Community Impact

Brief Presentation:  "First 5 Outcomes and Children's Well Being" - published October 2011

First 5 Santa Cruz County Annual Evaluation Report, July 1, 2010-June 30,2011 - published October 2011

Baby Gateway:  The First Year's Outcomes - published August 2011

Our Strategic Plan

WHO WE SERVE

First 5 goal is to serve the most vulnerable children ages 0-5 and their families in Santa Cruz County, including very low-income families, English language learners, and families who live in higher risk zones of the county.  

• First 5-supported programs are wide-reaching

In 2010-11, First 5 partners served 9,292 children, representing 44% of all children these ages in Santa Cruz County

• First 5 serves a high number of dual language learners

Of the children served by First 5, 85% were Latino, and 71% spoke Spanish as their primary language

Of all Latino children ages 0-5 in Santa Cruz County, 62% participated in services funded by First 5

• First 5 is reaching an increasingly low income population

Almost 89% of the families served by First 5 earned less than the Federal Poverty Level

• First 5 is serving children in the highest risk zones of the county

92% of children lived in the areas of the county that rank highest on a cumulative index of risk factors

Overall Well-Being of Children in the County

• Santa Cruz County has a growing and diverse population of young children

In 2011, the majority of children ages 0-5 were either Hispanic (57%), or White/Non-Hispanic (37%)

In 2010, almost 49% of children in kindergarten had a primary language other than English

• Unemployment has grown dramatically and still varies greatly across the county

The unemployment rate for the county has increased from 7% in 2008 to 13% in 2011 

The August 2011 unemployment rate ranged from 4% in Aptos to 22% in Watsonville

• Enrollment in public assistance nutritional programs has increased

In 2011 over 19,000 people were receiving Food Stamp benefits—a 70% increase from 2007

In 2010, over 19,000 children were participating in the National School Lunch Program—almost 50% of the county’s students

• Not enough mothers are receiving prenatal care in the first trimester

Only 76% of mothers with Medi-Cal began receiving prenatal care during the first trimester, compared to 92% of mothers with private insurance

• The percentage of births to teen mothers in the County is decreasing

In the last two years, births to teen mothers decreased from 9.7% to 8.1% of all births in the County

• Over half of the births by women in the County were paid for by Medi-Cal

55% of births, across all age groups, were paid for by Medi-Cal

Medi-Cal was utilized by over 84% of the births to women under the age of 25

Summary by Goal Area

First 5 Santa Cruz County is serving 44% of children ages 0-5 in Santa Cruz County, and we are serving the most vulnerable children, including those in families that are experiencing severe poverty and are living in areas of the county with the highest risk factors.

First 5 and its partners are achieving results in helping these very vulnerable children and families:

In the Healthy Children goal area, data show that children are insured and using preventative health care

• Since 2004, 7,488 children ages 0-5 have been enrolled in public health insurance.
   
• In 2010, 95% of children (ages 2-6) in Healthy Kids had a medical home, 83% of children (ages 3-6) had a well-child visit in the last year, and 89% of children (ages 4-6) had a dental visit.
   
• In 2010-11, Baby Gateway assisted 74% of all mothers with Medi-Cal births to complete a Medi-Cal application for their new babies. With this assistance, 71% of all mothers with Medi-Cal births had their new babies enrolled in Medi-Cal, and 72% were assigned a primary care provider for their child.

In the Strong Families goal area, families are becoming more healthy and resilient, and it benefits their children

• Families who are at risk for child abuse and neglect are being helped to reduce that risk.
   
• 96% of families who received services from the Families Together program had no substantiated allegations of maltreatment in the six months after their cases closed.
   
• First 5 has implemented all five levels of Triple P in Santa Cruz County, from the launch of a media campaign to intensive and focused individual services.  Brief services may be an effective way of getting parents engaged in the program and provide an opportunity to participate in further services.

• Parents participating in the Triple P parenting program significantly increased their confidence in parenting, used more positive discipline styles, felt more supported, and improved their relationships with their families.
   
• Parents who had more serious parenting issues made the most meaningful changes in their family lives.
   
• Up to six months after completing the program, Triple P parents continue to report fewer behavioral problems with their children, and are continuing to use the skills they learned.
   
• Among families who have experienced child abuse or neglect, results suggest that Triple P is associated with lower rates of new substantiated child maltreatment allegations.

In the Children Learning and Ready for School goal area, data show that First 5 is successfully building teacher skills to improve children’s later school success

• The SEEDS of Early Literacy approach is transforming the early education system in the county. In 2010-11, the percentage of SEEDS-trained preschool classrooms assessed as providing high quality literacy support for children increased from 16% to 92%. Similarly, a multiple year analysis showed that SEEDS-trained family child care providers increased their abilities to help children use books, and understand and use language, and SEEDS-trained Infant/Toddler teachers showed improvements in these same dimensions.
   
• Children in SEEDS-trained classrooms are increasing their skills in three predictors of later reading success (picture naming, rhyming and alliteration). Further analyses showed that a higher percentage of Spanish-speaking children scored “below” or “near” target levels in their initial assessments when compared to English-speaking children, but by the last assessment, they had reached or exceeded the levels attained by English-speaking children, particularly in rhyming and alliteration, in both languages.
   
• Child Snapshots are helping the kindergarten teachers of 976 children understand their strengths, as well as areas in which they can be supported for success in school.

In the Service Integration Goal Area (Leveraging Funds)

• First 5 partners are maximizing First 5 funding by leveraging their funds to bring in an additional 3.7 million dollars, and in fact, the amount leveraged exceeds First 5’s total funding for 2010-11 by over $100,000. Because of First 5’s funding and this kind of additional support, Santa Cruz County children will continue to get the help they need to become healthy, strong, and ready for school.