LETTER OF GRATITUDE
For so many, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought unimaginable challenges. Yet, despite the hardships, countless examples of strength, love, and creativity have emerged. We’ve been honored to follow the lead of parents, communities, and providers in building an equitable, and responsive system in support of child well-being.
It has been an historic year for us. We are full of gratitude for taxpayers and their decision to invest in the early childhood system through Alameda County’s Measure C and Oakland’s Measure AA. In addition to preparing to administer these valued public funds, we have also continued to build the early childhood system by investing in and scaling health and family navigation support to children under 5 who are enrolled in Medi-Cal. We evolved our Kindergarten Readiness Assessment approach to be fully in partnership with parents and educators and continued our place-based and parent/caregiver investments, including our commitment to honoring dads. Our hard work and strong administrative reputation, our close connections with families and the early childhood field, and our deep commitment to using our resources in service to equity, has positioned us to continue to increase investments in children, families, and providers, allowing us to serve over 30,000 people. This work makes a real difference in the lives of young children and their families and it’s an honor to take part in it.
Our annual report captures just the tip of the iceberg of the amazing work our agency has done over the past year and I hope that the stories bring to life our passion for the work.
To Be of Use,
Chief Executive Officer
AT A GLANCE
16,000
11,000
5,000
OUR
NORTH STAR
READ KRA STUDY >
EARLY CHILDHOOD SYSTEM OF CARE
An Early Childhood System of Care cultivates the community and family conditions that every child needs in order to be ready for kindergarten at age 5. Our approach to building this system is multifaceted and each of our strategies influences and reinforces each other. We work on multiple scales–the child and family, the community, and the policies. This requires a collaborative approach that not only provides service entry points for families, but also addresses health care access, education, employment, and the intentional dismantling of racist and classist policies that harm everyone. This is why we place Equity and Basic Needs at the center of our work.
OUR ROLE
OUR APPROACH
EXPLORE OUR IMPACT
LEARNING & CARE
– Kristin Spanos
The Health Heros program promotes health and safety by connecting student nurses to child care providers.
This innovative partnership between First 5, Samuel Merritt University’s (SMU) College of Nursing, BANANAS, 4C’S of Alameda County, and Hively administered seven cohorts of SMU student nurses with field assignments benefitting over 550 children in 22 FCCs and 20 centers.
First 5 is the named administrator of the Early Care and Education (ECE) components of two local ballot measures, Alameda County’s Measure C, and the City of Oakland’s Measure AA. To prepare for the most effective use of the public funds, First 5 has been researching, evaluating, and preparing. This includes:
The agency is positioned to effectively use these funds to build a cohesive and connected ECE system on behalf of families and providers.
First 5 recognizes that access to quality child care and quality community-based programming is inequitably distributed across our County.
First 5 supports quality improvement by working in collaboration with families, community partners, and providers to evolve the definition of what quality means and support providers to meet that definition. First 5 has prioritized supporting those caring for children who have been excluded from quality supports in the past. This year we expanded our Quality Counts program to work with 38 family child care providers.
FAMILY
NEIGHBORHOODS
Place-Based Investments Support Kindergarten Readiness
- Receiving support from the NRFS initiative was associated with higher kindergarten readiness overall.
- NRFS families reported using more community resources than other families.
Families with middle and lower incomes who live in neighborhoods where there has been significant place-based investment, including First 5's NRFS grants, report a greater number of community assets than families with similar incomes in other neighborhoods.
HEALTH & WELL-BEING
Help Me Grow is First 5’s Early Identification, Screening, and Care Coordination (EISCC) strategy that ensures children have the resources they need for healthy development.
In an effort to scale this successful model, First 5 has partnered with Alameda Alliance for Health, receiving a $1.4M award to reach all children under 5 who are enrolled in Medi-Cal, drawing down federal and state funds to support screenings and other supports for young children and their families.
First 5 is increasing our focus and investment in strategies to address disparate health and well-being outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) babies and their mothers.
- In partnership with Alameda Health System, we're sustaining and expanding DULCE, a program that provides family navigation and legal support to families who have recently had a baby, many of whom are families navigating the immigration and public benefits systems.
- First 5’s Director of Programs, Carla Keener, participated in two statewide tables (California Preterm Birth Initiative Steering Committee and First 5 Home Visiting Think Tank) to inform birth justice work, including the publication of "The Road to Black Birth Justice"
FISCAL SUMMARY
THANK YOU TO OUR STAFF & PARTNERS
- The tireless First 5 staff, who have shown immense flexibility and adaptability, all while keeping the health and well-being of young children and their families at the center of their work.
- Our community partners and providers who’s trusted presence in the community have helped us reach those that need our services the most.
- The First 5 Commissioners, whose unwavering leadership has helped us navigate these uncertain times.
- The public systems leaders, government staff, and advocates who are working to ensure that underfunded systems support children and families, and mitigate inequities.
- And most of all, to the families with young children who are demonstrating perseverance, creativity, love, and commitment to raise the next generation during these turbulent times.
FIRST 5 ALAMEDA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
- Renee Sutton Herzfeld, CHAIR
Executive Director, Community Child Care Council (4Cs) of Alameda County - Dave Brown
Alameda County Board of Supervisors for District 3 - Cecilia Oregón, VICE CHAIR
Executive Director, Kaiser Permanente’s Institute for Health Policy - Scott Coffin
CEO, Alameda Alliance for Health - Tomás A. Magaña, M.D., M.A., F.A.A.P.
Founder & Director of FACES for the Future, Lead Physician in the Dept. of School-Based Health Centers, La Clínica de La Raza - Karina Moreno
Executive Director, Mimi and Peter Haas Fund - Kimi Watkins-Tartt (Alternate Aneeka Chaudhry)
Director, Alameda County Public Health Department