Better integration
of children's services
benefits everyone

Delivering support services
more efficiently & effectively

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Reports & Research

California Report Card, 2010

California County Scorecard of Children’s Well-Being, 2008

California County Data Book, 2007

 
 

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Facts & Figures

In 2007-08, the California Children’s Dental Disease Prevention Program served 307,880 children in 1,112 schools. Despite its success, the state suspended all funding for the program indefinitely.

While the number of school children with chronic illnesses like asthma and diabetes increases, the state’s ratio of approximately one school nurse to 2,172 students remains far below the national recommendation of one nurse for every 750 students.

In 2007-08, First 5 California provided services to nearly 170,000 of the state’s zero-to-five population and more than 425,000 of the state’s parents, guardians, caregivers, relatives and providers. Services included family literacy and parenting education, resource and referral services, and provision of basic family needs, such as clothing and food.

 

Research has shown that students who receive mental health services in school-based family resource centers significantly improve English test scores and make modest gains in math test scores when compared to students with similar backgrounds at schools without centers.

Every child should have a reliable source of preventive medical care. Yet more than 800,000 children do not have a usual place to go when they are sick or in need of health advice.

Access to on-site psychologists or social workers at state-funded pre-kindergarten programs has been shown to reduce expulsions from 10.8 per 1,000 to 5.7 per 1,000.

Approximately 30% of California’s children, ages 2 to 5, have never seen a dentist; early care and education settings are underutilized as a convenient place to provide oral health services.

In 1987, California opened its first school health centers in Los Angeles, San Jose and San Francisco. Today, only 153 of California’s 10,222 schools have health centers.

California’s Nurse-Family Partnership program improves pregnancy outcomes, boosts children’s health and developmental outcomes, and increases parents’ economic self-sufficiency.

Providing oral heath services in schools could increase attendance, as 7% of the state’s children miss at least one school day each year due to an oral health problem.

California’s Nurse-Family Partnership, which provides home visitation services for vulnerable first-time mothers, has helped 92% of participating mothers give birth to full-term, normal birthweight babies.

 

Policy Recommendations

Create and fund a statewide system to ensure every child has access to comprehensive, affordable health care.

 
 

Everyone benefits when the agencies that support children’s development better coordinate their efforts and address children’s needs more holistically. This is because children’s needs and outcomes are highly ineterconnected. For example, unhealthy children have more difficulty learning and children who struggle to learn have a higher likelihood of relying on social support programs throughout their lives and becoming incarcerated. 

For every dollar invested in Head Start, society receives approximately $9 in benefits through increased personal earnings, family stability, and decreased welfare & crime costs.

Supporting Integrated Services for Children in California

Successful models of service integration can be found in the early learning and development (EL&D) field. EL&D integrated service delivery models, such as Early Head Start and First 5 initiatives, combine early learning, health screening and family support services. In providing comprehensive, integrated services and thus better addressing the needs of the whole child, these programs are able to maximize their impact and increase their return on investment. For every dollar invested in Head Start, society receives approximately $9 in benefits through increased personal earnings, family stability, and decreased welfare and crime costs. 

In 2009, funding for important children’s programs was severely cut or eliminated. To stretch limited dollars while improving services, California must capitalize on the opportunity to develop better, more integrated models of support services delivery to children, by addressing learning, security, and stability within their homes and communities, and good physical, oral and mental health.