About Us
We envision an Orange County in which all children reach their full potential. The groundwork for this vision is set during a child’s earliest years. First 5 Orange County partners with many organizations working towards creating and maintaining an early childhood system that families experience as a seamless network of care.
Building a Strong Foundation
Each child is unique, and every child’s full potential will look different. We know from years of research that a child’s experiences during their early years establish a foundation that, if strong, sets children up to achieve more in school and life, be physically healthier and more emotionally resilient, and participate more in society.
At First 5 Orange County, we recognize the strengths that families bring to each child’s foundation, and aim to build bridges so children of every culture, color, and condition can thrive without barriers. In partnership with health, social service, family support, and education agencies in Orange County, we provide programs and initiatives that build up children and encourage whole family engagement and health.
Our Core Values
Here at First 5 Orange County, we use our core values to continuously guide our interactions, operations, and decisions.
Respect
We recognize and value the inherent worth of all coworkers, partners, and community members and treat everyone with the same level of appreciation, kindness, understanding, and helpfulness.
Teamwork
Through collaboration, dedication, and effective communication, we work together to fulfill our mission to serve the children and families of Orange County to the best of our collective ability.
Accountability
Through reliability, personal and organizational responsibility, and honesty, we honor commitments to teammates, partners, and the community.
Our History
First 5 Orange County was created as a result of Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Act of 1998, which added a 50-cent sales tax on tobacco products sold in California. Prop 10 required that funds raised be used to support education, health and child development programs for children from the prenatal stage through age 5.
Since our inception more than 20 years ago, First 5 Orange County has become a leading convener and collaborator, as well as a valued capacity builder and funder of best practices with an emphasis on elevating equity. In these roles, we offer the community deep expertise on the importance of early childhood in human development and the conditions that children and families need to thrive.
We cultivate strong relationships with our community partners and support innovative, research-based services that have been shown to improve outcomes. We engage directly with families and neighborhoods to offer them the information and tools they need to become advocates for their young children.
Finally, we promote a “system-level perspective” that recognizes the importance of seamless cross-agency coordination to improve the family experience and child outcome.
Our Equity Commitment
First 5 Orange County is committed to promoting equity and ensuring that all children in our community have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential and thrive. To First 5 OC, equity means that every child deserves the support and resources they need to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstance.
Equity differs from equality. Equality means providing the same level of opportunity and assistance to all. Equity means providing different levels of support and assistance depending on specific needs or abilities.
First 5 Orange County’s Ongoing Commitment to Equity
Introduction
First 5 Orange County is committed to promoting equity and ensuring that all children in our community have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential and thrive. To First 5 OC, equity means that every child deserves the support and resources they need to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstance. Equity differs from equality. Equality means providing the same level of opportunity and assistance to all. Equity means providing different levels of support and assistance depending on specific needs or abilities.
EQUALITY: Everyone gets the same – regardless if it’s needed or right for them.
EQUITY: Everyone gets what they need – understanding the barriers, circumstances and conditions.
To achieve this, we are committed to engaging with parents and families to ensure their voices are heard and their perspectives are included in our decision-making processes. We believe that parents and families are the experts on their own children and are essential partners in promoting the healthy development of our community’s children. We will continue to partner with and support service providers and other early childhood system partners as they are fundamental in providing services and supports directly to families.
First 5 Orange County is uniquely positioned to support equity in our many roles including as a partner, funder, convener, service provider and policy advocate. We call on our partners, stakeholders, and community members to join us in this commitment to promoting equity and ensuring that all children have the opportunities they need to succeed. Together, we can create a bright future for the children in Orange County.
Grounding Values
Partnering with Communities
We believe that in order to responsibly support families and children, organizations and institutions need to listen to and partner with families in meaningful ways to create systems that work for them and their children.
Fostering Diversity and Belonging
We believe that Orange County is a better place because of the vast diversity in race, ethnicity, culture, faith, ability and life experiences of its residents. We believe that children and families deserve to feel a strong sense of belonging to their community, however they choose to define it.
Promoting Equity
We are committed to ensuring that every child has an equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of their race, zip code, income level, ability, or any other personal characteristic. We believe that every child deserves the support and resources they need to reach their full potential and thrive, and we will work to eliminate any barriers that may prevent them from doing so.
Using Data
We are also committed to using data, such as our Early Development Index data, to inform our work and identify areas where disparities and inequities exist. This data allows us to understand the specific challenges and needs of our community and work with families to develop targeted strategies and interventions to address them.
Equity in Action
Since our inception more than 20 years ago, First 5 Orange County has become a leading convener and collaborator, as well as a valued capacity builder and funder of best practices with an emphasis on elevating equity. In these roles, we offer the community deep expertise on the importance of early childhood in human development and the conditions that children and families need to thrive. Here are some examples in how First 5 Orange County’s work has shifted with our focus on equity:
We invest our resources differently, shifting our focus from providing general support to all families to targeting our investments and resources towards addressing specific disparities and inequities in our community.
We lift up and listen to families through focus groups, surveys, check-ins and more. These conversations help us understand the needs and challenges faced by families in our community, and to develop targeted interventions.
We use data and metrics, such as the Early Development Index, to more effectively compare and evaluate the outcomes of our interventions across different racial and ethnic groups.
We champion parent experience through the work with Family Ambassadors which empowers parents and families to share their experiences and perspectives with our organization.
We work with Engaged Neighborhoods and other community partners to develop and implement strategies that promote equity and support the healthy development of all children in our community.
We shift our language away from talking about children and families as vulnerable and at risk, and are working to address systemic barriers that get in the way of children and families’ wellbeing.
Accountability
We understand that having an Equity Commitment is not enough; we also need to measure our progress and hold ourselves accountable. In order to do this, First 5 Orange County is committed to creating and consistently updating a living, organizational Accountability Plan that lives in concert with this Equity Commitment. We commit to:
1. Continuing to partner with parents and families to ensure that their voices are heard and included in our decision-making processes. This is done through a relationship centered approach so staff can fully partner with parents and the community.
2. Using data to inform our work and identify disparities and inequities.
3. Developing targeted strategies and interventions to address identified disparities and inequities.
4. Continuing to learn and grow as an organization, staying up to date on best practices and emerging research in the field of early childhood development and equity.