Funding future uncertain for state and county commissions
Once again, funding for the First 5 California as well as county
First 5 offices is uncertain.
”
We just got a note last week from the new Department of Finance
revenue projections and they are projecting a 10 percent change in
our revenue,
”
said Casey Castillo, the director of First 5 San Benito.
”
The big threat this year is that they are threatening to take 50
percent of revenues from the local counties and doing a one-time
sweep of $308 million from the state.
”
Funding future uncertain for state and county commissions
Once again, funding for the First 5 California as well as county First 5 offices is uncertain.
“We just got a note last week from the new Department of Finance revenue projections and they are projecting a 10 percent change in our revenue,” said Casey Castillo, the director of First 5 San Benito. “The big threat this year is that they are threatening to take 50 percent of revenues from the local counties and doing a one-time sweep of $308 million from the state.”
Last year ballot initiative 1D, if it had been approved by voters, would have taken $268 million in the annual tobacco tax revenue from Prop. 10 (passed in 1998) and moved it to the state’s general fund to pay for other state health and human services programs that serve children. Two-thirds of voters in the special election said “no” to the initiative.
Legislators are now deciding whether to place another such initiative on the ballot for the June primary that would take part or all of First 5 California funding, and up to 50 percent of funding for the county commissions.
As much as 80 percent of the tax revenue collected from the tobacco tax goes to county offices to administer services such as preschool and literacy programs, and other services. The rest of the money stays at the state commission office, which administers the Healthy Families program, low-cost healthcare for working families.
“It would be drastic if there was a 50 percent cut,” Castillo said. “We have one more year to fund current projects, which are finishing their second year. We would want to honor our commitment for the third year, but we are not sure if we could do that if they do make that drastic a cut.”
First 5 San Benito staff members accept proposals on a three-year cycle to fund various programs in the county. The programs offered by the San Benito County office are varied. Castillo estimates that the local commission of First 5 worked with 5,000 families and children in the last fiscal year.
“That wasn’t just serving them once, but many times,” Castillo said.
One of the key programs that they work on that serves clients throughout the year is the Oaxacan program, which helps connect indigenous populations in the county.
“The outreach workers went out and connected them to resources, helped them fill out forms and translated and interpreted for them,” Castillo said. “There were probably 365 individuals, but they didn’t just do it once. They saw them four or five times each. So that’s a lot of contact for them.”
The program includes one-on-one contact as well as monthly informational forums provided to large groups.
On a local level, First 5 focuses on programs that benefit children from birth to 5 years old. One of the ways efforts of First 5 is funding preschool programs. Since 2005, preschool slots of increased in San Benito County by 66 percent, according to Castillo.
“When we started there were some migrant and Head Start preschools,” Castillo said. “We’ve been able to bring in new state preschools, and we brought in Jump Start in the summer.”
Additionally First 5 San Benito funds a mobile preschool that goes out to South County and the Aromas/San Juan School area.
“Without First 5, those with families living in remote areas – they wouldn’t have access to these preschools,” Castillo said.
First 5 also funds a literacy program that served 500 families last year with the “Raising a Reader Program.” According to surveys, of the families that participated, more parents are reading to their children, children are looking at books more and they are visiting the library more.
First 5 funding also went to teen parenting programs.
“Both young men and young women are in that program,” Castillo said. “They come and learn effective parenting and safety for their children.”
Another focus has been on offering health and safety programs at local preschools, and this year, First 5 partnered with the San Benito County Public Health department to promote H1N1 vaccinations, a project that is ongoing.
There is a postcard campaign going on for locals who would like to show California state legislators that they support First 5 programs. Residents can get a copy of the postcards by visiting the First 5 San Benito Office at 1011 Line St., Room. 9, or by calling 634-2046.
“We have been actively passing out postcards and getting signatures for the last three weeks,” Castillo said. “Until it gets on the ballot, we can do this.”
For now, Castillo’s staff is in limbo again as they wait the fate of funding for First 5.
“Everyone is kind of wait and see,” she said. “That’s what we did last year and it made it very difficult to plan.”
