TOBACCO TAX TO BENEFIT KIDS AID TO YOUNGEST CHILDREN, FAMILIES IS GROUP'S AIM.

Byline: Krystn Shrieve  Staff Writer

VENTURA - Expanding day care, providing services for special-needs children and augmenting programs that are already helping youngsters were among the suggestions made Tuesday on how best to spend $11 million in tobacco tax money.

The Children and Families First Commission's draft plan for spending the county's $11 million from Proposition 10's 50-cents-a-pack cigarette tax drew support from a range of advocacy groups during its first public hearing at the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting.

``We want to identify gaps where Proposition 10 money might be more needed,'' said Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Charles Weis, a member of the commission. ``We don't want to fund programs that are already in place, but instead help augment or expand them.''

Groups such as the Simi Valley Boys & Girls Club, the Fine DaycareFood Program and Rainbow Connection all commended the plan, and said they were excited to work with the commission to improve all kinds of services for children up to 5 years old.

``It's very important to work with children from ages 0 to 5,'' said Geri Fineroff of the Fine Food Daycare Food Program. ``Those are the most formative years, when we can help them make the right choices for a healthy future. We hope to become part of this strategic plan and we hope funds can be used to encourage day care providers to join this program.''

The plan's three-prong mission is to make sure children are physically healthy; are emotionally, socially and academically ready for school; and live with families that can provide a good environment.

The commission outlined several ways this can be done through school readiness and parent education and health programs. And it's also hoping community groups will come up with additional proposals for how to best serve children in their own neighborhoods.

``We are right in the middle of our five-year plan,'' said Linda White of the Simi Valley Boys & Girls Club. ``We look forward to working with the commission in the future.''

The commission hopes to approve its strategic spending plan April 17. It will begin requesting proposals for programs from the community May 15. Final approval of proposals is expected to be completed Sept. 7 with new or expanded program services starting Sept. 11.

The types of programs the commission said it would like to support financially are those that promote ``family-friendly'' workplaces, give parents ways to improve their children's language skills and ensure that children don't go to school hungry. It is also interested in supporting educational television and improving the qualities of preschools, officials said.

``The money could be requested for more drinking fountains or more small toilets so a preschool can expand its services,'' Weis said.

The commission anticipates getting $11.7 million annually from the tobacco tax and has set up a strict budget that allows only 5 percent to be spent on administration while the rest goes toward programs that help children and families.

The commission also set up an endowment fund as a sort of a savings account. ``This is to offset an anticipated reduction of funding in the future as we hope people will smoke less,'' Weis said.

CIGARETTE TAX PROPOSALS

Ventura County expects to receive $11.7 million annually from the 50- cents-a-pack cigarette tax and is proposing to spend it on the following programs for children and families:

--Children's emotional, social and academic readiness for school - $6.475 million

--Children's physical and mental health - $1.619 million

--Families' environments that support the physical, mental, emotional and intellectual development of their children - $1.619 million

--A new Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Development - $1.079 million

--Community education projects - $265,000

--Administration - $643,500

CAPTION(S):

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Box: CIGARETTE TAX PROPOSALS (see text)