First 5 California Evaluation Shows Its Programs Benefited 3.5 Million Families

First 5 California's recently-released evaluation report shows more and more parents are accessing First 5 California programs to help ensure their children enter school healthy and learning.

The report, prepared by SRI International, notes that First 5 California-funded programs and services were used by 3.5 million families in 2004-2005 fiscal year, compared to one million two years earlier.

Major strides toward covering uninsured children are attributed to First 5 California, which funded health insurance enrollment assistance to a half million parents of children 0-5 in the last fiscal year, up from 200,000 two years ago.

The statewide funding and advocacy organization's school readiness programs have reached nearly two million young children and their family members during the last three years, according to the study.

The report also confirmed First 5 California programs are reaching the state's ethnically diverse population, For example, 65 percent of children served by First 5 California programs are Latino. Today, 50 percent of children born in California are of Latino descent.

Based on leading-edge research about the importance of the first five years of life, First 5 California and 58 independent county children and family commissions, including First 5 LA, were created by voter initiative in 1989. For more information, visit www.first5california.com.