First Five Sacramento Commission Meeting - October 6, 2025

The First Five Sacramento Commission convened on Monday, October 6, 2025, to address strategic planning for the 2027-2030 implementation plan, approve new funding agreements for airport child care research and Spanish-language parent leadership training, and receive updates on equity initiatives. The meeting featured presentations on community trends, racial equity progress, and new grant processes designed to support underserved families and organizations.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the draft action summary from the August 4, 2025, meeting with unanimous support.

Public Comments & Testimony

Advisory Committee & Equity in Action Updates

• Junior Goris (Chair, Advisory Committee): Reported that the advisory committee met on August 22nd to review a "Black Child Legacy Campaign" and that the strategic planning ad hoc committee met on September 12th to discuss Phase 2 community feedback, including parent surveys and focus groups. The next meeting is scheduled for October 10th.
• Yasmin Herrera Vilches (Equity in Action Committee Member): Stated the committee has reached the "performing" stage of team development. The committee is currently designing a consensus-based process to fund programs serving family, intermediate individual, and system-level needs, as well as parent leadership. They emphasized that previous outreach lacked inclusivity and that the new process aims to remove structural barriers like insurance audits and advance payment policies that hinder small CBOs.

Provider & Community Perspectives

• Commissioner Wesley: Expressed strong concern regarding provider well-being, noting that child care providers often care for their own families while serving vulnerable populations. She highlighted research suggesting 25% of the child care community relies on Medi-Cal and 50% on housing support, describing providers as "vulnerable providers caring for the vulnerable." She advocated for specific support systems to address vicarious trauma and mental health needs for providers.
• Commissioner Gordon: Asked for clarification on the grant tiers presented by Yasmin, specifically reconciling the $5,000-$9,999 one-time grants mentioned with the reference to $500,000 maximums, seeking to understand the funding structure for different scales of projects.
• Commissioner Mook (Commissioner Moak): Provided input on the methodology for reporting community themes, arguing that qualitative research should avoid ranking themes as equal or distinct priorities statistically unless explicitly requested, while accepting that the commission will ask the community to rank strategies later. He also noted the current community trend data relies on 2022 figures, which he feels are an anomaly due to the tail end of the pandemic, and urged the use of more current community conversations to supplement the data.
• Commissioner Guerra: Suggested that the airport child care feasibility study should explore a "split model" involving Head Start to manage operational and maintenance costs, noting that Head Start can cover overhead costs which typically aren't covered by capital grants.
• Maria Lopez (Equity in Action Committee Member): Expressed excitement about the new grant process, emphasizing the importance of "questioning the answers" to identify gaps in accessibility. She noted that the new process allows grassroots agencies to challenge existing barriers and that policy updates may be needed regarding advance payment requirements (capping at 20%) and insurance thresholds (currently $2 million) to better serve small organizations.

Discussion Items

2027-2030 Implementation Plan and Spending Strategy

• Lindsay Dunkel and Kristen (Staff): Presented a proposed spending plan totaling $35.7 million over three years ($11.9 million annually), representing a 20% reduction from current levels due to declining Prop 10 revenues and birth rates. They reported that 84% of funds are allocated to programs, 11% to administration, and 5% to evaluation. Commissioner Cerna and staff discussed the administrative cost cap, noting the proposal exceeds the 2016 10% cap (at 11%) but falls within it (8%) when including leverage funding.
• Community Input Analysis: Staff reported on six community conversations involving diverse demographics, including Afghan parents, fathers, and women experiencing homelessness. Key themes emerged regarding family stability, healthy lifestyles (including recreational needs), community gathering, and the need for better navigation of resources. Commissioner Cerna sought clarification on "impossible eligibility requirements," with staff explaining this referred to the frustration families face regarding income cutoffs for subsidized child care where small income increases render families ineligible for support.

Airport Child Care Research

• Lindsay Dunkel and Stephen Clark (Deputy Director of Operations, SMF): Discussed a proposed revenue agreement with the Sacramento County Department of Airports to conduct a feasibility study ($55,000) for a mixed-age child care center, potentially utilizing interim space in Terminal B. The study aims to serve airport employees and vendors. Commissioner Guerra and staff discussed the potential for a Head Start component to assist lower-income workers. Commissioner Moak clarified that First Five's role is strategic and system-changing rather than direct funding for the facility, aiming to leverage existing state funding ($1.5M from Senator Ashby) for capital improvements while ensuring the facility is sustained by the airport enterprise fund and employer contributions, not permanent public dollars.

Funding Reallocations and Administrative Actions

• Spanish Language PLTI Cohort: Approved an agreement with the Department of Health Services ($48,000) and an amendment to the Sacramento Children's Home contract ($48,000) to fund a dedicated Spanish-language Parent Leadership Training Institute cohort, to be implemented before May 30th using CDCFAS funds.
• Birth and Beyond Program Stabilization: Approved contract amendments to reallocate funds following the termination of the AmeriCorps contract for Birth and Beyond Home Visiting. This includes a $192,472 increase in the fiscal agent contract for oversight and $774,000 in total reallocations to the nine Family Resource Centers to maintain staffing capacity ($43,000 per center annually for 2025-2027).
• Meeting Calendar: Approved the 2026 meeting calendar, noting flexibility to add a February meeting or cancel existing ones depending on the pace of the Equity in Action Committee's recommendations, with a target to present funding recommendations by January 12th.

Key Outcomes

• 2027-2030 Spending Plan: Approved in principle for high-level structure ($35.7M total), with a directive for staff to develop detailed allocations through further community collaboration. The plan acknowledges a 20% revenue reduction and prioritizes 84% of funds for direct services.
• Airport Feasibility Study: Approved a revenue agreement ($55,000) and expenditure agreement with Child Action Inc ($25,000) to study the feasibility of an employer-based child care center at SMF, with a directive to design a sustainable, mixed-delivery model that is not reliant on permanent public funding.
• Equity in Action Grants: The Equity in Action Committee identified a demand exceeding $21 million for their $4.2 million pool. The committee clarified funding tiers: $5,000-$9,999 for one-time needs, $125,000-$300,000 for medium projects, and $301,000-$500,000 for large-scale system change. A directive was issued to review internal policies (advance payments, insurance, auditing) to ensure they do not disenfranchise small grassroots agencies.
• 2026 Calendar: Approved as skeleton, with a commitment to schedule a February 2026 meeting if necessary to accommodate the Equity in Action Committee's timeline, with the goal of funding decisions in January 2026 for a July 2027 contract start.
• Vote Counts: All agenda items involving funding approvals and the spending plan were passed unanimously by the voting commission members present.