Organization and Policy

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June Public Education and Outreach Advisory Committee Meeting

June 18, 2019
8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. or until adjourned

For information regarding the meeting locations please view the meeting agenda below.

Meeting Agenda

Commission Meeting Dates and Archives

July Commission Meeting

July 25, 2019

San Francisco Bay Area

Commission Meeting Dates and Archives

Commission Members

George
Halvorson
Chair

Lupe
Jaime
Vice Chair

Muntu
Davis

Shana
Hazan

Monica
Fitzgerald

Molly
Munger

Jackie
Majors

Commission Ex Officio Members

Dr. Mark Ghaly, Ex Officio Member
Health and Human Services Agency

Policy & Advocacy

First 5 California advocates directly to state and federal policy makers for the strong start all children deserve, with an emphasis on children prenatal through age 5 and their families, to optimize early childhood development and reduce childhood poverty. F5CA’s Strategic Plan and authority granted under Proposition 10 require First 5 California to be a policy leader and partner in order to bring innovation in children’s policy to scale throughout California.

First 5 California’s state and federal policy work is guided by its Children’s Policy Agenda and the latest in research and innovations by its First 5 partners.

In this section you will find First 5 California’s Children’s Policy Agenda, Legislation of Interest, State Legislation & Advocacy materials, Federal Legislation & Advocacy materials, Policy Recommendations including the Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth through Age 8 report, Child Care Provider Stipend Recommendations, and Developing a Single-Rate System Reimbursement Structure for California white paper, and Advocacy Tools including the First 5 Town Hall Toolkit and sample letters of support.

First 5 California’s 2019 Children’s Policy Agenda

First 5 California annually adopts a Children’s Policy Agenda to guide and prioritize all Commission state and federal legislative and regulatory advocacy, aligned to our three Strategic Plan areas.

2019 Children’s Policy Agenda

2019-20 Legislation of Interest

First 5 California takes active positions on prioritized state and federal legislation and policy implementation to achieve the goals of our Children’s Policy Agenda.

2019-20 Legislative Bills of Interest

State Legislation & Advocacy

2019-20 ECE Coalition Budget Letter

2019-20 Joint Budget Letter on Paid Family Leave Outreach

First 5 Blue Ribbon Commmission Letter on Draft Report Recommendations

October 2017 State & Federal Legislative Update

2017-18 Child Care Advocates' California State Budget Letter

2017-18 Governor's Budget Trailer Bill and Title 22 Proposal Response Letter

2017-18 Early Care & Education Consortia Budget Letter to Legislature

Senate Budget Request to Fund Improved Child Care Family Eligibility Policies

Assembly Budget Request to Fund Improved Child Care Family Eligibility Policies

First 5 Blue Ribbon Commission Principles Letter

2017 First 5 Letter on Repealing Licensing for School Based Preschools

Joint Organization Letter on FY 2019-21 CCDF State Plan

Joint First 5 Letter on FY 2019-21 CCDF State Plan

2018 Joint Organization Letter to Senate on Repealing Licensing for School Based Preschools

2018 First 5 Letter to Senate on Repealing Licensing for School Based Preschools

2018-19 Senate Budget Request to Increase Access to Infant & Toddler Care

2018-19 Assembly Budget Request to Increase Access to Infant & Toddler Care

2018-19 ECE Coalition Budget Letter

First 5 Blue Ribbon Commission Letter for Summer 2018 Commission Hearing

First 5 Blue Ribbon Commission Letter on Consumer Education Database for Summer 2018 Commission Hearing

Federal Legislation & Advocacy

First 5 California Comments in Response to Proposed Rulemaking: Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds

Joint States' Statement on Higher Education Act Reauthorization

Early Childhood Organizations' Joint Letter Regarding Higher Education Act Reauthorization Recommendations

Early Childhood and K-12 Education Organizations' July 2017 ESSA State Plan Letter to the State Board of Education

Joint States' Advocacy Letter for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

Joint States’ Advocacy Letter for Increased Federal Investment in Early Learning Programs

Ounce of Prevention Fund Coalitions Proposed ESSA Regulations Letter

First 5 California and Advocacy Partners Joint Proposed ESSA Regulations Letter

Early Childhood and K–12 Education Organizations' July ESSA State Plan Letter to the State Board of Education

Early Childhood and K–12 Education Organizations' May ESSA State Plan Letter to the State Board of Education

First 5 California and Advocacy Partners' Joint Federal FY 2017 Appropriations Letter

Policy Recommendations

Child Care Provider Stipend Recommendations

As the state looks to provide more high-quality early learning opportunities for its young children, the pivotal role of a qualified, professional workforce is amplified. California must create and enhance a coordinated system of support around the ECE workforce. The AB 212 program is an important piece of that system and policies and practices around AB 212 must evolve in order to achieve a comprehensive and equitable system of support. The evolution of AB 212 and the principles and recommendations that follow have been envisioned within a context of expanded investment in both AB 212 and other ECE workforce support across all provider types.

Developing a Single-Rate System Reimbursement Structure for California

California needs a single, regionalized reimbursement rate system for child care, preschool, and early learning services that achieves the following vision:

Compensates all teachers and providers for the true cost of providing care by reimbursing them at rates that reflect the economic diversity of California,

Recognizes the costs of meeting varying quality standards and regulations, and

Strengthens the ability of the state’s mixed delivery system to provide quality early learning options.

First 5 California supports the development of short and long term state policy recommendations, in partnership with other organizations, in order to achieve the goals of our Children’s Policy Agenda. First 5 California is a partner in a statewide systems change effort based on recommendations from the Institutes of Medicine and National Research Council’s report: Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation.

For more information, visit http://twb8-ca.net/.

Advocacy Tools

First 5 Town Hall Toolkit: Sharing the First 5 Story

First 5 California, building on the goals of our Strategic Plan, created a Town Hall Toolkit that enables First 5 county commissions to plan, create, and execute a town hall-type event designed to build public will and investment within with local and state partners within their communities.

Find sample and template letters of support for Children’s Policy Agenda bills here:

AB 2292 Sample Letter of Support

SB 63 Sample Letter of Support

AB 60 Sample Letter of Support

Employment Opportunities

Office Technician (Typing)

First 5 Californina is adversting to fill a vacant Office Technician (Typing) position. The final filing date is June 18, 2019.

https://jobs.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=159502

Leadership Staff

• Camille Maben, Executive Director

• Frank Furtek, Chief Deputy Director and Counsel

• David Dodds, Deputy Director, Evaluation Office

• Erin Gabel, Deputy Director, External and Governmental Affairs Office

• Paul Waters, Manager, Information Technology Office

• Erin Dubey, Education Administrator, Early Learning & Healthy Development Program Office

• Debra Silverman, Education Administrator, Training and Continuous Quality Improvement Office

• Jaime Hastings, Director of Administrative Services Office and Interim Director of Contracts and Procurement Office

• Simon Marquez, Manager, Program Management Division

George Halvorson

George Halvorson was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to chair the First 5 California Children and Families Commission in May 2013. He also is the chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Institute for InterGroup Understanding. In this role, Halvorson is focused on putting processes, teaching materials, and learning programs and approaches in place to help people deal with issues of racism, discrimination, intergroup anger, and intergroup conflict. He currently is authoring three new books that will serve as the core teaching curriculum for the Institute.

Prior to taking on his new roles focusing on children and intergroup conflict, Halvorson served for more than 11 years as the chair and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, retiring from that position at the end of 2013. Prior to his tenure at Kaiser, he was the president and CEO for Health Partners in Minnesota, serving in that position for 17 years.

Earlier in his career, Halvorson started health plans in Uganda and Jamaica, and helped start health plans in Chile, Spain, and Nigeria - most of which continue to operate. He has advised governments in Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Russia on health care issues and has been featured as an educator for national health ministries at the European Union Health Summit in Brussels.

Halvorson has authored eight health care-related books, including Strong Medicine; Epidemic of Care; Building Health Co-ops in Uganda; and Ending Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Disparities in Health Care. He has also written four books on instinctive intergroup behavior and one book, Three Key Years, that deals with brain development and emotional needs for very young children. Additionally, he has served on more than 30 boards and commissions, and has chaired more than a dozen - including the American Association of Health Plans; the International Federation of Health Plans; the Partners for Quality Care Board; the Health Governors for the World Economic Forum in Davros, Switzerland; and the Health Plans Committee for the Board of the American Diabetes Association.

He and his wife, Lorie, have five sons, two daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren. While they reside in the San Francisco area, they continue to have strong ties in Minnesota.

Monica Fitzgerald

Monica Fitzgerald is an active member of her community advocating for issues of equity and justice. She lives with her husband in Walnut Creek, where they have raised a daughter and a son. Dr. Fitzgerald grew up in Whittier, California and is proud to have roots in Southern and Northern California.

Dr. Fitzgerald is an associate professor at Saint Mary’s College of California, a Lasallian Catholic liberal arts college in the Bay Area (with a great basketball team). She serves as Program Director for a social justice program that she helped to create called Justice, Community and Leadership, which recently received national recognition for its innovative curriculum focusing on the common good and democratic citizenship.

She has also worked to create new pathways for teacher education, and is part of a team at Saint Mary’s that was awarded a grant from the state to develop a four-year integrated program in which students can earn their BA and special education teaching credential. She has taken a leadership role on campus, currently serving as Co-Director of Faculty Development and Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate. Additionally, Dr. Fitzgerald started a Faculty Women’s Group to support the personal and professional needs of women-identified faculty.

Dr. Fitzgerald received the Saint Mary’s Early Career Award for her service, scholarship and teaching in 2014. Her 2011 article on the construction of gender in early New England, “Drunkards, Fornicators and the Great Hen Squabble:Censuring Practices and the Gendering of Puritanism,” won the Coordinating Council for Women in History Nupur Chaudhuri First Article Prize. Dr. Fitzgerald’s book, “Drunkards and Fornicators on Meeting House Hill: Censure Practices and the Gendering of Puritanism,” is currently under review with Cambridge University Press. She also is currently working on an article on the first generation of women to attend Saint Mary’s College during the second wave of the women’s movement. She also has another line of research on the scholarship of teaching and learning. Dr. Fitzgerald regularly presents at academic conferences for history and teacher education.

She also serves as a public scholar, presenting around the Bay Area on issues of women, Title IX, and women in politics. In 2016, Dr. Fitzgerald served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Monica Fitzgerald has a PhD in U.S. history, specializing in early America and women, which she earned from UC Davis. She holds a master of arts degree in history from California State University East Bay and earned her bachelor of arts in political science from UC Berkeley.

Jackie Majors

As Crystal Stairs’ CEO, Jackie Majors, brings a wealth of experience, a commitment to forward-thinking approaches to business development and social enterprise, and organizational continuity to the agency.

Ms. Majors brings more than 20 years of professional and instructional experience in early care and education to her role as Chief Programs Officer for Crystal Stairs. As a member of the agency’s executive management team, she has overseen Child Care Subsidy, Resource and Referral, Children’s Health & Wellness programs and the SAGE Children’s Center.

Before joining Crystal Stairs, Ms. Majors was Chief Program Officer for a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community, providing programs to low-income, first generation high school students with dreams of going to college. Prior to that, she served as the Senior Vice President for a nation-wide child care organization where, for over 15 years she was responsible for the management of program operations for over 200 child care centers and before and after school programs in California.

Understanding the critical need for higher quality child care standards and enhanced early childhood professional development, Ms. Majors has also dedicated 13 years as an adjunct instructor in the child development department at West Los Angeles College.

Ms. Majors holds a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Administration from Pepperdine University, a Bachelors of Arts degree in Child Development from California State University, Northridge. She has served as an active member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and has been a featured speaker and presenter at several early care and education conferences and workshops.

Ms. Majors lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two school age daughters. As a native of Los Angeles, Ms. Majors is keenly aware of the challenges faced by the families in our community. It is this awareness that propels her commitment to ensure that all young children have a positive early start.

Molly Munger

Molly Munger is a co-founder and director of the Advancement Project, a public policy change organization rooted in the civil rights movement. Founded in 1999, Advancement Project engineers large-scale systems change to remedy inequality, expand opportunity and open paths to upward mobility. Molly brings an extensive background of legal expertise to the Advancement Project, including twenty years as a federal prosecutor and business litigator. Between 1994 and 1998, Molly served with her current law partner, Connie Rice, as Western Regional Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Molly also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, a partner in the all-women litigation firm Baird, Munger & Meyers, and a partner in the Los Angeles office of New York- based Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson.

Together with Advancement Project Co-Directors Connie Rice and Steve English, Molly launched a coalition lawsuit, Godinez v. Davis, which won approximately $1 billion for new school construction in Los Angeles and other urban areas – representing the reclaiming of funds previously slated for less crowded, more affluent suburban school districts. Advancement Project was then instrumental in crafting and shepherding three school construction bond initiatives, raising $25 billion for new and renovated facilities throughout the state. As a result of these efforts, over 66 new schools were built in Los Angeles to relieve chronic overcrowding and over 1 million school spaces were created or renovated throughout California.

In recent years, Molly has become deeply involved in efforts to improve and expand early childhood education in California. Her work was critical to the development of thousands of preschool spaces that serve low income children in Los Angeles County, and California’s Preschool Challenge, her report on statewide preschool space shortfalls, spurred the creation of the Speaker’s Task Force on School Facilities.

Molly also spearheaded the founding of the Water Cooler network of advocates, bringing together diverse stakeholders from across the state to build consensus for policy solutions that support the needs of children from birth to five. Through quarterly meetings and an annual conference that draws more than 500 education advocates, the Water Cooler elevates the needs of California’s youngest children to the forefront of policy decisions and unites a diverse coalition of unlikely allies to champion their cause.

Molly took a greater stance in supporting the needs of California’s students by supporting the Our Children, Our Future tax initiative in 2012. Our Children, Our Future would have provided dedicated funding to an entire generation of children to restore the public education programs and services they need to succeed in the workforce and double the existing funding to expand and improve the early learning opportunities for children across the state. Though the measure failed to pass, the effort has opened many opportunities and conversations which Molly continues to pursue further.

Molly is a graduate of Radcliffe College and Harvard Law School. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Southern California Public Radio. She is a former commissioner on the First 5 California Commission and former board member at Children Now, Occidental College, the Westridge School for Girls and the James Irvine Foundation.

Muntu Davis, MD, MPH

Dr. Muntu Davis recently joined the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) as its new Health Officer. In this role, Dr. Davis serves as the Department’s medical expert regarding public health matters and provides guidance to leadership across the Department. Working in partnership with DPH colleagues and health professional organizations, he consults on, interprets, and enforces County and State laws and regulations to protect and promote the health and wellness of all residents of Los Angeles County.

Dr. Davis comes to Los Angeles from the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) where he served as Director for the past six years and Health Officer since 2009. As the Director, he provided strategic and administrative leadership, direction and oversight to planning for a full range of public health activities for over 1.6 million county residents. In his role as County Health Officer, he led public health protection efforts, health policy development and served as an advisor to elected and appointed officials, members of the medical profession, and the public on matters affecting public health and safety. For the past decade, he has contributed to statewide and national discussions around how to elevate and implement a health equity framework within government agencies. Dr. Davis practiced medicine in urban and rural primary care and urgent care clinics in Northern and Southern California. Dr. Davis has a MD from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a MPH from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts.

Lupe Jaime

In her role as Director of Early Care and Education at Fresno County Office of Education, Lupe Jaime oversees several early learning programs and initiatives, including the Child Care and Development Local Planning Council (LPC); the Early Stars Quality Rating and Improvement System; the Race to the Top – Early Challenge Grant; the California State Preschool Program Block Grant; the Teen Parent Support Program; and Early Care and Education Workforce Support programs, such as PIECES and the California Transitional Kindergarten Stipend Program.

Prior to her current position, Ms. Jaime was the Deputy Director of Central Valley Children’s Services Network. In this role, she managed the Resource & Referral, Subsidized Childcare, and numerous First 5 Fresno County contracts. In addition, she served as an Infant & Toddler Specialist Trainer for WestEd, and a Child Development adjunct instructor at Willow International College.

She is actively involved in her community and currently serves as a member of the Fresno County Child Care & Development LPC, co-chair of the California State University, and the Fresno Central Valley Bilingual Dual Language Consortium. She is a Board Member for the California Childcare Resources and the California Child Development Administrators Association.

Ms. Jaime holds a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and a Professional Clear Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential. In addition, she earned a Master’s degree in Cross Cultural Education and a Child Development Director’s Permit. Recently, she earned a post graduate certificate in Infant Family Mental Health from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Most importantly, Lupe is the proud mother of a 19-year-old daughter, Alexus, who currently is attending University of California, Merced.

Shana Hazan

Shana Hazan is a community leader, educator, and the proud parent of a young daughter.

Shana serves as the Senior Director of Resource Development at Jewish Family Service of San Diego, a comprehensive human service organization that delivers client-centered, impact-driven services that empower individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency, and supports aging with dignity. In this role, she oversees the agency’s institutional and individual fund development, government relations, and public policy work.

Shana designed and secured funding for the Linda Vista Kindergarten Readiness Network, which utilizes a collective impact model to address barriers to kindergarten readiness, as well as funding for the Hunger Advocacy Network, an innovative initiative consisting of social service agencies, anti-hunger organizations, and nutrition advocacy organizations that collaborate to advocate for state policies that increase food security.

Shana currently serves on the City of San Diego’s Human Relations Commission, and on the boards of CORE Educational Services; the Foothold Foundation; and Stanley E. Foster School of Engineering, Innovation, and Design.

Previously, she developed Jewish Family Service’s nationally recognized model for youth leadership through service learning. She also has worked for ABC News in London, taught elementary school in Chicago Public Schools, and served as Safe Routes to School Director for Active Transportation Alliance.

Shana holds a Master’s Degree in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University.

In 2016, she was recognized by Assembly Speaker Atkins as a 78th Assembly District Woman of the Year.

Alejandra Campoverdi

Alejandra Campoverdi is an advocate for women's health and empowerment, a former White House aide to President Obama, and a media executive. Prior to running for U.S. Congress in California in early 2017, Alejandra was founding Managing Editor of #EmergingUS at the Los Angeles Times, a digital platform founded by Jose Antonio Vargas that explored the emerging American identity. Alejandra previously served as Senior Advisor for Innovation and Communications Strategy for Univision Network News and was a part of the team that launched Fusion.

From 2009 to 2012, Alejandra worked in The White House, initially as Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, and later as the first White House Deputy Director of Hispanic Media. In this role, she developed and implemented the White House’s multimedia communications strategy in relation to the U.S. Hispanic community and briefed President Obama in preparation for interviews with Hispanic media. Previously, Alejandra worked on The California Endowment’s Agricultural Worker Health Initiative, which focused on improving the health and living conditions of California’s agricultural workers.

Alejandra holds a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and graduated cum laude from the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California. She currently sits on the Advisory Board of Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, the Executive Advisory Board of the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy, and the Board of Advisors for UCLA's Center for Diverse Leadership in Science, and is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy. Alejandra is a volunteer teacher for Inside Out Writers, through which she teaches a weekly creative writing class to incarcerated young women in Los Angeles' Central Juvenile Hall.

Camille Maben

In December 2012, Camille Maben began serving in her current role as Executive Director of First 5 California. In that role, she is responsible for staffing the California Children and Families Commission, in addition to directing the work of the agency and its staff. Through her leadership, First 5 California is implementing several evidence-based and results-driven Signature Programs targeted to children, parents, and teachers that focus on quality.

Prior to her appointment at First 5 California, Camille served as the Division Director of the Child Development Division at the California Department of Education (CDE). Part of her responsibilities in that role included providing leadership and oversight to over 700 early care and education contractors with a $1.7 billion dollar budget. She most recently served as Co-Chair of the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care, and also helped win and implement the $52.6 million federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant.

She was previously appointed by the Governor to serve as Chief of Staff for the Office of the Secretary of Education. She worked closely with the Secretary on the coordination and development of the Governor's education policy agenda.

In earlier work at CDE, Camille served as Division Director of the School and District Accountability Division. Her division included the No Child Left Behind Office, oversight of the Categorical Program Monitoring process, the Title I Policy and Partnerships Unit, and the English Learner Accountability Unit. She served as the Superintendent's representative to the California Interscholastic Federation. Camille also served as Senior Advisor to former State Superintendent Delaine Eastin and has worked as a consultant to the Assembly Education Committee.

Camille currently serves as a school board member for the Rocklin Unified School District. She has served on the Rocklin Board for over 20 years.

Frank Furtek

In November 2017, Frank Furtek assumed the position of Chief Deputy Director & Counsel. Prior to his appointment, he served as First 5 California’s Chief Counsel. Frank has worked in public service for over 33 years, working primarily in the health and human services arena.

Frank started his public service with Solano County in its County Counsel's Office, working on dependency and child welfare matters. He moved to the California Attorney General's Office in 1989, working exclusively in the Health, Education and Welfare Section. He litigated numerous cases in state and federal trial and appellate courts; and appeared before the United States Supreme Court. He also had the good fortune of serving as First 5 California’s first counsel.

In 2004, Frank was appointed as Chief Counsel for the California Health and Human Services Agency, and was responsible for the coordination of legal services for the 13 state departments, boards, and offices under the Agency's purview. In 2009, he became Chief Counsel to the California Department of Social Services, and thereafter returned to the Attorney General’s Office. Frank started at First 5 California in 2013.

Frank holds BA degrees from the University of California at Davis in Political Science/Public Service and Economics, and a JD degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. He and his wife have three children, and two granddaughters.

David Dodds

David Dodds is Deputy Director of Evaluation, a position to which he brings years of experience as a researcher in state government. At the California Department of Public Health, he served as lead research scientist on evaluation teams for the Black Infant Health Program and Adolescent Family Life Program as well as vital statistics analysis. Prior work in state government included developing child welfare outcome measures at the California Department of Social Services and analysis of immigration and tabulation of race/ethnicity census data at the California Department of Finance.

David holds a PhD in Anthropology from UCLA and a Master of Public Health from UC Berkeley. Additional studies included a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Demography at UC Berkeley. As an anthropologist, he has worked in multiple countries in Latin America.

Erin Gabel

Erin Gabel is the Deputy Director of the External and Governmental Affairs Office, where she is responsible for the Commission's legislative and public affairs initiatives. Prior to joining the First 5 California team, Erin was the education consultant for California State Senate President pro Tempore, Darrell Steinberg, and advised the pro Tem and Senate on a wide range of education reform issues that included preschool and early learning, kindergarten through grade 12 public education, and higher education.

Before joining Senator Steinberg's policy team, Erin was the Director of Government Affairs Division at the California Department of Education. Erin was responsible for the Department's involvement in all state and federal budget and legislative processes. She served State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson as a policy advisor under different hats in the Department, Assembly, and the Senate over an eleven year tenure.

Prior to working at the state Capitol, Erin served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia. Erin was one of the founding staff members of the Partnership for Children and Youth as their first Children Nutrition Project Director, and now serves on its Board of Directors. Erin is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and the proud mother of two young and active boys, August and Rhys.

Jaime Hastings

Jaime Hastings is First 5 California's Director of Administrative Services. In this role, Jaime is responsible for coordinating key administrative projects, such as the State Commission meetings; Annual Report production; development/updating of agency policies; annual Child Health, Education and Care Summit coordination; and human resource processes. Jaime was previously First 5 California’s Office Manager.

Prior to coming to First 5 California, Jaime served in a variety of roles at the Department of Education (CDE) for over 12 years. She mostly recently served as an analyst in the Child Development Division and assisted the director in managing the daily operations; she worked on several projects, including the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Grant and the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care.

Prior to that, she served as the CDE's State Board of Education (SBE) Liaison, where she coordinated and reviewed SBE Information and Agenda Items; served as the point person in negotiating the content of items between CDE and SBE staff; and coordinated briefings for the Chief Deputy and Superintendent of Public Instruction.

In her early years at the CDE, Jaime provided assistance in several capacities in the Office of the State Superintendent; and Data Management, Personnel Services, and School and District Accountability Divisions.

Jaime and her husband, Brad, are the proud parents of Anthony and Samantha.

Paul Waters

Paul Waters has been leading the Information Technology (IT) Office since coming to First 5 California in January 2007. Before coming to First 5 California, Paul held various IT positions at the California Public Employee Retirement System and, at what was formerly known as, the Victims Compensation and Government Claims Board. Prior to entering the world of IT, Paul worked in the legislative area at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice Planning. Paul worked as both an analyst, and as Chief of the Legislature Unit during his 11 years in that field. Paul earned his degree in Political Science and Philosophy at the University of California, Davis.

Debra Silverman

Debra joined First 5 California in March 2013 as Program Administrator in First 5 California’s Program Management Division, Training and Continuous Quality Improvement Office, where she brings her education and experience in program development and evaluation. She is responsible for statewide quality improvement projects such as coaching and training quality processes, guides workforce development and higher education supports, and works with the Research and Evaluation Office on various project-specific and statewide evaluation efforts.

Before joining First 5 California, Debra served as Program Officer at First 5 Contra Costa for 11 years, where she developed school readiness programs in 4 large school districts leading to a countywide quality rating and improvement system and Contra Costa’s participation in the state’s Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Grant. She also led development of parenting education resources and curriculum used by the county’s home visitors and family resource centers. During this time, she also was a trainer on the Classroom Assessment Scoring System tools, and faculty at Brandman University. Prior to that, she was a Preschool Director for a large public preschool in Contra Costa, and an Educational Researcher at RPP International for several federally funded school reform studies.

Debra is a graduate of University of Colorado, Denver, where she earned a PhD in Educational Leadership and Innovation, and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration. Debra is the proud parent of two grown children, Shanna and Jaimee.

Simon Marquez

Simon R. Marquez is a manager in the Program Management Division and currently helps to administer First 5 IMPACT. He also is a member of the State Support Team for Quality Counts California, the state’s quality rating and improvement system.

Prior to coming to First 5 California, Simon spent six years at the California Department of Education, Early Education and Support Division. Beginning in 2009, Simon supported the California Department of Education’s facilitation of SB-629, the California Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee (CAEL QIS). After the completion of the CAEL QIS, Simon moved over to the Quality Improvement Office in the Early Education and Support Division and supported the development of California’s federal Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant in 2011.

During his time working as a member of the Implementation Team for the RTT-ELC grant, Simon received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from California State University, Sacramento, moved into an Associate Governmental Program Analyst position in the Quality Improvement Office, and got married to his wife Lauren in 2013.

Simon currently resides in North Natomas with his wife Lauren, daughters Lana and Leighton, and son Santino.

Erin Dubey

Erin Dubey is an Education Administrator at First 5 California in the Program Management Division. In this role, she oversees statewide coordination and implementation of First 5 IMPACT and Quality Counts California, and the Small Population County Funding Augmentation (SPCFA). In addition, she contributes to policy-related work and participates in collaborative statewide efforts to expand home visiting and developmental screening.

Prior to coming to First 5 California, Erin served as a Child Development Consultant at the California Department of Education where she worked on a variety of projects, including the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge grant, the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care, and the Competencies Integration Project.

She has worked in the early childhood field as a teacher, site director, home visitor, and administrator for over 24 years. Erin has a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She and her husband, Eric, are the proud parents of Kennedy and Walker.

Contact Information

First 5 California
2389 Gateway Oaks Dr.
Suite 260
Sacramento, CA 95833

Phone: (916) 263-1050
Fax: (916) 263-1360
Email: info@ccfc.ca.gov
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On This Page

Upcoming Commission Meeting

Commission Members

Policy & Advocacy

Employment Opportunities

Leadership Staff

Upcoming Commission Meetings

June Public Education and Outreach Advisory Committee Meeting

July Commission Meeting

Commission Members

George
Halvorson

Lupe
Jaime

Muntu
Davis

Shana
Hazan

Monica
Fitzgerald

Molly
Munger

Jackie
Majors

Commission Ex Officio Members

Policy & Advocacy

First 5 California’s 2019 Children’s Policy Agenda

2019-20 Legislation of Interest

State Legislation & Advocacy

Federal Legislation & Advocacy

Policy Recommendations

Child Care Provider Stipend Recommendations

Developing a Single-Rate System Reimbursement Structure for California

Advocacy Tools

Employment Opportunities

Office Technician (Typing)

Leadership Staff

• Camille Maben, Executive Director

• Frank Furtek, Chief Deputy Director and Counsel

• David Dodds, Deputy Director, Evaluation Office

• Erin Gabel, Deputy Director, External and Governmental Affairs Office

• Paul Waters, Manager, Information Technology Office

• Erin Dubey, Education Administrator, Early Learning & Healthy Development Program Office

• Debra Silverman, Education Administrator, Training and Continuous Quality Improvement Office

• Jaime Hastings, Director of Administrative Services Office and Interim Director of Contracts and Procurement Office

• Simon Marquez, Manager, Program Management Division