First 5 Commissioners recently welcomed a new member to the board. Cristina Sotelo officially joined the Commission this month, bringing a wealth of knowledge around early childhood development and the needs of families living in South Monterey County. Commissioner Sotelo replaces Chris Shannon who served on the Commission for six years as a Community Member. We extend our thanks and gratitude to Chris for her time and expertise-she will be missed! READ MORE

Each year, we monitor and take a stand on local, state, and federal processes that can impact our focus areas: strong families, quality early childhood services, well-being, and integrated systems. At the state-level, Governor Brown recently signed some key bills that First 5 supported. We feel these new laws will help local families better access child care and assist child care providers in running their business. READ MORE

The Federal government recently opened public comment on proposed changes to immigration rules, modifying the definition of who can be considered a 'public charge'. The current proposed change in the definition to public charge would limit immigrants' path to citizenship if they have used a U.S. public welfare service. Under the new rule, immigrants who legally access health care (Non-Emergency Medicaid), food supports (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: SNAP — CalFresh in California), ... READ MORE

In a series of articles covering the 20th Anniversary of First 5, our Commission was highlighted in a piece by Education Dive about identifying additional funding sources for early childhood development. The King City Rustler also ran a story about Beth Reeves-Fortney, First 5 Monterey County Director of Programs, and the award she received for her work within early childhood mental health. Click read more to check out the articles. READ MORE