By Linda Jacobson
This series about the history and impact of First 5 is supported by a University of Southern California 2018 Center for Health Journalism fellowship.
- What did California’s novel approach to funding early-childhood programs achieve? The impact of the First 5 initiative, spearheaded by actor-director Rob Reiner, is complicated to measure because of the lack of longitudinal data.
- How filmmaker Rob Reiner put early childhood in the limelight Recruiting Hollywood A-listers for help, Reiner paved the way for passage of a tobacco tax to fund programs for California’s youngest children — and helped to spread a national movement.
Source: Special report: An in-depth look at California’s First 5 early-childhood initiative | Education Dive