Sacramento First Five Commission Meeting Summary - August 5, 2024

The Sacramento First Five Commission met on Monday, August 5, 2024, to approve the revised FY 2024-25 budget and 10-year financial plan, approve the updated 2024-27 implementation plan, receive updates from committees and staff, and hear presentations on the Birth and Beyond evaluation and the WIC lactation support program. All actions were approved unanimously.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the June 3, 2024 draft action summary by unanimous vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Alexandria Page (former Birth and Beyond home visitor): Expressed strong support for Birth and Beyond, calling it "one of the greatest works of Sacramento." She raised a concern about the data categorization of multiracial children, noting that those with Black heritage should be included in Black/African American data because they have "black experiences." She also emphasized that housing is the number one crisis, leading to basic needs struggles like food, clothing, and hygiene items, and criticized long waitlists for housing vouchers.

Discussion Items

• Executive Director's Report: Provided updates on communications (new swag for commissioners, 25th anniversary planning, PLTI graduation with 31 graduates, new social media vendor), Ready work (participatory grantmaking process, racial equity presentations, internal capacity building), child safety forward community gathering (first of annual gatherings with ~20 parents), and state budget updates (CalWORKs home visiting cuts avoided, $1.3 million for court-mandated parenting classes restored).
• Advisory Committee Update (June 14, 2024): The committee met with Commissioner Wirtz and discussed participatory grantmaking; appointed two new members (David Ahmad and Keisha Harris) by unanimous vote.
• Evaluation Committee Update (July 15, 2024): Reviewed Birth and Beyond annual report and Building Strong Families Program report (ARPA-funded); noted key statistics: 805 unduplicated individuals, 795 families, 1,282 referrals, 72% received services, top needs: housing (32%), food (28%), baby essentials (24%).
• Financial Planning Committee Update (July 30, 2024): Reviewed revised recommended budget and 10-year financial plan; no allocation changes; approved updates.
• Policy and Advocacy Committee Update (June 18, 2024): Changed regular meeting to second Wednesday; discussed state budget advocacy, livable wage statement, racial equity work.
• FY 2024-25 Revised Recommended Budget and 10-Year Financial Plan: Presented by Kristen Scheiber. No line item changes; carry-forward fund balance increased by $1.3 million to $2.33 million, reducing reserve release; Prop 10 revenue projections increased by ~1.3%, reducing the 2027 strategic plan allocation reduction from 37.3% to 28.4%. Approved unanimously.
• 2024-27 Implementation Plan Update: Presented by Executive Director Julie. Plan updated with approved funded partners and finalized indicators; some TBD items for Ready/systems change work to be phased in. Approved unanimously.
• Birth and Beyond Evaluation Report (FY 2022-23): Presented by Jessica Irwin (ASR). Key findings: served ~5,000 parents/caregivers and ~3,000 children; home visiting served 964 families; 18% of developmental screenings identified needs; 62% of home visiting participants also received crisis intervention; CPS substantiation rates lower with more home visiting hours (0.4% for 24+ hours); Black/African American participants showed zero substantiation for 8+ hours in some models; parenting education showed improvements; crisis intervention served 3,400 families with 98% progress; SELs served 1,700 families with 17.2 average hours. Discussion included data categorization (multiracial not included in Black/African American), need for dad-specific classes, and housing as primary crisis.
• WIC Lactation Support Program: Presented by Lisa Matthews and Amelia Shendau. Exclusive breastfeeding rate at 27.6%, up 2.5% over two years; awarded USDA WIC Breastfeeding Award of Excellence (Premier). Addressed impacts of formula costs/shortage, provider messaging, and hospital notification systems.

Key Outcomes

• Approved June 3, 2024 action summary (unanimous).
• Appointed David Ahmad and Keisha Harris to advisory committee (unanimous).
• Approved FY 2024-25 revised recommended budget and 10-year financial plan (unanimous).
• Approved updated 2024-27 implementation plan (unanimous).
• Noted no action on Birth and Beyond or WIC presentations.
• Chair Cerna invited commissioners to National Night Out event at Jack Davis Park on August 6, 2024.

Additional Notes

• Commissioner Katari joined meeting late (noted during budget vote).
• Meeting live-streamed on Metro Cable 14 and available for replay August 9, 2024.
• No agenda or minutes were available; summary based solely on the transcript.