First 5 Commission of San Diego
Supervisor Dianne Jacob, Chair
Carol Skiljan, Vice-Chair
Sandra McBrayer
Wilma J. Wooten, MD, MPH
Nick Macchione, MS, MPH, FACHE
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On September 14, 2010, First 5 San Diego joined other leaders from local business and health care communities to launch Text4Baby San Diego.
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First 5 San Diego was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony at a new child development center in Coronado, CA on Friday, September 17, 2010.
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The Director's Corner
Barbara Jiménez
Greetings from First 5 San Diego! I am delighted to introduce the inaugural issue of the First 5 San Diego Good Start Newsletter. This monthly feature will provide updates on First 5 San Diego programs, services and activities. In addition, we will bring you information and resources to help support the healthy development of children ages 0 through 5. It is our hope that you will share this e-newsletter with parents, caregivers and others interested in helping young children and their families get off to a "Good Start."
I am also very excited to announce the launch of our newly redesigned website, www.first5sandiego.org. Our website has been redesigned to be more of a resource to parents, caregivers and service providers. I am especially pleased to share that we now have the geographic locations of our service partners included, making it easier than ever to locate First 5 San Diego services. The website also has new search functions, allowing searches by service, program or location. Finally and most importantly, the website now includes parenting tips and more links to additional parenting resources.
Please forward this newsletter to your friends and relatives, colleagues and coworkers, and anyone else who has an interested in promoting and supporting First 5 San Diego's vision that "all children ages 0 through 5 are healthy, are loved and nurtured and enter school as active learners."
Best,
Barbara Jiménez
Health Alert
Protect Babies from Whooping Cough
Whooping cough disease (also called pertussis) causes severe coughing attacks that make it hard to breathe. It is a highly contagious bacterial illness that can spread when someone who has the disease coughs or sneezes. It can be fatal for young babies who are too young to get the shot.
Early symptoms start with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a "whoop" sound. A fever is rare. Infants younger than six months old, however, usually do not have a typical cough. In the early stages, infants may gasp or gag, stop breathing, get very tired and have seizures. Often, babies need to be hospitalized.
Call your doctor if you or a family member have or are around someone with any symptoms of whooping cough. Early treatment with antibiotic medicine can keep you from getting sicker and prevent you from spreading the disease to others.
If you have whooping cough, stay home and avoid contact with others until you have completed at least five days of treatment. If you have an infant, ask an adult who is not sick to help care for your baby.
Vaccination is the best defense against whooping cough (DTaP for kids younger than seven years; or Tdap for older ages). However, the immunity from vaccines wears off over time, and so it is important for people 11 years and older to get a booster shot. You should also get vaccinated if you are a woman of childbearing age, before, during or immediately after pregnancy and if you are in contact with pregnant women or infants.
For more information, visit the San Diego Immunization Branch website.
Text4baby - Free Text Messaging Service
On September 14, 2010, First 5 San Diego joined other leaders from local business and health care communities to launch Text4Baby San Diego, a free mobile information service designed to promote maternal and child health. An educational program of the National Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies Coalition, text4baby provides expectant and new parents with information they need to take care of their health and give their babies the best possible start in life.
Expectant and new parents can sign up for the service by texting BABY or (BEBE for Spanish) to 511411 or by registering at www.text4baby.org. They will receive free text messages each week, timed to their due date or the baby's birth date. All U.S. cell phone carriers have agreed to provide the messages free of charge, and not to count them toward limited text messaging plans.
Because of the importance and potential for text4baby to improve access to care and promote healthy births and healthy babies, the First 5 Commission of San Diego awarded $82,500 towards a marketing and outreach campaign to help get the word out about this free service.
New Child Development Center at North Island
First 5 San Diego was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony at a new child development center in Coronado, CA on Friday, September 17, 2010. The Naval Air Station North Island Child Development Center will provide quality early care and education for children ages 0 to 5 providing a valuable and convenient service to support military families as they serve our country.
First 5 is honored to support San Diego's military families and their young children by contributing some $5 million dollars from Prop 10 revenues to this worthy center," said San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob.
The ribbon cutting event took place at the beginning of Fleet Week, and was honored with the participation of the Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead. Congresswoman Susan Davis was also among the speakers, as was Nick Macchione, First 5 Commissioner and Director of Health and Human Services for the County of San Diego.
The Child Development Center at NAS North Island opened its doors in July 2010, and is already serving children from infants to preschoolers.
Parent Tips and Resources
As Halloween approaches, paying extra attention to your child's dental health can help you make the Halloween season not only happy but healthy too!
Halloween usually means sugary sweets and candy, but these can cause cavities.
For good oral health, limit the amount and frequency of sugary treats. If your child does eat candy or other sweets, be sure to brush their teeth or rinse with water right afterward.
You can start brushing and flossing your child's teeth as soon as the first tooth appears. Use a pea sized amount of fluoride toothpaste in the morning and at bedtime. An adult needs to help children brush until around age seven.
Ask your child's doctor or dentist about putting fluoride varnish on your child's teeth. This is another great way to protect your child's teeth from cavities.
For more information about oral health, visit First 5 San Diego's Oral Health Tips page at
http://www.first5sandiego.org/oral-health-tips
For more information about First 5 San Diego services call 1-888-5 First 5. For updates from First 5 San Diego, please join us on Facebook. |
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