoman Chan is planning a hearing on First 5 and the State Audit Report in December. Assemblywoman Chan is expected to introduce legislation. Sherry and others are working with Wilma Chan’s office and will supply additional information when available.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

12 State Commission Meeting Highlights Chair’s Report Commission Chair Reiner was absent and Vice Chair Alice Walker Duff presided in his absence. On September 13, A Place of Our Own and its Spanish-language companion Los Niño’s En Su Casa, debuted on KCET in Los Angeles and is now airing on all PBS stations statewide. This series is designed to help home-based caregivers provide quality early education to young children. The next round of First 5 ads will continue to build awareness of the value of Preschool for All by focusing on the societal benefits from which all Californians – even those without children – will gain. State Commissioner Eliseo Medina toured the top Spanish-language radio stations to discuss the importance of preschool in the Latino community.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

13 State Commission Meeting Highlights Chair’s Report (continued) The Affordable Buildings for Child Development (ABCD) Initiative, which received $3 million in State Commission funds last year, is working to build a sustainable system for financing child care centers and preschools throughout the state. Six demonstration sites have been selected. The California Department of Education is moving forward with its Exempt Care Provider Outreach and Training Project which consists of approximately $7.5 million for local R&Rs to expand the California Child Care Initiative Project to license-exempt caregivers. The First 5 California Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Caregiver Support Project web site, developed by ETR Associates, went live two weeks ago at www.etr.org/FFN/ Commissioner Margaret Taylor will resign from the Commission at the end of December. Commissioner Taylor was appointed last October by Governor Davis to the Health Executive position on the Commission.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

14 State Commission Meeting Highlights Executive Director’s Report New State Commission staff were introduced: David Henderson, who will work in the Technology and Strategic Planning Section, and Debra Merchant who is the new First 5 Special Needs Consultant. Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the First 5-sponsored Preschool for All bill. The bill had been scaled back from a fairly detailed bill (AB 56) that would have set up the framework for a statewide Preschool for All program, to a study bill (AB 712) that asked First 5 California to estimate the cost of a voluntary PFA program and lead a Preschool Workforce Development Blue Ribbon Committee. A contract for $416,000 was awarded to California Tomorrow and its partners, the Interaction Institute for Social Change and Consulting by Design, to assist with the implementation of the Equity Principles and advise the Commission on diversity matters.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

15 State Commission Meeting Highlights California Smoker’s Hotline The State Commission unanimously approved $3.1 million to continue the services of the California Smokers’ Helpline administered by the University of California, San Diego, through June, 2008. The allocation will be used to: Continue direct tobacco cessation services to approximately 775 pregnant smokers and smoking parents and caregivers per month. Implement targeted outreach through local First 5 commissions, the programs they fund, and organizations implementing statewide First 5 initiatives Provide consultation and technical assistance to First 5 California on effective tobacco cessation messaging to be included in materials created for statewide distribution.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

16 State Commission Meeting Highlights Public Relations Request for Proposals The State Commission approved the release of a three-year public relations RFP for up to $21 million, including $9 million to be used for the State Partnership Program, a collaboration with statewide organizations. The RFP will include: Public education and media outreach to parents and caregivers of children 0 – 5 and the general public. An end to the regional media assistance component of the current PR contract, except for continuing support for small-population counties. Management of subcontracts with statewide organizations to carry First 5 messages to diverse communities and implement a parent outreach and empowerment program to educate parents and caregivers about how to advocate for their children’s needs. A requirement to develop a process that assures that parent outreach and empowerment activities are implemented in collaboration with local commissions.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

17 State Commission Meeting Highlights State Audit Report Update Last summer Chair Reiner called for the creation of an ad hoc working group to review the audit findings, the Children and Families Act, and any suggestions for legislative or administrative changes. Representatives of the Assembly Speaker, the Senate President Pro Tem, the Administration, County Commissioners, and state and county First 5 staff have been invited to participate. The first meeting will be held in November. State staff and First 5 Association staff have met with Assemblywoman Wilma Chan’s office to discuss her December hearing on First 5. The hearing will include potential legislative changes associated with the audit recommendations.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

18 State Commission Meeting Highlights Statewide Evaluation Contract Extension The Commission unanimously approved a one-year extension of the statewide data collection and evaluation contract with SRI International for up to $5 million. The current contract will end February 2, 2005. State staff expects at least $1 million to be carried over from the current contract, so the exact amount needed for the extension may be less than the approved amount. The extension will allow time for the evaluation workgroup to complete its work, a new RFP to be developed, and a new evaluation contract to be competitively bid.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

19 State Commission Meeting Highlights Annual Review of Guidelines The State Commission is statutorily required to review its guidelines annually. The current guidelines are essentially the same as those originally adopted, with the addition of the Principles on Equity, and will need significant revision. Because recommendations are likely to result from the efforts of the evaluation workgroup and the ad hoc working group on Proposition 10, staff recommended postponing the review until those efforts are complete.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

20 State Commission Meeting Highlights Preschool For All Demonstration Projects PFA demonstration projects will be designed to provide a research-based policy blueprint that will draw on the work of First 5’s Special Needs, Compensation Retention, Health Access, and School Readiness initiatives. Of the $100 million allocated by the State Commission for the project in July, 2003, $90 million is targeted to county commission PFA demonstration projects. $10 million is targeted to quality improvements, evaluation, workforce development activities, and project monitoring. 13 county commissions that met threshold criteria each received a $50,000 planning grants earlier this year. $250,000 was allocated to fund technical assistance for the planning projects and the first TA session was held October 19. $3 million in initial funding was approved by the State Commission in July for the San Mateo PFA project to assist in its early implementation.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

21 State Commission Meeting Highlights Preschool For All Demonstration Projects (continued) After the planning process, a competitive process will be used to select 5 or 6 demonstration sites. They will have to meet both infrastructure and program criteria. Demonstration sites will be evaluated on their outcomes, including whether children are more ready to enter school, the achievement gap is narrowed, more children receive screening and assessments, and children with special needs and English language learners are effectively included. Demonstration projects must focus on targeted School Readiness communities, with a plan for universal implementation; include access to full-day care; and link to existing First 5 Initiatives. The State Commission will consider approval of the PFA Demonstration Project criteria in January, 2005, with applications due in July.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

22 State Commission Meeting Highlights Children of Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers Update This initiative, approved in June 2003, was designed to augment child care services, parent education, and family literacy programs for migrant and seasonal farm worker families. In includes: $7.4 million over 4 years to the 22 California Migrant Education Even Start (MEES) programs to create additional child care during the hours parents are working; increase program capacity; augment transportation services; increase center-based services for young children; and provide outreach and education on First 5-funded and other services. $2.2 million over 4 years to La Union Del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) to implement a demonstration project in 8 counties to encourage participation in MEES and other programs, develop parent associations and a resource directory for farm worker families, and provide parent education services to increase parent knowledge of the importance of early childhood. Demonstration sites include Fresno, Kings, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Kern, Madera, San Benito, and Tulare.

State Commission Meeting Highlights : 

23 State Commission Meeting Highlights Children of Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers (continued) As a result of First 5 funding to MEES, 110 new programs were funded in year 1, serving 2,402 children and 2,810 parents. The first year funding for LUPE resulted in new parent committees in Fresno and Monterey counties, distribution of over 1,000 English and Spanish Parenting kits, outreach programs attended by over 2,500 people, and outreach to over 600 individuals in home settings. Both projects have recruited and trained parents as educators and leaders to promote the importance of early childhood development in their communities.

Association Meeting Highlights : 

24 Association Meeting Highlights Legislation Update As originally drafted, AB 56 included the school readiness recommendations from the Master Plan for Education, with a primary focus on voluntary Preschool for All. In light of the State budget situation, AB 56 was pared down to establish the framework and standards of a PFA program which would be implemented at a future time. This was then scaled down even further in its final version, AB 712, to a study bill, which called on the State Commission to determine the cost of statewide voluntary PFA and convene a Blue Ribbon Committee on Workforce Development to address the training needs of a PFA workforce. AB 712 was vetoed by the Governor, but his veto message stated his general support for preschool and indicated that his administration will work with the State Commission and others to assess the infrastructure and options available to provide a statewide preschool program.

Association Meeting Highlights : 

25 Association Meeting Highlights Legislation Update (continued) The Commission agreed to move forward with the Blue Ribbon Committee on Workforce Development at a cost estimated at $300,000 - $400,000, even without the authorizing legislation. Membership will include early child care and education experts, parents, and representatives from higher education, the business community, and counties implementing PFA. The goal will be to produce recommendations in two key areas: Content, competencies and coursework for the professionals needed to staff a statewide PFA system The higher education infrastructure, including alignment of instruction for uniformity across the state, course development, and outreach to students.

Upcoming Events : 

26 Upcoming Events 12/2 - 5 ZERO TO THREE National Training Institute and Pre-Institute, Sacramento, CA 12/6 KCET Train the Trainers, Los Angeles, CA 1/25 Association Meeting, Burbank, CA 1/26-27 FIRST 5 CCFC Retreat, Burbank, CA 4/27-29 FIRST 5 Statewide Conference, Los Angeles, CA For more information about the events listed above, please visit our calendar of events at http://www.f5ac.org