Month: May 2022

Health & Nutrition

Information for Families During the Infant Formula Shortage

May 28, 2022

Families across the nation are feeling the impact of the infant formula shortage. The purpose of this site is to provide the latest information about the shortage and connect California families in need of formula to helpful resources. 

Parents and caregivers who have a hard time finding formula should:

  • Call their healthcare provider to see if they have in-office samples or can suggest a similar formula.
  • NOT dilute formula, NOT make homemade formula, and NOT provide toddler formula.
  • Reach out to their local WIC office if they are current WIC participants or are eligible for WIC.
  • Try another brand of formula, if available. Babies usually tolerate alternative products except in the case of special therapeutic formula. For babies on therapeutic formula, consult with a healthcare provider first to get help or to discuss alternatives.

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How can I support families impacted by the shortage?

Successful support and communications around the infant formula shortages should affirm parent’s concern about formula shortages and necessitate an approach that is individualized, respectful, and sensitive to the needs of both non-breastfeeding and partially breastfeeding families.

Parent Support & Resources

A Call for Change

May 26, 2022

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County is deeply saddened as we grieve with the families in Uvalde, who are experiencing pain no one should have to bear. School should be a place of safety, not a place where parents worry about what might happen after they drop off their children every morning.

Shootings in schools have occurred in increasing frequency—already 27 to date this year in the United States. Yet no significant changes have been made to address mass gun violence in America. Neutrality cannot exist when children and their families are denied their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as the result of perversion of the 2nd Amendment.

We urge those with the opportunity to take a stand against gun violence in our communities as we all cope with this devastating tragedy. 

Here are some resources to help support important conversations with children during times of school tragedies: 

Talking to Children About Tragedies (American Academy of Pediatrics) 

Helping Kids After a Shooting (American School Counselor Association) 

How to Talk to Kids About School Shootings (Common Sense Media) 

Helping Children Cope with Frightening News (Child Mind Institute) 

Helping Children Cope with Terrorism – Tips for Families and Educators (National Association of School Psychologists) 

Talking to Children about the Shooting National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Health Care Toolbox website for pediatric health providers working with injured children

Supporting Families: Young Children and Gun Violence – Zero to Three

Health & Nutrition

What to Know About the Infant Formula Shortage

May 20, 2022

The recent recall of certain 2022 Abbott powdered formulas, along with the impacts of the ongoing pandemic, has led to periodic shortages of major brands of infant formula. The infant formula supply chain problems have affected all consumers, including California families receiving formula through the Women Infants and Child (WIC) program. 

The Community Care Licensing Division, Child Care Program would like to expand awareness regarding the shortage and provide the following resources to help safely navigate the situation. Please visit the following links from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites and share this information with other providers, families, and with anyone you think may benefit from this information: 

Parents or caregivers, who are having difficulty obtaining infant formula for their child at home, should reach out to their child’s pediatrician about safe and appropriate feeding alternatives. 

To learn more about what measures are being taken to address the shortage please visit: 

For any additional inquiries about this email please refer to your local regional office.