By Terra Lawson-Remer in Encinitas, California
Summer is fast approaching — which is great news for kids, and a disaster for every family’s daily schedule
With my newborn here, my typical routine is already blown up. And as a mom of (now two!) young kids, I’m thinking about how to keep my school-aged daughter busy this summer — because these early development years are so important for children.
That’s why I’ve been focused on protecting First 5 San Diego’s Healthy Development Services program, which over nearly two decades has helped more than 352,000 San Diego children and families. It fills a gap too many families know well: your child needs help, but the delay may not be severe enough to qualify for school-based services or other programs. So families are told to wait.
But when you’re talking about a child’s brain development, waiting is not neutral. Waiting can mean falling further behind.
And this year, that support was at risk.
Here’s the strange part: fewer people smoking is good news — it means public health efforts are working. But because First 5 is funded by tobacco tax revenue, it also means less money for the children’s programs that those taxes support.
Without action, the program faced a nearly 40% cut, and more than 3,300 children and families could have lost access to care next year alone.
Last week — just hours after I gave birth to my second daughter — the Board of Supervisors approved my proposal to protect critical early childhood services for more than 3,300 San Diego children and families.
While I wasn’t able to attend the meeting myself, I’m proud that my colleagues moved this plan forward for local kids and families.
Thanks to this vote, local kids won’t lose access to services like:
–developmental screenings
–occupational therapy
–speech therapy
–behavioral support
–family services for kids ages 0 to 5
Research consistently shows that early intervention improves outcomes for children.
It also saves money down the road, because getting kids help early is far less costly than waiting until small challenges become lifelong barriers.
But for a parent, it’s much simpler than that.
When you know something is off, you shouldn’t have to wait until kindergarten for help. You should be able to get support early — when it can change the whole trajectory of a child’s life.
Every child in our community deserves the chance to thrive. This vote helps make sure thousands of San Diego families continue getting the support they need during the years that matter most.
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County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer is a member of San Diego County’s Jewish community.