By, Katie Kurutz | Communications Specialist
May 28, 2026
We are introducing a new column to our Early Childhood Matters newsletter called First 5 LA Happenings, designed to highlight our latest events, news, advocacy efforts, and publications. We hope you enjoy the first edition of this ongoing series.
- Home Visiting Day
- Multilingual Awareness Month
- Food Access Advocacy in D.C.
- Black Maternal Health Week
Home Visiting Day 2026 – A Growing Movement Across the State
Since 2022, April 17 has marked Home Visiting Day in L.A. County—a time to recognize the work of home visitors serving one of the largest home visiting networks in the nation. The recognition day was originally conceived by the L.A. County Perinatal and Early Childhood Home Visiting Consortium (the Consortium) and the L.A. Best Babies Network (LABBN), and has become so influential, that this year, the state of California declared April 20 – 24 National Home Visiting Week.
Learn more about this history, here.
This year’s theme, “Standing With Families: Reflecting, Responding & Rebuilding Trust Together,” highlighted
the importance of partnership, trust, and community-centered support in home visiting work, and was celebrated across the county. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, led by Supervisor Hilda Solis, issued a proclamation declaring April 17 Home Visiting Day during their April 7 board meeting. The cities of Pomona and Palmdale also issued proclamations.
To celebrate, the Consortium and LABBN hosted more than 150 attendees, with a strong home visitors presence, at Friendship Auditorium for a day of learning and connection. First 5 LA Director of Family Supports Diana Careaga opened the event with powerful remarks to honor the contributions of the Home Visitors in the room.
“Home visitors are always standing with families. They are always reflecting – what works, what doesn’t, what was most helpful, how can they learn more, do better. Home visitors are always responding – how can they help a family, connect them to a service, or just… give empathy, listening and validation. And through these steps they are always rebuilding trust – in systems, in organizations, in community, in families, in one another…This is why we stand by families and home visitors and why we celebrate Home Visitors Day.”
For more information about Home Visiting Day and the event at Friendship Auditorium, click here.
Celebrating Multilingualism in 2026
April is recognized as National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month, and for the past three years First 5 LA has celebrated by supporting the Quality Start Los Angeles Dual Language Learning (QSLA DLL) Two Languages, Twice the Opportunities communications campaign through events and activities. The QSLA DLL initiative helps nurture multilingualism in L.A. County’s young children by connecting with families and educators to create an environment where multilingual children feel safe and valued.
This year, our lead partners at QSLA hosted a booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books which featured multilingual children’s readings from QSLA coaches, a performance by the children’s entertainment group Baila Baila and bilingual book giveaways. Thousands of families attended the event and learned about the benefits of multilingualism, taking away literature and recommendations on bilingual books.
To build children’s confidence around multilingualism, the campaign also released a new bilingual children’s video featured on PBS Kids SoCal and as geofenced ads. The Mandarin and English video is designed to reach the tens of thousands of Southern California young children growing up in Chinese-speaking households.
In addition, we are continuing to feature our campaign messages throughout the L.A. County region through strategically places posters in all six campaign languages – Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Armenian, Korean and Khmer; and are again partnering with Telemundo 52 and Early Edge California to share tips on fostering multilingualism at home on the program Access Total .
Click here to learn how our partners at Early Edge California celebrated Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month.
Improving Food Access for Families and Early Educators: Advocating in D.C.
Members of the First 5 LA Public Policy and Early Care & Education (PPECE) team, Gina Rodriguez and Stephanie Orozco, recently attended the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.. The
conference and lobby day was hosted by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) and brought together more than 900 advocates from across the country, including anti-hunger and anti-poverty leaders, government officials and child advocates to share legislative best practices and explore innovative advocacy strategies.
The final day of the conference included lobbying activities to emphasize that food insecurity remains a critical issue throughout the U.S. – data shows that between November 2022 and May 2024, 56% of LA County families with children under age six experienced food insecurity. First 5 LA staff participated in legislative visits alongside partners such as Nourish California, and the California and Los Angeles Food Banks. They met with members of Congress and key staffers such as Representative Judy Chu, serving California’s 28th district; staff from Representative Nanette Barragan, serving California’s 44th district, as well as Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff, California (D-CA).
Key Federal Priorities shared by FRAC and First 5 LA included the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the federal program that provides reimbursements for meals and snacks to eligible children and adults; Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) where the group advocated for permanent key flexibilities such as remote certification and benefit issuance that were introduced during the pandemic; and the continued protection for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) Program.
Black Maternal Health Week in L.A. County Upholds 2026 Theme of Justice and Joy
During the week of April 11-17 First 5 LA joined our partners — the L.A. County Department of Health and the L.A. County African American Infant & Maternal Mortality Initiative — in celebrating Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW). This year’s theme was “Rooted in Justice and Joy,” encouraging us to simultaneously acknowledge the legacies of systemic oppression and persistent inequities while also upholding Black joy, self-determination and restoration.
Community partners curated Black-centered events and activations ranging from community walks to birthing center tours focused on providing access to critical resources that support pregnancy from preconception to postpartum. Many also took to social media to raise awareness around the persistent inequities in maternal health outcomes and to amplify calls for equitable care, culturally responsive support, and policies that improve the health and well-being of Black mothers and families.
The empowering week culminated in an event hosted by In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda. The event, titled “Changing the Story of Black Maternal Health: Where Journalism, Policy & Hollywood Storytelling Meet,” featured panel discussions among influential leaders in California, including First 5 LA Chair and L.A. County Supervisor, Holly Mitchell, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove and L.A. County Department of Public Health, Director of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, Melissa Franklin. First 5 LA colleague Alison Kellman, who works on First 5 LA’s home visiting effort, attended the event. 
Click here for more details about the event, or here for the Forbes coverage.
