TAKE 5- FIRST 5 Newsmagazine Issue 12

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County • 4000 Moorpark Ave., Suite 200 • San Jose, CA 95117 • www.first5kids.org • 408.260.3700

Take5QUARTERLY NEWSMAGAZINESummer/Fall 2012 – Issue 12

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County has launched its countywide Health and Wellness

Campaign to increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, increase

physical activity, and promote drinking water. By providing these important tools

and information, children and families can improve their health and learn to live

healthier lives.

. . . . . .continued on page 7

Let's Get Up and Move....................1

Health & Wellness Campaign.......1

New Family Resource Centers Opening.........................................2

The Road to a Healthier L i fest yle.........................................3

High 5 Award..................................3

Why ReThink Your Drink?............5

FIRST 5 Supports Local Farmers' Markets...........................................6

01

The obesity epidemic is here. We read about it in the newspaper, hear about it

on the radio, see it on television and talk about it in our schools. The obesity

epidemic is af fecting our country, our county, and our own neighborhood.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tells us that approximately 17% (12.5

million) children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese and since 1980,

obesity prevalence among children and adolescents has almost tripled.

Obesity increases the risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure and

high cholesterol. These diseases can cause terrible effects on our eyes, heart,

kidneys and shortens our overall life expectancy.

FIRST 5 Health & Wellness Campaign

. . . . . .continued on page 4

In this Issue

Physical activity is essential and here is why...

w w w.sur veymonkey.com/s/Take5Sur vey

Tell us what you think...

Let's Get Up and Move

Promoting healthy habits for young children and families across the county

by Leticia Pelayo, MD - Pediatrics


As part of FIRST 5's Wellness Campaign, FIRST 5 and The Health Trust will reach

out to children ages 0-5 and their families in Santa Clara County and provide oral

health trainings, access to oral health kits, and referrals to dental clinics.

For more information please contac t Evelyn Lissete O’Marah at

[email protected] or visit www.first5kids.org/oralhealth.

Visit FIRST 5's Brand New Family Resource Centers

FIRST 5 Oral Health Campaign

FIRST 5's Family Resource Centers are designed to provide low-income young children with a place to learn, play, and interact with their parents as they get ready to enter kindergarten. Families can also take advantage of free parenting classes, parent leadership training, health insurance enrollment, developmental screening, and school enrollment assistance.

These new centers are among 17 Family Resource Centers across Santa Clara County funded by FIRST 5’s Learning Together Initiative which was launched in partnership with the Packard Foundation in 2010. For more

information on FIRST 5 Family Resource Centers visit http://www.first5kids.org/earlylearning/frc.

American Indian/Alaska Native Family Resource Center

The Indian Health Center along with San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo, Community members, and FIRST 5 officially cut the ribbon and opened its doors to the new Indian Health Family Resource Center in Downtown San Jose.

Fairwood Family Resource Center

FIRST 5 and Fairwood Elementary School hosted a grand opening of the new Fairwood Family Resource Center in Sunnyvale. This resource center will provide early learning services to over 700 families a year.

Resource centers provide early learning services to hundreds of families a year

Serving the oral health needs of thousands of children

From left to right: Sunnyvale Councilmember Jim Davis, Fred Ferrer, CEO of the Health Trust, Sunnyvale Mayor Tony Spitaleri, Kent Williams, Executive Director of SJB Child Development Centers, Sarah Tellez, Principal of Fairwood Elementary School, Dr. Benjamin Picard, Superintendent of the Sunnyvale School District, Rachel Samoff, Chairperson of the FIRST 5 Commission

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County • 4000 Moorpark Ave., Suite 200 • San Jose, CA 95117 • www.first5kids.org • 408.260.3700FIRST 5 Santa Clara County • 4000 Moorpark Ave., Suite 200 • San Jose, CA 95117 • www.first5kids.org • 408.260.3700 03

The Road to a Healthier Lifestyle

HIGH 5 Award: Dr. Charles Weis Former County Superintendent of Schools and former FIRST 5 Commissioner

Congratulations to our High 5

Awardee, Dr. Charles Weis, former

County Superintendent of Schools

and former FIRST 5 Commissioner

On June 30, 2012, Dr. Charles

Weis retired from the Santa Clara

County Of fice of Education.

Dr. Weis served as Superintendent

of Schools for four years and was

a FIRST 5 Commissioner from

November 2008 through December

2009.

Throughout his career, Dr. Weis

has been a strong advocate

for early learning programs

and universal accessibilit y to

high qualit y preschool. As a

Commissioner, he helped connect

FIRST 5 programs and services to

the County’s 31 school distr ic ts

and hundreds of schools.

GRAINS

FRUITS

PROTEINS

LOW-FATDAIRY

VEGETABLES

Change is good! As many of us have seen by now, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) replaced the historical food pyramid with the image of a plate. While the pyramid had the best intentions of promoting a balanced diet and healthy eating, it was missing the key aspect of how much of each food group to eat at each meal. This is where the new plate excels

– it clearly displays a plate divided into sections of varying size to show the proportions of vegetables, fruits, protein foods, and grains.

The vibrant symbol is accompanied by the following key messages, in an effort to help us eat healthy while controlling portions:

It is important to balance your calories: Enjoy your food, but eat less. Avoid “super-sized” portions.

Be sure to eat more of these foods: Fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. Make sure at least half of the grains you eat are whole grains.

Eat less of these foods:Compare the sodium in foods like bread, soup, and frozen meals - and choose the foods with lower numbers.

Change the way you drink: Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk, avoid fruit juices (eat the whole fruit instead), and drink water at meals and between meals. Side note: The majority of children should be switched from whole milk to low-fat/fat-free milk after the age of 2 years.

Overall, the new plate delivers new messages via a more modern approach to health. By breaking up the key messages and incorporating some fun physical activity into your day, the road to a healthier lifestyle seems easy and perhaps even enjoyable! When making small changes in your way of living (and that of your family), remember that it’s not only the endpoint that matters, it’s the journey. Cheers to a healthier lifestyle!

Small changes in your diet can lead to big changes in your health!


child's 60 or more minutes of physical

activity each day. Aerobic exercise

can be fun for both adults and kids.

Examples of aerobic activities include:

basketball, bicycling, ice-skating, inline

skating, soccer, swimming, tennis,

walking, jogging, and running. Include

muscle strengthening activities, such

as gymnastics or push-ups, stomach

crunches, pull-ups, and other exercises

to help tone and strengthen muscles.

Kids also incorporate strength activities

in their play when they climb, do a

handstand, or wrestle.

A great resource to help guide you is

on this physical activity journey is on

the CDC website: http://www.bam.gov/.

They can help you create your own

customized fitness and activity calendar

for your children. Choose from over 100

activities you like to do and add to your

calendar.

One of the best ways to get kids to

be more active is to limit the amount

of time spent in sedentary activities,

especially watching TV or playing video

games. The American Academy of

Pediatrics (AAP) recommends these

limits on screen time: kids under age

2 should watch no television at all and

Children today find themselves more

often in sedentary lifestyles than in the

past. For example, children ride in a

car or bus to school, have less physical

education, watch more television,

play more sedentary games such as

computer games, and do not have as

much freedom to play outside on their

own. Childhood obesity is the result

of eating too many calories and not

getting enough physical activity. It is not

too late, we can still make a difference

for our children and our communities.

We all need to get up and move.

Everyone can benefit from regular

exercise. Kids who are active have

stronger bones and muscles, decrease

the risk of developing diabetes and

high blood pressure and have a better

outlook on life. Besides enjoying the

health benefits of regular exercise, kids

who are physically fit sleep better and

are better able to handle physical and

emotional challenges.

The American Heart Association

recommends that children and

adolescents participate in at least

60 minutes of moderate to vigorous

physical activity every day. Aerobic

activity should make up most of your

Let's Get Up and Move

04

kids older than 2 should be restricted

to just 1-2 hours a day of quality

programming.

As mentioned, physical activity can take

on many different forms. It must fit your

child’s personality. Kids can be fit even

if they're not winning sports trophies.

The key is finding activities they enjoy.

The options are many — from skating

and bike riding to walking, swimming

and dancing. The most important thing

is making sure they are moving and

having fun.

When kids find an activity that's fun,

they'll do it a lot, get better at it, feel

accomplished, and want to do it even

more. Likewise, if they're pushed into

activities they don't like, they're unlikely

to want to participate and will end up

feeling frustrated. No matter what

their fitness personalities, kids look

to parents for guidance, support, and

encouragement. It is important to set a

good example, so make it a priority and

look for opportunities to be physically

active as a family.

Combining regular physical activity

with a healthy diet is the key to a

healthy lifestyle.

. . . . . .continued from page 1

FIRST 5 and the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation hosted the 2nd Annual

Symposium on the Status on Children’s Health in Santa Clara County. The annual

symposium was attended by nearly 300 leaders from local government, non-profit,

and business sectors. The symposium featured an update on health coverage,

outcomes, and indicators for children in Santa Clara County. These data are used

to raise awareness about the importance of children’s health and set community

bench marks for policy makers and local leaders. The highlight of the symposium

was the passionate keynote address by Marian Wright Edelman, founder and

president of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF). As a lifelong advocate for

disadvantaged Americans, Mrs. Edelman (right) has led the CDF to become the

nation’s strongest voice for children and families. Her Leave No Child Behind

mission ensures every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start,

and a Moral Start in life.

Second Annual Symposium on the Status on Children's Health

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County • 4000 Moorpark Ave., Suite 200 • San Jose, CA 95117 • www.first5kids.org • 408.260.3700FIRST 5 Santa Clara County • 4000 Moorpark Ave., Suite 200 • San Jose, CA 95117 • www.first5kids.org • 408.260.3700 05FIRST 5 Santa Clara County • 4000 Moorpark Ave., Suite 200 • San Jose, CA 95117 • www.first5kids.org • 408.260.3700

In October 2011, the First 5 California Children and Families Commission

approved funding of up to $45 million per fiscal year for the new Child Signature

Program (CSP). FIRST 5 Santa Clara County was fully awarded funding of

$3,469,500 over three years. This will result in the continuation, increased access,

and quality enhancements of the Power of Preschool (PoP) program.

FIRST 5’s CSP, under the direction of WestEd/E3 Institute, seeks to expand high

quality, free voluntary early education and care in the county’s most underserved

communities where children and families live with exposure to multiple risk

factors. It’s primary goal is to support and strengthen the quality of early

education services by promoting professional development of early childhood

educators to ensure the highest quality early learning experiences for Santa

Clara County's youngest children.

We’ve trained 300 Touchpoints providers as of today!

Touchpoints are the predictable times and events in a child’s development at

which a child’s behavior seems to fall apart. These “touchpoints” are points

of change for the child and parent. The Brazelton Touchpoints Approach™

values parents as the “expert” and credits them to trust their own experiences,

knowledge, and instincts in forming relationships with their children.

DID YOU K NOW…

FIRST 5 and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department launched a

“Soda Free” campaign at the Children’s Discovery Museum. The campaign,

ran through the summer and served to educate local families about the

adverse effects of drinking soda and sugar-sweetened beverages. The event

included a reading of our popular children’s book Potter the Otter – A Tale About Water, an appearance by Potter the Otter, and a free “water bar” for

families featuring fruit- and vegetable-infused water. Visit potterloveswater.

com for fun children's activities and information.

FIRST 5 , Safe Kids Santa Clara/San Mateo County, and the Lucile Packard

Children’s Hospital held a free child car seat safety check event. This event

offered families car seat installation inspections, tutorials provided by certified

child passenger safety technicians, and information about recent California

law regarding child safety seats. California's new Child Passenger Safety Law

became effective on January 1, 2012. This new law requires children to ride

in the back seat in a properly secured child passenger safety restraint until

they are at least 8 years old or until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches in height.

According to the California Highway Patrol, injury risk to children is reduced by

33% when moved from the front seat to the back seat.

For more information on car safety seats and child passenger laws please visit

www.chp.ca.gov/community/safeseat.html.

FIRST 5 Launched Summer Soda Free Campaign

FIRST 5 Hosts Free Child Car Seat Safety Check Event

Urging families to serve water and reduce sugary beverages to children


FIRST 5 has actively supported local farmers' markets, making the connection between fresh, local produce and better health. The organization has been working closely with the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association (PCFMA), and sister organization Fresh Approach, to prioritize access to fresh fruits and vegetables in neighborhoods where access is limited, whether by physical or financial barriers.

California’s Certified Farmers’ Markets offer only agricultural products that are grown within the state, making the fruit, vegetables, nuts and other products available there often much fresher than their grocery store counterparts.

“When vegetables are fresh, they are more attractive, taste better, and can be higher in nutrients, too” says Katie Gronsky, Community Outreach Coordinator at Fresh Approach.

This abundance of healthy food makes farmers’ markets an ideal tool to combat rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases.

FIRST 5 is offering the Healthy Food/Healthy You classes at Family Resource Center (FRC) sites. Each class will offer families an opportunity to make a healthy, seasonal recipe using fresh produce and provide resources for finding, selecting and storing fresh fruits and vegetables. Each FRC site is positioned to serve the most vulnerable families in a given neighborhood, and many sites have limited access to healthful food.

While the Family Resource Center sites have been working to generate community interest in fresh, healthful food at the grassroots level, FIRST 5’s leadership team has been contributing their expertise to PCFMA’s planning meetings to establish new farmers’ markets in San Jose since November 2011.

PCFMA received a Farmers' Market Promotion Program grant in the fall of 2011 from the USDA to establish two new farmers' markets in high-need areas of San Jose, underscoring the importance of serving communities with limited access to fresh produce. After several months’ worth of meetings with community partners, including FIRST 5, PCFMA identified significant interest in three communities: neighborhoods in Mayfair and Julian St. James, and the Race St. vicinity near the Shasta-Hanchett Park neighborhood. While the additional USDA funding could only support two of the new farmers’ markets, PCFMA opened markets in all three areas due to community interest. Each farmers’ market would not have been possible without FIRST 5’s support.

The Julian St. James Farmers’ Market operates Wednesdays through September from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the corner of East St. John Street and 16th Street, behind the site of the former San Jose Medical Center.

The Hanchett Avenue Farmers’ Market operates on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through September where Hanchett Avenue intersects The Alameda.

The Mayfair Farmers’ Market opened the corner of Kammerer Avenue and Sinclair Drive in front of the Mayfair Community Center, but will likely be moved to another location within the community.

All PCFMA farmers’ markets accept CalFresh, the state’s former food stamp program which is California’s version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), WIC FMNP (Women, Infants and Children Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program coupons), and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). All of PCFMA’s farmers’ markets offer Market Match, which provides additional incentives for users of nutrition assistance programs. CalFresh recipients who spend at least $10 on their EBT card on a given day will receive an additional $5 to spend at the market. Due to extra support, the Julian St. James Farmers’ Market and the Mayfair Farmers’ Market will also double the value of WIC FMNP and SFMNP

vouchers, up to $8 a day.

These efforts which are supported by

local, state, and national funders are

helping to make local farmers’ markets

more affordable for low-income families.

FIRST 5 Supports Local Farmers' Marketsby Laura Salcido, Community Outreach Coordinator, Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County • 4000 Moorpark Ave., Suite 200 • San Jose, CA 95117 • www.first5kids.org • 408.260.3700FIRST 5 Santa Clara County • 4000 Moorpark Ave., Suite 200 • San Jose, CA 95117 • www.first5kids.org • 408.260.3700 07

Be sure to watch our Video Podcast

Series! These video podcasts provide

parents, providers and policy makers

the opportunity to gain important

information about the healthy

development of infants, young

children and their families.

"Relationships Matter" is the first in a

two-part series with Kadija Johnston,

Licensed Clinical Social Worker and

Director of the University of California

San Francisco Infant-Parent Program.

In this series, Kadija speaks to

parents and providers to develop an

understanding of how relationships

with young children develop, and why

these relationships are so important.

Behavior has Meaning is the second

in this two-part series. During this

portion of the series, learn about

how infants and young children

communicate through behavior.

To watch this podcast, go to

blog.first5kids.org.

Making informed choices about food and nutrition is critical. FIRST 5 is working

with Fresh Approach, a partner with the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association

(PCFMA), to educate our families at FIRST 5 Family Resource Centers. Through the

innovative Healthy Food/Healthy You program, families have an opportunity to

tour neighborhood farmers' markets, learn simple cooking recipes, and observe

cooking demonstrations. Recently, PCFMA opened three new farmers' markets in

three neighborhoods in San Jose: Mayfair, Shasta-Hanchett, and Julian St. James.

In addition to good nutrition and eating habits, a healthy lifestyle must include

physical activity. FIRST 5 will be launching a countywide “10 Million Step

Challenge” to encourage all children and families to be more physically active.

FIRST 5 will distribute pedometers to children and families to count the number of

steps they take every day. Participants will be able to log and track their steps on

the FIRST 5 website.

Finally, we are encouraging children to drink water and stop drinking soda and

other sugary sweetened drinks. The average preschooler consumes 65 pounds

of added sugar each year! Sugar is linked to health problems including Type

II diabetes. Potter the Otter is an adorable character who has been teaching

thousands of children throughout California to drink water. Potter the Otter

personally visits our Family Resource Centers and Power of Preschool sites to pass

the message onto children and families.

For several years, FIRST 5 Santa Clara has been at the forefront of promoting a

healthier lifestyle for children ages 0 to 5 and their families. With this campaign, we

will continue to increase our investments in the community aimed at children living

healthier lives.

FIRST 5 Health and Wellness Campaign . . . . . .continued from page 1

Watch Our Newest Video Podcast.. ."The Power of Relationships in Early

Childhood Development" by Kadija

Johnston.

4000 Moorpark Ave. Suite 200San Jose, CA 95117P: 408.260.3700

www.f i rst5kids.org

08

Our Commissioners

Message from the Chief Executive Officer, Jolene SmithJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy once said, “Children are the

world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the

future.”

This quote epitomizes why we do the work we do here at

FIRST 5. The true wealth of a nation can be measured by the

health of its youngest children. It is our job to ensure that the

developmental needs of every child prenatal through age 5

are a priority of all sectors of the community.

Rachel Samoff, Chairperson

Representing Santa Clara County

Board of Supervisors, District 5

Eleanor Villarreal, Vice-Chairperson



Bruce Wagstaff, Commissioner


Social Services Agency

Carmen Montano, Commissioner



Corazon Tomalinas, Commissioner



Dr. Leticia Pelayo, Commissioner

Representing Santa Clara Val ley

Health and Hospital System

George Philipp, Commissioner

Representing the Local Early

Education Planning Council

Laura Champion, Commissioner



Supervisor Ken Yeager, Commissioner


Board of Supervisors

Jolene Smith, Chief Executive Officer, FIRST 5 Santa Clara County

Sadly, the prevalence of obesity among children continues to rise, causing a

significant public health concern in the United States, FIRST 5 is working with our

partners alongside parents and caregivers to ensure that children learn healthy

eating and exercise habits early in life and carry those habits into adulthood.

One way we are hoping to create impact is through our countywide Health and

Wellness Campaign which builds healthy lifestyle habits in our youngest

children. The Campaign focuses on proper nutrition, increasing physical activity,

and promoting drinking water. In addition, families have the opportunity to

purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at newly established neighborhood farmer’s

markets, learn simple cooking recipes, observe cooking demonstrations, and

participate in our “10 Million Step Challenge” aimed at encouraging physical

activity.

Most importantly, parents and caregivers play a significant role in encouraging

children to lead healthy lifestyles by role modeling healthy nutrition and daily

physical activity. Our goal through the Health and Wellness Campaign is for

children to engage and learn to enjoy healthy, active living.

Wishing you health and wellness,

For the elec tronic version, go to

w w w.f irs t5kids.org/newslet ter

Documents

TAKE 5- FIRST 5 Newsmagazine Issue 12