Below is a link to First 5 Orange County’s Annual Report, in which we share our collective achievements from the past fiscal year.
2021-22 was a year of growth. I am proud of how First 5 Orange County has embraced centering families in everything we do. From our board members who set the tone and direction to our staff and consultants who are implementing equity in our agency goals and daily work, we are all in!
Over this year, we developed infrastructure to support and sustain our family engagement work, strengthened the Engaged Neighborhoods, and brought on six family ambassadors. We are integrating their voice into our work on multiple fronts, from how to increase health equity, to their experience with well-child visits, to their needs related to child care, and more.
I am also thrilled with the forward momentum of three collaboratives working towards positive change in the systems that care for children and families. Detect & Connect OC works to increase developmental screens in health care settings, and linkage to needed services. In 2021-22, Detect & Connect OC launched a communications campaign to parents about well-child visits and developmental screens, with a focus on safety during the pandemic. The collaborative also developed messaging and distributed outreach tools to walk-in clinics and pediatric practices.
This year we also supported the launch of the Orange County Home Visiting Collaborative and the Child Care Cross-Sector Task Force. The Home Visiting Collaborative developed a bold vision to create an integrated prenatal to three system of care, prioritizing families that will benefit most from early interventions. The Child Care Cross-Sector Task Force includes parents, employers, city representatives, child care providers, legislators, and philanthropists who are developing local solutions to the child care crisis.
As we continue to create measurable and positive change that supports the youngest members of our community, and the generations that come after, we know that our work is far from done. I hope as you learn more about our neighborhood and family engagement efforts, systems collaboration, and our groundbreaking child care work, that you will join us in building a better Orange County.
Click here to read the annual report.
Sincerely,
Kim Goll
President/CEO