Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Administrative History
Scope and Content
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: California Children and Families Commission Records
Dates: 1999-2002
Collection number: R391
Creator:
California Children and Families Commission
Collection Size:
3 cubic feet
Repository:
California State Archives
Abstract: The records of the California Children and Families Commission (CCFC) include 3 feet of textual records covering the years
1999 to 2002. The majority of the records consist of meeting files, detailing the Commission's monthly meetings from October
1999 to November 2002.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication
is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility
for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives
collections.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], California Children and Families Commission Records, R391.[series number], [box and folder number],
California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
Acquisition and Custodial History
The California State Archives acquired the records of the California Children and Families Commission according to state law.
Administrative History
The California Children and Families Commission (CCFC) is also known variously as the California Children and Families First
State Commission, or as First 5 California. In November 1998, voters passed Proposition 10, which created the California Children
and Families First Program, with the CFCC as its governing board. Funding for the program comes from tax on cigarettes of
50 cents per pack, and on other tobacco products as well. Proposition 10 was approved by a margin of 50.5 to 49.5 percent;
its primary backer was filmmaker and activist Rob Reiner, who later became the Commission chairman.
According to its bylaws, the State Commission's official purpose is "promoting, supporting, and improving the early development
of children from the prenatal stage to five years of age." Proposition 10 gave the Commission a specific set of twelve functions:
dissemination of public information and educational materials regarding early childhood development to members of the public
and professionals; adopting guidelines for an integrated and comprehensive statewide early childhood development program;
collecting data to measure the results achieved by the adopted guidelines; providing for independent research on the effectiveness
of the adopted guidelines and on other programs for early childhood development; solicitation of input from professionals
in the field of early childhood development; providing technical assistance to county commissions in early childhood development
programs; reviewing the annual audits and reports of the county commissions; applying for grants, gifts, donations, or contributions
to the state program; entering into contracts to carry about the provisions of Proposition 10; advising the Governor and the
Legislature about proposals for state laws, regulations or services and how they affect early childhood development.
One of the Commission's main areas of focus has been education. Although it provides no educational services directly, the
CCFC makes provisions for children in need which it believes will help them get a better education, beginning before they
enter preschool. Two ways in which it does this are by providing information about health services, so that children begin
school with proper immunizations and do not pose a health risk to other students; and by helping facilitate access to family
counseling, so that children from emotionally distressed homes can succeed in school.
The CCFC also provides information to parents on how to raise children in a healthy environment at home, by educating them
about the need for proper nutrition and exercise, and through an extensive public relations campaign to discourage the use
of tobacco products.
Scope and Content
The records of the California Children and Families Commission (CCFC) include 3 feet of textual records covering the years
1999 to 2002. The majority of the records consist of meeting files, detailing the Commission's monthly meetings from October
1999 to November 2002. Meeting files from October 1999 to December 2001 are comprehensive, including agendas of upcoming meetings,
minutes of past meetings, funding proposals from local government agencies and nonprofit organizations, legislative bill analyses
by the CCFC staff, and budget documents from the Governor's office. However, files from March to September 1999, and from
January to November 2002, consist only of agendas and minutes, and are thus not as comprehensive or informative.
Also included are meeting files, consisting solely of agendas and minutes, of three advisory committees which worked under
the Commission during this time period - the Advisory Committee on Diversity, the Guidelines Advisory Committee, and the Technical
Assistance Advisory Committee. Although less comprehensive, the minutes of these meetings do provide crucial information about
these committees' duties and responsibilities.
This collection will be of interest to researchers looking into how statewide programs for early childhood development are
adopted and implemented, as well as how statewide agencies interact with their local (county and city) counterparts.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
California. Children and Families Commission
Early childhood development