Community Happenings

You still have time-- but don't forget! Are you-- or is someone you know-- passionate about the needs of young children and families??? We have three openings for Community-At-Large Commissioners with First 5 SLO County! Click on the link for info-- and/or go directly to our website to learn more and apply! Deadline is Tuesday June 4th! https://www.first5slo.org/who-we-are.php

Forward-Thinking Friday: Every child in California deserves access to quality health and wellness screenings. Catching adverse childhood experiences when children are young through ACE screenings can help ward off poor health outcomes – setting children up for the best development possible and impacting them the rest of their lives. #AllTogetherNow #First5SLO #First5CA

Weekend Watch: One-stop shopping for new parents! Plus, fun for the whole family-- with the Talk.Read.Sing. Traveling Express on site! Come check out community resources at Sierra Vista's Birth & Baby Fair from 10am-2pm tomorrow, Friday, May 18th! Be sure to come see the First 5 family for a fun, early-literacy adventure alongside a bevy of other awesome support agencies! #first5slo #earlyliteracy #birthandbabyfair #sierravista #talkreadsing First 5 California First 5 Association of California Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center ShareSLO

We are excited to announce that the Where’s The Care-Tackling Our Local Child Care Challenge Town Hall event is currently SOLD OUT. We have a growing waiting list if you are still interested. If you registered and are no longer planning to attend, please release your spot by logging in to Eventbrite to cancel your ticket, or alternatively send an email to kroudebush@first5slo.org. Thank you SLO County for this tremendous response. We can’t wait to engage with you on May 29th! #first5slo #shareslo #slocounty #childcare #wheresthecare #townhall

Thursday's Thought: "California has an incredible opportunity to extend Paid Family Leave to six months and open it up to more families. Not only does having loved ones home with their newborns massively lower infant mortality rates, it can also lead to greater chances of success in life. Plus, expanding Paid Family Leave will substantially close the wage gap by helping to even the playing field, giving more women the opportunity to rise into leadership positions with higher frequency." #AllTogetherNow #First5SLO #First5CA

THIS JUST IN... Tolosa Children’s Dental Center— named (district) Non Profit of the Year by Assemblyman Cunningham’s office. Something to truly smile about! 😁 🦷 As well as a wonderful donor appreciation event tonight. Thank you for all the work you do for our young children and families! Tolosa Children's Dental Center Jordan Cunningham San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce ShareSLO

Meet McCoy. No, really. Meet McCoy! 🥰He'll be throwing out the first pitch for Talk.Read.Sing. Night at the Blues Baseball Park, so you simply HAVE to be there! It's a fantastic venue for family fun-- complete with the Kidz' Zone, of which we're a proud sponsor. Please join us Saturday, June 1st! Game time is 6pm! ⚾️

What's Up? Wednesday: Attending quality, full day pre-k gives children a massive jump start on their futures. In fact, children who go to preschool outperform other students in Math and English, and are significantly more likely to go to college. But pre-k doesn't just help children grow – it cuts down on childcare costs drastically, saving parents and caregivers thousands per year. No family should be stuck choosing between paying rent and giving their children the education that they need.#AllTogetherNow #First5SLO #First5CA

[CUE LOUD MEGAPHONE] Are you-- or is someone you know-- passionate about the needs of young children and families??? We have three openings for Community-At-Large Commissioners with First 5 SLO County! Click on the link for info-- and/or go directly to our website to learn more and apply! Deadline is June 4th! https://www.first5slo.org/who-we-are.php

Tuesday's Tidbit: We have a unique opportunity right now to enhance the life of every child and family across California. From improved home visitation programs to extended paid family leave, to quality pre-k and full-day kindergarten programs, to massively expanded CalWorks grants, every family needs a strong foundation for their future. #AllTogetherNow #First5SLO #First5CA

Monday's Message: We are proud to champion All Together Now, a movement focused on advancing the lives of children across California. Together we can create a future that eases the financial burden on families, gives every child access to quality, early education, and improves family health and well-being. #first5slo #first5California #strongfamilies #healthykids First 5 California First 5 Association of California

Weekend Watch: Free music, books, prizes and lots of fun! Celebrate a local "Day of the Child, Day of the Book" event tomorrow, Saturday, May 4th at the downtown San Luis Obispo Library at 11am! A great way to Talk.Read.Sing. as a family-- and enjoy some together time at one our county's many awesome, enriching learning hubs! https://www.slolibrary.org/ http://dia.ala.org/ First 5 California First 5 Association of California #talkreadsing #diadelosninos County of San Luis Obispo Public Libraries

Throwback Thursday to a Terrific Tuesday-- now fast forward to a Fantastic Friday. Got all that? 🤣 Jennifer Siebel Newsom, First Partner of California-- led a brain-boosting, bi-lingual story time during First 5 Advocacy Day on the statehouse lawn.... (even Potter the Otter was entranced!)... Tomorrow morning.. our own Jason Wells puts the fun in Friday with Talk.Read.Sing.Time on Instagram Live! Just tap on our icon in your IG stories live feed at 7:30am for a 15-minute early-literacy jamboree for all ages! We hope you'll join us! 📚🎼💞 IG handle @first5slocounty https://instagram.com/first5slocounty?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=1rwt2chos2iut First 5 Association of California First 5 California ShareSLO County of San Luis Obispo Public Libraries Hug-A-Bug Music

First 5 San Luis Obispo County Executive Wendy Wendt-- putting the spotlight on family-friendly workplace practices at last month's Good Morning SLO - Chamber Breakfast! Take a listen! We were thrilled to be part of such a great gathering and an important community conversation☺️

Thankfful Thursday: A great opportunity to get to know one of our amazing funded partners, Parents Helping Parents, when they meet at the county's first all-inclusive playground for children and adults with special needs. Share in the support and spread some joy!-- at Joy playground in Atascadero-- Wednesday, May 8th from 10am-Noon. Bilingual staff is available. Click on the flyer for more details!💗☺️

A good sweat, big smiles and sunshine all around! That's what Lauren Bray & Lauren Skaar bring to all new parents and kiddos who attend their stroller-based fitness sessions as part of the Kennedy Club family. We had a great time getting to know this dynamo Hands-on Heroes Team for May! Hit play and get pumped about how they are helping families stay healthy and active in our community! ☺️ #first5slo #handsonheroes #healthykids #strongfamilies Kennedy Club Fitness Kennedy Paso First 5 California First 5 Association of California ShareSLO https://youtu.be/I3z8O_M72lU

Serious talk inside our State Capitol! United we stand for children— because all kids deserve to be healthy, happy and ready to learn! Proud to be fighting for families, alongside our First 5 friends and counterparts across the state! #CA4AllKids Pictured below with Senator Bill Monning and Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham’s Office.

Story time is so important for early development. It helps #children get school-ready and learn how to emotionally express themselves. Tune it to Governor Newsom's Facebook page today at 11 AM for a live stream of First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom reading to little kids in Spanish and English, part of First 5's Día de los Niños/Libros celebration Watch it here: www.facebook.com/CAgovernor/ #CA4AllKids #DiaTogether #talkreadsing

An awesome way to close out Month of the Child & Child Abuse Prevention Month! We're canvassing the Capitol today, meeting with legislators about all things early-childhood related! AND-- we get to share in some family fun time celebrating Dia de los Ninos/Dia de los Libros! Looking forward to catching up with our First 5 county comrades and partying on the lawn with Potter the Otter! 😄🎉💗 First 5 California First 5 Association of California #first5slo #DiaTogether #earlychildhood #CA4AllKids

Sacramento bound on this Mighty Monday-- to join other First 5's across the state--- advocating on behalf of our young children and families! We'll be sitting down with legislators to discuss important investment opportunities related to early-learning, family leave, home visiting, developmental screenings and childcare among other issues! #CA4AllKids #fightingforfamilies First 5 California First 5 Association of California #first5slo

Family-Friendly Workplace Practices— and First 5 SLO County Executive Director Wendy Wendt— taking center stage at Good Morning SLO this morning! San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce First 5 California First 5 Association of California

What's Up Wednesday? Open Enrollment is underway for Early Learning Centers for the 2019-2020 school year! (by California State Preschools & First 5 SLO County) Click on the flyer for dates and locations. And if families miss the enrollment period, they are still encouraged to apply all year long! ☺️ Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County, Inc.County of San Luis Obispo Public Libraries County of San Luis Obispo Government San Luis Obispo County YMCA United Way of San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo County Office of Education Family Care Network, Inc.Center for Family Strengthening Parent Participation ~ San Luis Coastal

Tuesday's Takeaway: Two of the Children's Bill of Rights for San Luis Obispo County: #1 "May we each live in a stable, comfortable home surrounded by parents, family and other caring adults who nurture us throughout childhood" #4 "May we each be and feel safe everywhere we go." As we near the end of Month of the Child & Child Abuse Prevention Month, please join our friends at the Center for Family Strengthening and the San Luis Obispo County Department of Social Services in collaboration with the California Office of Child Abuse Prevention at the 1st Annual Children's Memorial Flag Raising Ceremony. This Friday, April 26th at 1:30pm in downtown SLO. Click on the flyer for more information.💗

Magical moments— beautifully captured— of an awesome annual event for families and children! 🎉♥️

Mark-it-Down Monday: A Forum About Resources for Children with Special Needs.... coming up Thursday, May 9th from 1-3pm at San Luis Coastal Adult School. The event is free, but registration is required. Click on the flyer for more details!