Inventory of the California Children and Families Commission Records
Processed by David O'Brien
California State Archives
© 2009
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: archivesweb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the California Children and Families Commission Records
Collection number: R391
California State ArchivesOffice of the Secretary of State
Sacramento, California
- Processed by:
- David O'Brien
- Date Completed:
- June 2009
- Encoded by:
- Sara Kuzak
© 2009 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
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
Sacramento, California
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
Collection is open for research.
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.
[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.
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.
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.
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
ID R391.01, Boxes 1-3, Folders 1-13
Series 1 Meeting Files 1999-2002
Physical Description: 57 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by meeting date.
Scope and Content Note
Meeting files consist of agendas and minutes for that meeting date. Many files also include information sent to Commission
members regarding items to be discussed or voted on at upcoming meetings. Such items include analyses of proposed legislation
affecting early childhood development; funding proposals from local government agencies or nonprofit organizations; budget
documents from the Governor's office showing how early childhood education would be affected in proposed budgets; and drafts
of the previous meeting's minutes to be approved by the Commission.
Advisory Committee on Diversity
ID R391.02, Box 3, Folder 14
Series 1 Meeting Files 2000-2002
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by meeting date.
Scope and Content Note
Meeting files of the Advisory Committee on Diversity consist exclusively of agendas and minutes for each meeting date. Established
in September 2000, the Advisory Committee was charged with assisting the State Commission in serving ethnically, culturally,
and linguistically diverse populations, as well as children with special needs. Among its duties were: advising the State
Commission on policy issues relating to diversity and equity, serving on review panels for funding proposals to ensure services
were reaching diverse populations, reviewing media and outreach policies to ensure that they were reaching diverse populations,
and soliciting input from organizations and community groups.
Guidelines Advisory Committee
ID R391.03, Box 3, Folder 15
Series 1 Meeting Files 1999
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by meeting date.
Scope and Content Note
Meeting files of the Guidelines Advisory Committee consist exclusively of agendas and minutes for each meeting date. The Guidelines
Advisory Committee, established in May 1999, was charged with advising the State Commission on how best to implement its mandate
under the language of Proposition 10. Specifically, the Committee dealt with the section of Proposition 10 that required the
State Commission's guidelines to address, at a minimum, the areas of parental education and support services, the availability
and provision of high quality, accessible and affordable child care and the provision of child health care services. The Guidelines
Advisory Committee had four subcommittees: Child Care Services, Family Support/Parent Education, Child Health Care Services,
and Planning Subcommittees. The agendas and minutes of the Subcommittee meetings are included as part of the full Committee's
files in this series.
Technical Assistance Advisory Committee
ID R391.04, Box 3, Folder 16
Series 1 Meeting Files 1999
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by meeting date.
Scope and Content Note
Meeting files of the Technical Assistance Advisory Committee consist exclusively of agendas and minutes for each meeting date.
Established in June 1999, the Technical Assistance Advisory Committee served both the State Commission and each of the county
commissions dealing with early childhood development. As its name suggests, the Committee provided advice on technological
matters, such as how to best use videoconferencing, the Internet, and other emerging technologies in the delivery of services
to children and their families. For its first several months, the Committee appears to have spent most of its time discussing
the design and functions of the State Commission's web site.