Required as part of First 5 San Benito becoming an independent entity separate from the county, the board of supervisors unanimously approved a separation agreement and a contract for a parent health educator going forward.
Previously, the board adopted an ordinance allowing First 5 to become independent as of July 1 of this year. The separation agreement and contract for a parent health educator, which which First 5 will reimburse 85 percent of costs, needed to be approved before the transition can occur.
California voters in 1998 approved Proposition 10, which enabled counties to establish local children and family commissions with the purpose of developing an early childhood program funded by tobacco tax revenue. The county elected to participate in 1999.
In April of this year, First 5 approached the county about becoming an independent entity.
