It was parent testimonial night in Oxnard.

Parents, mostly Spanish-speaking and poor, stood one by one and told stories of small miracles in their young children's lives. All brought about by a cigarette-tax funded program called Neighborhoods for Learning.

"When I was little, entering school, there was very little help for me and my family," said Jorge Garcia, the father of a 4-year-old son with a hearing problem. "I don't have the words to describe the impact this program has had on my family."

Garcia told how his son's hearing problem was left virtually untreated because the family had no insurance. Then came help from workers at a Neighborhood for Learning in Oxnard. Suddenly, barriers came down. There were referrals to doctors, parenting lessons, school readiness classes for his young son.

Now his son is ready for kindergarten and equipped with a hearing aid.

Similar stories are being told throughout the state, as communities launch early childhood programs aimed at both parents and children under 5. Each is funded by cigarette taxes through Proposition 10, passed by voters in 1998 under the promise that the money would go toward enriching the first five years of life so children would be ready and able to start kindergarten.

These efforts -- and many more -- are possible because California voters in 1998 narrowly passed Proposition 10, an initiative spearheaded by former state Assemblyman Mike Roos of Los Angeles and actor-director Rob Reiner. A 50-cent tax on each pack of cigarettes funds efforts to benefit children younger than 5 and smoking-cessation programs.

The initiative, the California Children and Families First Act, established a nine-member California Children and Families First Commission, and Reiner was appointed its chairman. Similar panels in the state's 58 counties were formed.

The state commission gets 20 percent of funds collected, and county commissions divide the rest based on live births. In 2001-02, the tax provided $630 million.

Within guidelines, county commissions have freedom to decide how to spend their money.

In Shasta County, for example, 23 projects have received funds. The county receives about $1.8 million annually.

Ventura County's yearly allocation of about $10 million is used for three major initiatives, said Jamie Cook-Tate, community outreach and education manager for First 5 Ventura. The Neighborhoods for Learning project gets $8 million, and the rest goes to health and family-strengthening efforts. There are Neighborhoods for Learning in 11 communities within Ventura County, each tailored to the needs of the community.

For instance, in Thousand Oaks, the program targets teenage mothers. In Oxnard, the program provides the bulk of its services for Spanish-speaking poor parents.

Jane Henderson, executive director of the state commission, said California is not alone in having innovative programs for young children, but it stands apart in some ways.

Within its school-readiness framework, the state panel is targeting universal preschool, health, parent/community education and tobacco-cessation programs.

Henderson said the commission's work is guided by what science and research tell us about children's brain development.

"Our vision is that we maximize child development and health so each and every child can achieve to full potential," she said. "If kids start out behind, it's difficult to close that gap. We're trying to start them out on equal footing."

The state commission was asked by the Legislature to make recommendations regarding school readiness for the state's 15-year master education plan. Universal preschool is part of that recommendation, which Henderson said should be part of the public education system.

"With what we know about brain development, we should not be ignoring the early years," she said.

-- Betty Lease is a reporter for the Record Searchlight in Redding. Contact her at (530) 225-8225 or blease@redding.com. Tamara Koehler is a reporter for the Ventura County Star. Contact her at 655-5857 or tkoehler@insidevc.com.