Professional Resources

Smiling baby holding a ball and looking at her mom

First 5 Orange County is committed to supporting early development of children ages 0-5 and of embracing making a system-level impact to ensure kids grow up happy, healthy and ready for kindergarten.

As part of that function, First 5 Orange County takes an active role in enriching parent involvement and resources, encouraging innovation and investing in systems of care that benefit the whole child.

Below are resources for providers that also serve to optimize young children’s health and development by promoting the importance of early childhood.

Speech and Language Milestones Toolkit

The Speech & Language Milestones Toolkit for ages 0-5 helps parents and caregivers track their child’s communication development, from first sounds to early conversations. Learn what to expect at each stage and helpful tips on how to support language growth. Access the toolkit here.

Orange County Perinatal Mental Health Toolkit

Doula Stipend Program Application

First 5 Orange County’s Doula Stipend Program Application is now open!

Our stipend program provides financial assistance to selected applicants as they pursue Medi-Cal provider status in alignment with the Department of Health Care Services’ recently released Doula Benefit.

The program aims to support local efforts to increase utilization of the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) doula benefit and address maternal health disparities among the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community.

First 5 Orange County expects that 40 doulas will benefit from this stipend program and numerous babies and families will benefit over the coming years from doula services. The application will remain open until all funding is expended.

To learn more or to apply, click here.

Childhood Trauma Screening Data

As part of the grant, “Preventing and Responding to ACE-Associated Health Conditions and Toxic Stress in Clinics through Community Engagement (PRACTICE), First 5 Orange County engaged a group of stakeholders to develop interactive maps that aggregate data from multiple sources. These data maps allow users to explore information from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) screenings alongside other key data points like Early Development Index (EDI) Social-Emotional scores and available community resources.

The following organizations contributed data and thought-partnership to the development of these maps: CalOptima, Children and Families Coalition of Orange County, CHOC Children’s, Help Me Grow Orange County, Mind OC, and Western Youth Services. Through this publicly available resource, we aim to deepen community understanding of ACEs as well as inform targeted interventions and supports to address identified need and resource gaps.

Explore the Data Maps

Family Wellness Plans

Federal law requires that infants born affected by substance misuse, withdrawal or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum (FASD) receive a Plan of Safe Care (called Family Wellness Plan in Orange County) that supports their families as well. Templates have been created to assist providers in building Family Wellness Plans.

The goal of the Family Wellness Plan is to strengthen the family unit, help mothers have a healthy pregnancy, and keep child(ren) safely at home.

Click here to download the Family Wellness Plan Issue Brief.

Click here to download 5 Ways to Improve Care Using Family Wellness Plans (FWP).

Click here to download Building a Family Wellness Plan in the Medical Setting.

Click here for Family Wellness Plan videos.

Click here for the brochure in Vietnamese.

Click here for the brochure in Spanish.

Substance Use During Pregnancy

Session I: The Lenses of Addiction

Dr. San Bartolome will discuss the science of addiction and how healthcare professionals can use this knowledge to further support the families they serve.

Click here to view the full presentation.

Session II: The Effects of Stigma on Service Access and Engagement

Dr. Briscoe and Ms. Jeffcoat will provide insight and recommendations to mitigate the effects of stigma when serving families affected by substance use.

Click here to view the full presentation.

Session III: Resources for Healthcare Providers

Jewel Loff and April Thornton lead a panel discussion providing information on services and resources designed to support pregnant people affected by substance use.

Click here to view the full presentation.

Safe Spaces Professional Learning Modules Launching Summer 2023

In Summer 2023, the Office of the California Surgeon General will release a free, online professional learning module designed to help early care and education personnel respond to trauma and stress in children. The training has two goals:

1. Provide greater awareness of the impact of stress and trauma on health, development and learning

2. Provide key mindsets and strategies to respond with trauma-informed principles and help create the conditions for safe and supportive learning environments for everyone.

Early care providers can access the CECO log-in page for the first module for ages 0-5 in English here and in Spanish here.

Legal Problem-Solving and Flourishing Handbook

This handbook was designed to assist in embracing legal problem-solving as a strategy and to provide a bigger toolbox that taps legal problem-solving resources both inside and outside the sector, so that perinatal and early childhood systems, programs, and teams can more effectively meet their mission of supporting families to flourish. Get the handbook here.

The handbook is available in Spanish, Vietnamese, Cape Verdean Creole, and Haitian Creole here.

Toolkits for Providers

We need your help in sharing these necessary resources to inform and educate parents, families and caregivers about important issues affecting their communities and supports being provided. By acting together, we can leverage our voices and underline the connection between educating families and the well-being of them and their children. Thank you for sharing!

Child Care in Orange County Social Media Toolkit

Child Care and its Impact on Orange County’s Economy.

Stigma Free OC Toolkit

Stigma Free OC is a county-wide movement which aims to clear the stigma associated with mental illness and addiction. This campaign is dedicated to raising awareness of these illnesses by creating an environment where people are seen and supported in their efforts to achieve wellness and recovery.

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health and Substance Use Toolkit

Mental health conditions that occur during pregnancy or in the first 12 months postpartum are referred to as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), maternal or perinatal mental health conditions. Pregnancy is an opportune time to screen and connect women to resources because of an increased motivation to change habits for the future well-being of their child. Estimates of perinatal psychiatric and substance use co-morbidity range from 57% to 91%, with the most common diagnoses being depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. For this reason, it is crucial to screen all perinatal clients for mental health and substance use risk.

The Orange County Perinatal and Infant Mental Health and Substance Use Toolkit contains a wealth of resources and tools to assist you in supporting perinatal clients and their babies as they navigate the struggles that may arise during this time in their lives.

The videos below demonstrate recommended screening and intervention strategies for perinatal substance use, appropriate language and attitudes to reduce stigma, the use of motivational interviewing, and how to complete a Family Wellness Plan with a client in order to keep mother and baby together safely upon discharge from the hospital. We encourage you to utilize these videos when training staff or offering education to clients.

Click here for a revised Focus on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders brief.