First 5 Ventura County reports on early‑childhood programs and budget; director Petra Puls to retire

Petra Puls, executive director of First 5 Ventura County, presented the agency''s 2024–25 budget and program update to the Board of Supervisors on May 20 and said the agency will continue to focus on prevention, parent‑child services and early developmental screening.

Puls described First 5 as "the local public agency that was established back in 1998 to administer tobacco tax revenues" and said the agency''s work centers on family‑focused prevention and neighborhood resource centers called "Neighborhoods for Learning." She told the board the commission has sought to stretch declining tobacco‑tax revenues by following a 10‑year financial plan and by combining multiple funding sources.

Program highlights and outcomes

Puls told the board First 5 used $3.5 million in county ARPA/COVID relief funds to expand services: the agency opened Neighborhoods for Learning (NFL) sites for two additional days each week, hired nine additional staff and piloted a "Welcome Every Baby" light‑touch home‑visiting program in a high‑need area. Early evaluation of the pilot, Puls said, shows improved well‑child visit adherence: "100 percent of our participants — the newborns — were up to date on their well child visits" compared with a 60 percent benchmark in a comparative medical population.

Puls also reported results from parent‑child together classes and a Help Me Grow…