First 5 San Benito creates a collaborative partnership program
to counter reduced state funding
Helping more programs with less money is forcing one local
agency to change the way it funds its projects.
First 5 San Benito has introduced a new community collaborative
process to help determine which of its current programs will
continue to receive funding. The new approach is meant to promote
partnerships and eliminate the duplication of certain services,
said Casey Castillo, First 5 San Benito’s executive director.
First 5 San Benito creates a collaborative partnership program to counter reduced state funding
Helping more programs with less money is forcing one local agency to change the way it funds its projects.
First 5 San Benito has introduced a new community collaborative process to help determine which of its current programs will continue to receive funding. The new approach is meant to promote partnerships and eliminate the duplication of certain services, said Casey Castillo, First 5 San Benito’s executive director.
“We believe this change will be very worthwhile,” Castillo said. “I’ve had several people from different agencies tell me they think this is a great process.”
Called Collaborative Partners, this new funding allocation process uses both community and staff input to create services by fostering cooperation between the various groups and organizations that First 5 San Benito now funds. Castillo said Request for Proposals (RFPs) were sent to specific programs last week, and invited participants must have their completed applications in by March 31.
Last year, First 5 San Benito funded 24 separate programs. Several of those have joined forces, and Castillo said her organization now hopes to distribute $500,000-$600,000 among just nine groups.
“I think that’s doable,” she said. “We are still looking for some additional funding, but we’re hopeful. I think they are all great projects and we’d like to fund them all.”
The nine lead agencies who have been invited to apply for First 5 funding include the Aromas-San Juan Unified School District, Hazel Hawkins Hospital District, Hollister School District, Chamberlains, Hollister Youth Alliance, Centro Binacional Para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO), the county Health and Human Services department, Tres Pinos Union School District and Emmaus House.
Each program focuses on school readiness in some form, keeping in line with First 5’s goal of preparing all children to enter school in good health, emotionally well developed and ready and able to learn, Castillo said.
“It is our mandate to give families and children an advocate,” Castillo said.
First 5 San Benito is the product of the California Children and Families First Act, created in 1998 after voters passed Proposition 10. This act mandates a 50 cent per pack tax on cigarettes, and earmarks these monies for early childhood education programs. Eighty percent of these funds are distributed to each of California’s 58 counties; the other 20 percent supports statewide programs and research.
The San Benito County Children and Families Commission was created in 2000 to administer local programs funded through Prop. 10. Funding is based on the yearly birth rate per county, and San Benito averages about 900 births each year, giving First 5 San Benito an annual budget of just over $800,000. Of that, about $200,000 goes towards operational costs, which includes salaries for three full-time staff, health insurance/benefits, supplies and a professional evaluator who comes in several times a year to review each program, Castillo said.
“Renewed funding is outcome-based,” Castillo said. “We have someone from outside come in who asks for quarterly reports, and assesses programs at the beginning, the middle and at the end of the year to see if they are meeting goals.”
In 2007, First 5 California revised its strategic plan, which includes five goals: strengthening policy development; investing in program development; broadening public awareness, enhancing research and evaluation and strengthening organizational operations and systems. This revision has allowed for the funding of programs beyond education, such as early dental screenings or counseling for troubled children.
“If a child is sitting in class with a mouth full of decayed teeth, they can’t learn very well,” Castillo said. “We know how hard it is to concentrate when we are feeling pain. Too many cavities, or abscessed teeth, can lead to a lot of absences, and if a child is sick, they cannot give their lessons their full attention.”
Other programs First 5 San Benito has worked with in the past include Healthy Families, prenatal care and well-baby checks with the local health department, the Family Resource Center, Head Start, stay-in-school programs with local school districts and Healthy Beginnings, which provides in-home support to needy families. Of the 24 programs funded last year, one has dropped out and 22 have joined to create eight collaborative programs. The ninth, the Tres Pinos Union School District, which oversees South County’s Rural Mobile Preschool Program, does not have a partner.
Diane Ortiz, director of Hollister Youth Alliance, says she feels the application changes First 5 San Benito has implemented will ultimately benefit not only the agencies looking for funding but the community as a whole.
“The way they went about this is very creative. It has really encouraged collaboration and partnership. It has got all of us talking to each other,” said Ortiz, whose group will partner with Community Solutions and an art/writing program. “It has fostered an opportunity to look at the whole county and identify those parts of the community who can most benefit from our services.”
Ortiz said another positive aspect to the change is that by creating partnerships, First 5 can reduce funding similar services to separate agencies.
“I think the goal was not only to eliminate redundancy in funding but to streamline services,” she said. “Sometimes it seemed that certain areas, such as the far reaches of south county, were not being served. In this funding climate, collaboration is important and necessary in order to serve the needs of the whole community.”
Prop. 10 nets the state about $590 million annually, although that number has declined in past years. When creating her own budget, Castillo said she typically predicts a 3% decline in state funds each year.
In spite of this, Castillo said she is hopeful local agencies will donate funds to First 5 San Benito. She is also asking community members to consider volunteering for the First 5 San Benito Commission, which currently has two vacancies on its nine-member commission.
“We would really like to appeal to the community for any support they would like to give,” she said. “And I would love to see some people step up to fill the vacancies on our commission.”
The nine lead agencies must have their completed applications into First 5 San Benito by the end of business on March 31. Applications will go through several review processes throughout the month of April, and will undergo a full commission review on May 7. Agencies will be informed of their project’s status May 14. The next funding cycle begins July 1.
By the Numbers:
2,000 Number of children between the ages of 0-5 that received services provided by agencies funded through First 5 San Benito.
$888 Approximate annual amount per birth First 5 San Benito receives from Prop. 10.
900 Average number of babies born in San Benito County each year
$800,000 First 5 San Benito’s estimated budget for the 2008-09 funding cycle
$590 million Approximate amount collected by the state each year due to the passage of Prop. 10.
