FIRST 5 Mendocino - 1st Round Funded Applicants

1st Round Funded Applicants (Jan 2001)

FIRST 5 Mendocino January 9, 2001 Regional Initiative Funding Year 2001 Notice of Intent to Award
This Notice of Intent to Award is posted on January 9, 2001. At its January 8, 2001 meeting, the Children and Families First Commission approved the applications listed below for funding, contingent upon successful contract negotiations and the results of any protests which may be filed.
INLAND NORTH	(Willits, Branscomb, Laytonville, Leggett & Piercy)
MENDOCINO COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINICS, INC. Expanding Comprehensive Health Services To Children Age 0 - 5		$40,000
M-C-H-C will open a health clinic in Willits to ensure that children ages 0 - 5 and their families will have access to high quality health care at a convenient location, overcoming the significant transportation barrier that many North County families experience. The health center will focus on children and families who have no other access to care. The children will receive on-going preventive care and treatment from physicians, dentists, and mid-level practitioners.

INLAND NORTHEAST	(Round Valley, Dos Rios)
ROUND VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Child Care Development Program		$62,000
Using both county and local assessments, the Round Valley Unified School District and local Birth to Five Committee identified a pressing school and community need for quality child care. The district will meet this need by purchasing a fully equipped and appropriate modular child care facility, establishing a quality child care program for children birth to five, implementing professional development training, and addressing the overall educational needs of both children and parents within the Round Valley community. Collaborative services will be sought to cover many of the operational costs. Parents whose children are well cared for by this program will be better able to maintain employment and pursue additional schooling. The children will experience a safe and nurturing environment which will prepare them for school and a healthy life.

INLAND CENTRAL	(Hopland, Potter Valley, Ukiah, Calpella, Redwood Valley, Talmage)
POTTER VALLEY COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER Dental Screenings for Preschool and Kindergarten Students of Potter Valley		$2,500
Potter Valley parents, school personnel and staff at Potter Valley Community Health Center are all concerned with the number of young children who present to the Health Center with severe dental problems. These dental problems can result in growth and development problems for children's adult teeth, jaw line and facial structure. A PVCHC dentist and a registered dental assistant will perform quarterly dental screenings for the Potter Valley Preschool and Kindergarten students. They will then inform the parents of any dental problems detected. Also, the students would receive age appropriate instructions on proper dental hygiene and information on what foods are not good for their teeth. Medical Providers would also be available to instruct Potter Valley Preschool and Kindergarten classes on health related problems, for example, head lice.
COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES CASA Advocates for Dependent Children Under 5 Years of Age		$21,552
Multiple changes in foster homes have a proven negative effect on infants and toddlers. The project goal is to assure a stable and nurturing environment to allow for optimum development in these early years. In addition to the regular support CASA Volunteers provide, children involved in the court system through their parents' actions, will also be trained to advocate for the continuity of care by a primary caregiver for dependent children under five in foster care. To support the healthy development of these children CASA volunteers will be recruited to specialize in advocacy for this age group.
MENDOCINO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE Child Care & Development Training & Staff Retention Project		$138,865
The collaborative partners of Mendocino College, Mendocino County Office of Education, North Coast Opportunities, Mendocino County Department of Public Health, Redwood Coast Regional Center, and Mendocino County Department of Social Services have joined together to effect a Child Care and Development Training and Staff Retention Project. This project presents four strategies: (1) Enhance the skill level of existing and new child care service providers to provide higher quality care; (2) expand existing and provide new services in the area of behavior intervention for the 0-5 population to address children's behavioral issues that are beyond the child care worker's expertise; (3) facilitate the development of a child care Substitute Pool to reduce the number of days a center must close due to short staffing; and (4) create a Centralized Eligibility List to help parents and providers streamline their research and paperwork.
CONSOLIDATED TRIBAL HEALTH PROJECT Red Road of Health		$54,397
The Red Road of Health will start each new mother off with a supportive home visit. Services will focus on parent education, immunizations for children, dental care for infants, including information and checkups for Baby Bottle Tooth Decay and well-child examinations. The Community Outreach Department will track new parents and their children to insure proper follow through and necessary support. Consolidated Tribal Health Project will focus on the local Native American population who begin their lives with health disadvantages, in great part due to the 40% poverty level.
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, WOMEN, INFANTS & CHILDREN Breastfeeding: Investing in Mendocino County's Future		$36,686
Breastfeeding is critically important to infants' early brain development and overall health. Breastfeeding promotion is a major education activity of the WIC program. This funding enables the Breastfeeding Coordinator to provide breastfeeding counseling and support to all mothers who are in need. WIC will also be eligible to leverage additional funds from the California Nutrition Network for Healthy, Active Families in the year 2001 thereby helping to enhance and expand our breastfeeding activities to other areas of the county. WIC staff is composed of experienced, culturally competent health educators who know how to work with young families, local communities and special populations.

INLAND SOUTH	(Anderson Valley)
ANDERSON VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Anderson Valley Early Childhood & Family Resource Center		$66,000
The Early Childhood and Family Resource Center on the Anderson Valley Elementary School campus will build on the child care currently provided by the 21st Century grant, Adult Education, and Even Start. The Center will provide child care for parents attending classes through Adult Education, the continuation school or parent volunteers in the schools; provide a preschool program for three-year-olds; provide parenting classes for parents of different ages and needs; and provide resources to families including information on health, dental, parenting, toy-lending, and other community resources they may need.

COASTAL NORTH	(Westport, Ft.Bragg, Comptche, Mendocino, Caspar, Albion, Little River)
COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES CASA Advocates for Dependent Children Under 5 Years of Age		$7,184
Multiple changes in foster homes have a proven negative effect on infants and toddlers. The project goal is to assure a stable and nurturing environment to allow for optimum development in these early years. In addition to the regular support CASA Volunteers provide, children involved in the court system through their parents' actions, will also be trained to advocate for the continuity of care by a primary caregiver for dependent children under five in foster care. To support the healthy development of these children CASA volunteers will be recruited to specialize in advocacy for this age group.

COASTAL SOUTH	(Elk, Manchester, Point Arena, Gualala)
ACTION NETWORK Growth & Development of Coastal South Child Care Facilities & Services		$33,000
The Action Network, a South Coast collaborative, will integrate, streamline and enhance the local child care and family services, increase availability of parent and caregiver education that fosters nurturing, healthy, safe and loving environments for children, enhance the ability of child care providers to assess and provide for the ongoing social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of children, and to increase the accessibility and number of quality facilities for children 0-5. The project will increase the number of certified child care professionals and retain experienced staff, provide tuition relief to help families have a choice of preschool programs, evaluate and assess plans to locate new child care centers in the region, provide speech, developmental language and reading services to children who are too young for the State mandated services and provide up-to-date assessment tools for effective evaluation, encourage families to participate in the literacy development of their children, and provide safe play areas for children ages 0-5.
COURT APPOINTED SPCIAL ADVOCATES CASA Advocates for Dependent Children Under 5 Years of Age		$7,184
Multiple changes in foster homes have a proven negative effect on infants and toddlers. The project goal is to assure a stable and nurturing environment to allow for optimum development in these early years. In addition to the regular support CASA Volunteers provide, children involved in the court system through their parents' actions, will also be trained to advocate for the continuity of care by a primary caregiver for dependent children under five in foster care. To support the healthy development of these children CASA volunteers will be recruited to specialize in advocacy for this age group.