First 5 El Dorado outlines My Lantern, family specialists and Book Buddies pilot as county needs grow

Colleen Robinson, program coordinator for First 5 El Dorado, told the El Dorado County Behavioral Health Commission that the local First 5 office is refocusing services after a recent reorganization and a decline in tobacco-tax revenue. "We are learning to do more with less," Robinson said, noting county revenue fell from "over $1,000,000 in FY21–22 to just over $700,000 this year."

The presentation on the commission's agenda described two outreach strategies First 5 will emphasize this year: the My Lantern texting platform and a pair of family specialists who run playgroups and provide developmental screening. Robinson said My Lantern is an opt-in texting service that delivers parenting tips tailored to a child’s age and the family’s ZIP code. "Families will receive parenting tips and child-development information based upon the age of their child, along with local resources matched by their zip code," she said.

Robinson said First 5 will use My Lantern to share multilingual outreach assets and targeted postcards and invited county partners to distribute materials locally. Commissioners discussed cost-sharing and partnership possibilities to extend the platform's reach.

Robinson also described two family specialists retained from the former community hubs project who now run playgroups designed for caregivers and children (one infant/toddler "crawl space" for 0–24 months and a broader 0–5 playgroup). "These playgroups strengthen key protective factors that directly improve children's mental health," Robinson said, adding the groups are caregiver-led and not drop-off childcare.

First 5 is launching a Book Buddies pilot that pairs volunteer mentors with transitional-kindergarten (TK) students for short, regular one-on-one reading sessions in-class. Robinson said the pilot will start in two TK classrooms at Sierra School and focus on relationship-building as much as reading: "What it's about more than the reading is that one-on-one attention." The program will coordinate volunteer training, including trauma-informed guidance, and First 5 plans to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters for continuity beyond the pilot.

Robinson said First 5 operates with a staff of three (roughly 1.6 FTE) within the county's Child, Family and Community Services department, and acknowledged capacity limits. She said an online volunteer application and training portal should be ready by early July.

Commissioners asked practical questions about staffing, program publicity and where to find information; Robinson said library calendars and First 5 social media will list playgroups and that she will share flyers and registration language with county partners. The commission welcomed the presentation and thanked Robinson for the overview.

First 5 invited commissioners to attend its meetings; Robinson said the next regular meeting is Oct. 12 and that the public is welcome to participate in hybrid sessions.