First 5 Awarding $17 Million In Grants On Heels Of Grand Jury Investigation

As officials from Riverside County's Children and Families Commission -- better known as First 5 -- announce that the agency is accepting applications from childcare providers who are interested in applying for grant monies, a Riverside County Grand Jury investigation into the agency has been made public.

The commission announced Monday that nonprofit and for-profit childcare providers throughout Riverside County could be eligible for a piece of $17 million in grants intended to fund initiatives that support early childhood education and health.

Applications to First 5 are being accepted from providers with a demonstrated ability to successfully implement programs that prepare children 5 years and younger for school, it was announced.

The grant funds come from Proposition 10 cigarette tax revenue.

Monday's announcement falls on the heels of a Riverside County Grand Jury report that was made public April 23 (see attached PDF or click here for the report). The document revealed an investigation into the county agency’s management practices and finds many alleged flaws. Among them, the report stated that during a financial audit the agency was found to be sitting on a $60 million reserve.

“Concerns were expressed over the excessive amount kept in the reserve and not being used to fund children’s programs,” the Grand Jury report stated. “Grand Jury interviews revealed that several fiscal administrators warned (First 5) management of the threat that the State of California would appropriate funds that were in reserves, some of which were tagged for future programs.”

The Grand Jury report also cited allegations of document tampering and mismanagement at the agency, as well as possible conflict of interest in awarding funds to local causes. Additionally, the report revealed that the agency has poor internal communication and has shown management bias and favoritism.

The report also stated that after interviews with First 5 staff and commissioners, “we found they were inconsistent in their understanding and application of the age requirement.”

According to the state, children are eligible to receive benefits under the First 5 program until they reach their 6th birthday.

But lack of understanding of the age requirement led to “confusion” at the county level as to when a child’s eligibility for the program ends or when it can be extended, the report found.

The Grand Jury report makes a number of recommendations to the agency to ensure it follows state law.

The agency has until July 17 to respond to the Grand Jury report.

In the meantime, applications and additional information for the current grants can be found on the First 5 website: http://www.rccfc.org/.

The agency will also hold informational seminars at the following times and locations:

• Thursday at 10 a.m., Palm Springs Unified School District Technology Room, 1000 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way;
• May 19 at 9 a.m., First 5 main office, 2002 Iowa Ave., Riverside.

Applicants need not attend the seminars to be considered. The deadline for submitting a grant request is June 11.