TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all necessary documents and any subsequent amendments, including amending the terms or changing the amount of the award, with Public Health Foundation Enterprise, Inc., dba Heluna Health, to accept and expend grant funding in the amount of $173,095 for the First 5 LA Little by Little early literacy program, for the period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024, with the option to extend the agreement for an additional one-year period, at the discretion of the City Manager; and
Increase appropriations in the Health Fund Group in the Health and Human Services Department by $29,043 offset by grant revenue. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
In March 2011, Public Health Foundation Enterprise (PHFE) published the study “Literacy Promotion for Families Participating in the Women, Infants, and Children Program,” in The American Academy of Pediatrics Journal “Pediatrics Volume 127, Number 3,” and concluded that early intervention significantly enhanced literacy resources and activities at home, which in turn led to greater school readiness.
The Little by Little (LBL) Program is an evidence-based early literacy program for young children (ages 0-5) from families receiving services from the Federal Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. By providing free, high-quality books and parental support and instruction, the LBL program fosters early literacy skills, improves school readiness, and helps children prepare to succeed in school and in life. The program helps instill a love of reading and a “culture” of literacy in the homes of families who may not have access to books and early literacy resources. LBL is currently offered at ten WIC agencies in Los Angeles County, which includes the City of Long Beach (City) WIC Program.
The Health and Human Services Department (Health Department), Nutrition Services Division WIC Program successfully implemented the distribution of books a...
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