 official logo | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | November 1998 |
| Type | Local public authority |
| Jurisdiction | Los Angeles County |
| Headquarters | 750 N. Alameda St., Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90012 |
| Annual budget | $194.3 million USD (2013-2014) [1] |
| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | First 5 California Children and Families Act |
| Website | first5la |
First 5 Los Angeles is a nonprofit child-advocacy organization that is part of the First 5 California Children and Families Act. [3]
First 5 California was created in November 1998 when California voters passed Proposition 10 to invest tobacco tax revenues in programs that would help improve the lives of children in California. [4] Spearheaded by Hollywood producer and political activist Rob Reiner, who acted as the commission's first chairman in 1999 under former Governor Gray Davis, First 5 California was created to use tobacco tax revenues to fund health, safety and early education programs for children age prenatal to 5 years old in California. [5] [6] In the 12 years subsequent to its creation, First 5 LA had invested more than one billion dollars from tobacco tax revenues into grants and programs that benefit the children of Los Angeles County. [2]
First 5 LA aims to create programs and services for children age prenatal to five. The mission is to increase the number of Los Angeles County children ages 0 to 5 who are physically and emotionally healthy, ready to learn, and safe from harm. [7]
Programs are centered around child, parent/caretaker, and teacher to improve early childhood outcomes in the areas of health and nutrition, early literacy and language development, quality child care, and smoking cessation. [3] [8]
Proposition 10 established a 50 cent-per-pack tax on tobacco products towards the healthy development of California's children from prenatal to age five. Declining birth and smoking rates is causing First 5 LA's revenue stream to decrease. [4] First 5 faces decreasing funding due to declining sales of tobacco products and increased administrative fees assessed by the State Board of Equalization for the collection of tobacco taxes. [9] Additional funding declines are fore coming due to state cutbacks. [9] Eighty percent of the commission's resources is divided among California's 58 counties, to be spent according to local needs and priorities. [10]
Since 1998, First 5 LA has contributed $800 million in grants and programs to benefit the children of LA County. First 5 LA manages funding for proposals or projects through a transparent Request for Proposal/Request for Qualification process. Proposals or projects can fall under the following categories: [11]
First 5 LA's funding decisions are guided by the following principles: [12]
First 5 LA has faced controversy due to the 2011 Harvey M. Rose audit that prompted concerns over its financial management. [13]
It discovered that while the program was overstaffed, it underspent on programs, resulting in a surplus of $800 million unused funds. [13] Auditors also noted a lack of transparency within the organization. [13] Staff within First 5 LA failed to report over $200 million in contracts and grant awards in one fiscal year, despite the policy that contracts exceeding $25,000 were to be approved by commissioners. [13] The lack of commission oversight made it impossible for auditors to determine whether or not agreements were made for appropriate purposes or qualified vendors and determine whether or not malfeasance had occurred. [13]
In response to the audit, First Five LA's former executive director, Evelyn V. Martinez, resigned. [14] Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 to make moves towards to transform First 5 LA from a separate legal entity to a county agency. [13]
In response to these challenges, the commission developed an accelerated plan to utilize nearly $400 million in program and services for county children. [13] The plan, which began in 2012, is estimated to serve up to 200,000 children. Some of the initiatives provide services such as expanded health intervention programs, housing for homeless families, expansion of dental care for children age 5 and younger, and partnerships with UCLA to bring dental and vision care to preschoolers. [13] [15]
First 5 LA's four goal statements [16] carry several public health implications.
Babies are born healthy.
Children maintain a healthy weight.
Children are safe from abuse and neglect.
Children are ready for kindergarten.
Evaluation of the Black Infant Health program has suggested that BIH clients have lower amounts of birth defects, infant mortality, and higher amounts of breast-feeding when compared to other African American mothers in LA County and the U.S. [22] Evaluation of the Healthy Birth Initiative showed more intermediary results. Rates of gestational age, pre-term birth weight, and infant mortality were higher in HBI clients when compared to LA County statistics. [23] Although comparisons of infant mortality and pre-term birth rates between HBI clients and the outside community were not statistically significant, the proportion of Cesarean births and formula feeding was found to be significantly lower. [23]
First 5 LA's Early Developmental Screening Initiative has shown increased collaboration between clinicians, community groups, and patients. [24] Physician practices that participated within EDSI's Physician Collaborative increased developmental screening rates from 20% to over 85%. [25] Furthermore, rates of maternal depression screening also increased from 7% to 54%, and the percentage of participating practices which used comprehensive care prompting systems increased from 7% to 77%. [25] Collaboration with Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programs has shown modest gains in visit preparation; 18% of the 500,000 participants reported that the programs affected the way they approach doctors visits. [25]
The Family Literacy Initiative also showed moderately positive outcomes; in fact, greater family participation in the Family Literacy program was associated with greater increases in parent reading skills, library use, and school involvement. [26] Although child participation in early childhood education classes was not correlated to an increase in pre-literacy or math skills, parent participation was correlated with higher child ability to name numbers, understand stories, and learn English. [27] The School Readiness Initiative showed small but statistically significant improvements in child communication and social-emotional school readiness skills. SRI children also had higher scores in English proficiency, and slightly higher scores on mathematical assessments. [28]
Head Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families. It is the oldest and largest program of its kind. The program's services and resources are designed to foster stable family relationships, enhance children's physical and emotional well-being, and establish an environment to develop strong cognitive skills. The transition from preschool to elementary school imposes diverse developmental challenges that include requiring the children to engage successfully with their peers outside the family network, adjust to the space of a classroom, and meet the expectations the school setting provides.
March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to combat polio. The name "March of Dimes" was coined by Eddie Cantor. After funding Jonas Salk's polio vaccine, the organization expanded its focus to the prevention of birth defects and infant mortality. In 2005, as preterm birth emerged as the leading cause of death for children worldwide, research and prevention of premature birth became the organization's primary focus.
The Early Childhood Education Act is the name of various landmark laws passed by the United States Congress outlining federal programs and funding for childhood education from pre-school through kindergarten. The first such act was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Congresswoman Patsy Mink of Hawaiʻi in the 1960s. The theory behind the act is that the years before a child reaches kindergarten are the most critical to influence learning. Many children do not have access to early education before entering kindergarten. The goal of the act is to provide a comprehensive set of services for children from birth until they enter kindergarten.
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It supports and conducts research aimed at improving the health of children, adults, families, and communities, including:
Environmental toxicants and fetal development is the impact of different toxic substances from the environment on the development of the fetus. This article deals with potential adverse effects of environmental toxicants on the prenatal development of both the embryo or fetus, as well as pregnancy complications. The human embryo or fetus is relatively susceptible to impact from adverse conditions within the mother's environment. Substandard fetal conditions often cause various degrees of developmental delays, both physical and mental, for the growing baby. Although some variables do occur as a result of genetic conditions pertaining to the father, a great many are directly brought about from environmental toxins that the mother is exposed to.
Birth weight is the body weight of a baby at their birth. The average birth weight in babies of European and African descent is 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lb), with the normative range between 2.5 and 4.0 kilograms. On average, babies of Asian descent weigh about 3.25 kilograms (7.2 lb). The prevalence of low birth weight has changed over time. Trends show a slight decrease from 7.9% (1970) to 6.8% (1980), then a slight increase to 8.3% (2006), to the current levels of 8.2% (2016). The prevalence of low birth weights has trended slightly upward from 2012 to the present.
Prenatal development includes the development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal development until birth.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is an American federal assistance program of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for healthcare and nutrition of low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children under the age of five as part of child nutrition programs. Their mission is to be a partner with other services that are key to childhood and family well-being. WIC serves 53% of all infants born in the United States.
A delayed milestone, which is also known as a developmental delay, refers to a situation where a child does not reach a particular developmental milestone at the expected age. Developmental milestones refer to a collection of indicators that a child is anticipated to reach as they grow older.
California Proposition 10 (1998) is an initiative state constitutional amendment that appeared in the 1998 California General Election. The official name of this amendment is “The Children and Families First Act.” This amendment put a $.50 tax on cigarettes, and up to $1 on other tobacco products such as chewing tobacco and cigars. The revenue from this tax would go to funding early childhood education in California. The tax went into effect January 1, 1999.
A prison nursery is a section of a prison that houses incarcerated mothers and their very young children. Prison nurseries are not common in correctional facilities in the United States, although prior to the 1950s many states had them and they are widespread throughout the rest of the world.
Maternal health is the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. In most cases, maternal health encompasses the health care dimensions of family planning, preconception, prenatal, and postnatal care in order to ensure a positive and fulfilling experience. In other cases, maternal health can reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. Maternal health revolves around the health and wellness of pregnant women, particularly when they are pregnant, at the time they give birth, and during child-raising. WHO has indicated that even though motherhood has been considered as a fulfilling natural experience that is emotional to the mother, a high percentage of women develop health problems and sometimes even die. Because of this, there is a need to invest in the health of women. The investment can be achieved in different ways, among the main ones being subsidizing the healthcare cost, education on maternal health, encouraging effective family planning, and ensuring progressive check up on the health of women with children. Maternal morbidity and mortality particularly affects women of color and women living in low and lower-middle income countries.
The fundaments of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) were established in the Brazilian Constitution of 1988, under the principles of universality, integrality and equity. It has a decentralized operational and management system, and social participation is present in all administrative levels. The Brazilian health system is a complex composition of public sector (SUS), private health institutions and private insurances. Since the creation of SUS, Brazil has significantly improved in many health indicators, but a lot needs to be done in order to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Early Head Start is a federally funded community-based program for low-income families with pregnant women, infants, and toddlers up to age 3. It is a program that came out of Head Start. The program was designed in 1994 by an Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers formed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. "In addition to providing or linking families with needed services—medical, mental health, nutrition, and education—Early Head Start can provide a place for children to experience consistent, nurturing relationships and stable, ongoing routines."
Erikson Institute is a graduate school in child development in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It is named for the noted psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist, Erik Erikson.
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), is one of six Bureaus within the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services located in Rockville, Maryland.
Breastfeeding promotion refers to coordinated activities and policies to promote health among women, newborns and infants through breastfeeding.
Prenatal care in the United States is a health care preventive care protocol recommended to women with the goal to provide regular check-ups that allow obstetricians-gynecologists, family medicine physicians, or midwives to detect, treat and prevent potential health problems throughout the course of pregnancy while promoting healthy lifestyles that benefit both mother and child. Patients are encouraged to attend monthly checkups during the first two trimesters and in the third trimester gradually increasing to weekly visits. Women who suspect they are pregnant can schedule pregnancy tests prior to 9 weeks gestation. Once pregnancy is confirmed an initial appointment is scheduled after 8 weeks gestation. Subsequent appointments consist of various tests ranging from blood pressure to glucose levels to check on the health of the mother and fetus. If not, appropriate treatment will then be provided to hinder any further complications.
Home visiting programs for families with young children have received Federal government support in the United States. A range of programs have been implemented, with evaluation of their effectiveness in terms of health, social and educational outcomes.
This article summarizes healthcare in Texas. In 2022, the United Healthcare Foundation ranked Texas as the 38th healthiest state in the United States. Obesity, excessive drinking, maternal mortality, infant mortality, vaccinations, mental health, and limited access to healthcare are among the major public health issues facing Texas.
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