In addition to having access to
a number of parks, festivals, and museums, young children living in the Santa
Barbara, California, area have the benefit of community
resources like the First 5 program. Founded upon the theory that the
first five years of life are vital to a child’s future physical and mental
wellbeing, the First 5 program’s mission is to utilize the tax revenue
collected from tobacco sales to fund and sponsor programs and initiatives that enhance
the lives of children from birth to five years of age. First 5 concentrates on
the following three areas:
1.
Better Healthcare
Children without access to
adequate healthcare and nutrition have lower rates of growth, higher rates of
illness, and more frequent occurrences of psychological and developmental
challenges. Part of First 5’s mission involves ensuring that kids from
different economic backgrounds get the best possible start in life, and this
begins with affordable healthcare options for their families.
First 5 partners with Healthy
Kids Santa Barbara, a budget-friendly insurance plan that provides children
access to quality medical, dental, and vision care regardless of whether or not
they or their parents are United States citizens. To qualify for the program, a
child’s family must reside in Santa Barbara County, fall within a specific
income spectrum, and not be covered by any other insurance plan. First 5 offers
additional coverage for Santa Barbara’s youngest residents through its Early
Childhood Oral Health Program, which directs families to affordable screenings
and procedures at local clinics and as a part of local preschool programs.
Routine dental and medical checkups
contribute to better school attendance and instill positive health habits in children
that often last into adulthood. First 5 also focuses on educating parents on
how healthy children have greater opportunities to be successful because they
are able to study unhindered by the distractions and pains that come with
illness.
2.
Stronger Families
First 5 also focuses on
strengthening family bonds and funds nonprofits that teach parents how to
create positive emotional relationships and nurturing environments within the
home. Among the organizations that First 5 works with is a local network of
Family Resource Centers (FRC). At any FRC, parents can receive counseling, participate
in support groups with other parents, and take parental education classes.
Additional services include case management consultations, screenings for the
early detection of various conditions, and initiatives that aim to protect
children and families from abusive living situations.
Another service that First 5
sponsors is the Welcome Every Baby Program, which sends nurses and infant
specialists into the homes of new mothers to monitor the health of babies over
the course of their first 18 months of life. This program also teaches parents
about proper infant care, breastfeeding, and post-partum depression. Beneficiaries
of this program additionally receive information about community activities
that are designed for infants and their parents.
Strong family ties early in
life create immeasurable benefits, but they
specifically play a role in a child’s ability to trust, relate to others, and
develop self-confidence. The positive family units envisioned by First 5 help create
a stable platform upon which children can build their futures.
3.
Quality Education
First 5 supports the notion
that parents are their children’s first and best teacher, and believes that early learning can set children
up for continued success in the educational system and in life. In
light of this, the organization provides a collection of informational pages on
its website that help educate parents on infant and child development, healthy
eating, and early literacy. Many of these pages outline instructions for simple
activities that parents can use to help develop their baby’s motor skills,
cognitive function, social-emotional growth, and communication abilities.
When a child has no exposure to
quality early education, often due to limited economic resources and a lack of
affordable preschool availability, he or she may enter the school system at an
educational disadvantage. This can set the stage for a host of future academic
difficulties.
To address this situation,
First 5 helps pre-existing children’s centers adopt guidelines set down by
Santa Barbara’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). Adherence to this
code helps these centers receive benefits provided by First 5 partner network
Quality Counts.
Under Quality Counts, local
daycare and centers where children receive early care and education can receive
support through stipends for workforce training and funding to achieve
accreditation. Additionally, through the Constructing Connections Project, the
county brings together professionals in areas like land planning, housing
development, and government to find ways to create more childcare spaces in the
Santa Barbara area.
