@First5Assoc

A collective voice for the 58 First 5 county commissions to ensure that young kids in California grow up healthy, safe, and ready to learn.

first5association.org
Joined June 2013
  • Tweets3.9K
  • Following533
  • Followers2K
1.4KMedia
Happy Dolly Parton Day! Since 2023, the Imagination Library has mailed nearly 2.9M free books to California kids under 5, in English and Spanish. Read more from @EdSource: edsource.org/2026/california… #ThankYouDolly
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AI and data brokers touch every First 5 commission's work now. On Oct 20, digital ethicist Clara Fulks unpacks how data gets collected, sold, and used, and what agencies should know before adopting AI. Register: ow.ly/J7cw50ZQhj8
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Kids shouldn't fall through gaps between providers who don't talk to each other. On 10/16, @CAPublicHealth breaks down California's Medical Home model for coordinated, whole-child care. Register: ow.ly/ZROb50ZQheg
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80% of families using CCDF subsidies today are single working parents, mostly moms. A new federal proposal adds a new use for that same underfunded fund, no new money attached. Read @First5Alameda CEO's response: ow.ly/L7AY50ZOPr7
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As the 2026 legislative session wrapped, Assemblywoman Heather Hadwick honored the First 5 organizations of Assembly District 1 for connecting rural Northern California families to early childhood services. Congratulate them with us!
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Behavioral health funding is shifting. The prevention safety net doesn't have to. Free coaching for CA families (0-12) now partners with First 5s statewide. See how at this 9/18 session from First 5 Leadership Institute. 1 week left to register: ow.ly/PwBA50ZL3la
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Passionate about early childhood? Shape tomorrow’s future with First 5. Explore careers that create lasting change. Browse our Job Board page: ow.ly/ywsn50ZHYkj
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Dolly Parton grew up watching her father struggle to read. She spent her life making sure other kids wouldn't. Her Imagination Library reaches CA children through First 5 commissions. We honor her legacy - read our statement: ow.ly/CQrj50ZFFE8
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"Toxic stress" isn't an abstract term - it's what a 1-year-old experienced during 5 months of separation from his father, detained at a green card interview. A judge later ruled the arrest unlawful. Story via @KQEDnews: ow.ly/ux8850ZB8YJ

Detained at Green Card Interview: How a Bay Area Family Is Healing From Sudden Separation | KQED

Green card interviews are usually the last step to obtaining permanent residency. Instead, ICE agents detained a man from Kenya while his American wife changed their baby’s diaper.

kqed.org
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Coaching, not crisis response. BrightLife Kids gives CA families with kids 0–12 free behavioral health support - before issues become acute. Hear how it partners with First 5 commissions statewide, Sept 18 at 10am PT. Register for the session: ow.ly/V07c50ZB8Vc
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$20M, 8 classrooms, ~100 kids enrolled since April - and 7 more classrooms coming. Rise Vallejo turned empty school space into real child-care capacity. Persistence pays off. Full story via @uniondemocrat: ow.ly/GkrY50ZB7iR
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Leadership growth isn't a one-time workshop, it's a returning room. First 5 Leadership Institute's Applied Learning Communities offer exactly that. Applications close August 28 - apply today! REDI in Action: surveymonkey.com/r/DKFTVHP First 5 Foundations: surveymonkey.com/r/9HZBTVQ
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Head Start has served 40M+ kids in 60 years. Now proposed HHS deregulation puts it at risk - reduced access, bigger classrooms, weaker protections for kids w/disabilities, lower teacher standards. Tell Congress: urge HHS to #ProtectHeadStart bit.ly/45pgIA0
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“We became essentially a healthcare provider.” For community-based organizations, becoming a Medi-Cal provider requires intentional organizational transformation. Watch the Medi-Cal Contracting Journey session replay to learn more: ow.ly/pyXS50ZyFTa
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An 82% "yes" vote. A cannabis tax reinvested in kids. A soda tax that just won in court. Santa Cruz didn't wait for perfect conditions to fund early childhood. See how at our latest First 5 Leadership Institute session. Watch the replay: ow.ly/bq8G50ZyFK9
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Funding matters. Implementation determines whether it changes lives. @First5Alameda Measure C reached nearly 20,000 kids and 6,400+ educators in year one. See how they built it. Via @The74: ow.ly/IHw550ZwNkY
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California doesn't need new infrastructure to fix early childhood systems - it needs to use what's already there. The First 5 Network reaches all 58 counties. @First5Assoc ED Avo Makdessian on governance reform built on existing strengths. Read more: ow.ly/uU0950ZwmYj
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California's updated Preschool Guidelines for All Settings (@CaliforniaDSS & @WestEd) now covers family child care homes, centers, and school-based programs alike. Read the full guidelines: ow.ly/AuIk50ZutEy
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CA's 2027 early childhood policy planning is taking shape. First 5 Association Executive Director Avo Makdessian joined state leaders at Vanderbilt's Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Academy on governance & financing. Learn more via @pn3policy.
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Apply for First 5 Leadership Institute's Applied Learning Communities: First 5 Foundations for leaders new to the F5 Network & REDI in Action for those advancing equity work. Deadline is 8/28! First 5 Foundations: surveymonkey.com/r/9HZBTVQ REDI in Action: surveymonkey.com/r/DKFTVHP
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