Contra Costa Children and Families Commission Joins the California Children and Families Commission to Launch Unprecedented Statewide Education Campaign for Parents, Caregivers of Young Children
Free Kit for New Parents, Multi-language Advertising Campaign Promotes Early Childhood Development

—Contact: Tracy Irwin 925/335-9991 ext. 13

Martinez (November 1, 2001) —The California Children and Families Commission (CCFC) today launched an unprecedented statewide campaign to educate parents and caregivers about the important role they play in the intellectual and emotional development of young children. The Contra Costa Children and Families Commission will play a lead role in making a free Kit for New Parents available to local parents. The Kit is designed as a practical resource for parents with information about maternal and child health issues, bonding and attachment and child care.

Today, Rob Reiner, chair of the CCFC, representatives of County Children and Families Commissions and other state and local leaders unveiled the Kit for New Parents and previewed new public education ads which will begin airing throughout the state this month. The campaign is the first in the nation to combine a multi-language media campaign with a comprehensive outreach program offering free parenting resources to all parents of newborns — nearly 500,000 annually in California.

“A child’s brain develops most dramatically during the first three years of life, and what parents and caregivers do during those early years makes a profound difference for the rest of their children’s lives,” said Rob Reiner, chair of the CCFC.

Available initially in English and Spanish, the Kit for New Parents contains six videos narrated by prominent child development experts and celebrities such as Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, Dr. Antonia Novello, Le Var Burton, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gloria Estefan, Andy Garcia, Edward James Olmos, Phylicia Rashad, Rob Reiner, Cristina Saralegui and Maria Shriver. Topics include the importance of the early years, child care, safety, health and nutrition, discipline and early literacy and provide practical ideas to help parents prepare their children to reach their greatest potential in school and life. The Kit also includes a series of brochures about parenting and a baby book.

The ad campaign includes television and outdoor ads produced in several languages. One set of ads reminds parents and caregivers of their important role in early childhood development, and provides specific suggestions for ways to incorporate reading, talking, and playing into a family’s daily routine. A second group of ads describes how smoking by and around pregnant women increases the likelihood of babies being born premature or with serious health problems.

In the coming months, the Contra Costa Children and Families Commission and its partner, the Contra Costa Child Abuse Prevention Council will distribute the Kits locally to expectant parents. In the meantime, new parents in Contra Costa County can receive a Kit by calling CCFC’s toll-free information lines, (800) KIDS-025 (English) or (800) 5-0-NIÑOS (Spanish).

“Our ultimate goal is to get parenting information into the hands of all new parents when they need it most,” said Brenda Blasingame, Executive Director of the Commission. “Partnering with the Child Abuse Prevention Council and the CCFC will help our local parents, family members and caregivers give Contra Costa’s children the best start in life.”

The Center for Community Wellness at the University of California at Berkeley conducted the pilot test of the Kit for New Parents. During the pilot, 99 percent of mothers who received the Kit suggested that it be given to all parents. Nearly half of the mothers reported changing their behavior or the way they thought about parenting because of the Kit. The pilot program was conducted in Alameda, Lassen, Los Angeles, Modoc and Santa Clara Counties.

The California Children and Families Commission was established after voters passed Proposition 10 in November 1998, adding a 50 cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes to fund education, health, child care and other programs to promote early childhood development for expectant parents and children up to age five. Prop. 10 was designed to address the lack of public funding and support for early childhood development in the wake of a growing body of scientific evidence indicating that the emotional, physical, social and developmental environment to which children are exposed has a profound impact on their ability to reach their greatest potential in school and to become productive members of society.