Annual Report
FY 2023-2024
Helping all children reach their full potential.
Message from Kim
Message from KimAt First 5 Orange County, we are continually imagining new ways to meet the evolving needs of young children and families. In FY 2023-2024, our programs served 44,679 children ages 0 to 5, and 52,913 parents and caregivers. I am incredibly proud of this impact, and there is so much more to be done.
Three things I am especially proud of this year are our work to increase quality child care, expand HealthySteps clinics, and ensure young families can access Medi-Cal benefits like Community Health Workers.
We saw incredible growth in our Child Care Business Incubator program which trains and assists future providers with how to run quality childcare in their homes. From the first class of 12 participants, the program grew to 28 in the second class, 45 in the third, and the most current class has 48 participants. Of the 85 graduates who completed the eight-week Incubator Program, 39 have successfully applied for, and 26 have received, their child care license and enrolled in QualityStart OC, serving more than 100 infants and toddlers and creating more than 200 spaces for children age five and younger.
The HealthySteps model supports families to ensure their children receive well-child visits, developmental screening, and behavioral health support for both parents and children. After facilitating the implementation of HealthySteps in five clinics last year, we are expanding to 10 additional clinic sites in Orange County. The five initial HealthySteps sites serve about 7,000 young children and their families, with an additional 8,000 children expected to be served through the new sites. In fiscal year 2023-24, we were awarded funds from the CalOptima Health board to support this expansion, which helps to offset First 5 OC’s costs as we absorb upfront expenses until the clinics can fully implement a strong and sustainable HealthySteps program.
Community Health Workers (CHWs) perform a variety of activities to help people access health and social services and improve their health and well-being. Because Orange County has a gap in services for about 10,0000 pregnant and post-birth families, we also spent a significant amount of time this year educating ourselves about the Medi-Cal CHW benefit and how to maximize its use for families. Since this is a new benefit, we supported five individuals to become certified as Community Health Workers. They are now working in our prenatal program and one Engaged Neighborhood to support families. They are also helping us to pilot billing Medi-Cal for these services which will support long-term sustainability and help to close that 10,000-family gap. Additionally, CalOptima Health awarded First 5 OC $100,000 to participate in their CHW Learning Academy, which will provide an in-depth understanding of the organizational and technological capacity needed to effectively support CHW services.
Given the ongoing budget challenges because of the reduced funding from tobacco taxes, we continue to carefully consider how to best maximize the dollars we have, while also searching for other sources of funding. It is vital that we continuously execute well on the existing systems of care for young children and families in Orange County, and to improve on systems as opportunity or need present themselves, in order to expand our reach and impact now and into the future. To that end, I am pleased to report that during this fiscal year, First 5 OC sought and secured funds from several non-tobacco-tax sources, including $1.87 million from CalOptima Health for the HealthySteps expansion described above; $2.96 million from University of California, Irvine to implement the Black P.E.A.R.L. model; $1.8 million from OC Health Care Agency for Black Infant Health; and $8 million from OC Social Services Agency for CalWORKs Home Visitation services – which allowed us to bring on four new home visiting providers to serve a greater diversity of families in our county.
This year, we greatly increased our in-person outreach, as well as our social media presence, to reach families with young children where they are. We participated in 29 community events to share Kid Builders – a free resource for families to support children’s growth and development at every stage from birth to kindergarten, reaching more than 5,700 children and families.
And always, families remain at the center of all we do. We listen to and elevate their voice, which is woven throughout our Strategic Plan and our programs. We’ve doubled the number of Family Ambassadors participating in our work, brought on dedicated staff to deepen the relationships with communities, families, and system partners, and are exploring ways to further enrich our Early Development Index data with children and family experiences.
I will sum up this eventful year by saying we tried many new things, learned much and seized every opportunity to champion and meet the needs of our youngest residents. I am grateful to our Board for their leadership and support along the way, to all the providers and partners who helped to meet families’ needs, and to staff for their unwavering commitment to the work.
Sincerely,
Kim Goll
President/CEO
We give a heartfelt thank you to all the partners who helped to deliver these services!
CREATING CONDITIONS FOR CHILDREN TO THRIVE
Since our inception, First 5 Orange County has invested in programs and projects to improve the systems that care for young children and their families. We are working to create the conditions that are essential for children to thrive in their homes and communities, and to flourish when they enter school and beyond.
Our Strategic Plan includes four focus areas:
- Early and ongoing health and development
- A safe, stable, and nurturing home
- Neighborhoods that support young children and families
- Equitable distribution of resources
Here are highlights of our work during Fiscal Year 2023-2024.
1. Early and Ongoing Health and Development
In Fiscal Year 2023-2024, First 5 OC continued to work closely with providers, partners, and funders to increase well-child visits, conduct developmental screenings for young children, and link families to services.
Expanded HealthySteps
This year, we continued to support the implementation of HealthySteps at five Orange County clinics. HealthySteps is a program designed to ensure children in low-income communities have timely well-child visits, developmental screenings, and are linked quickly with developmental services as needed.
All of the HealthySteps clinics saw an increase in the number of developmental screenings performed, as well as screenings for autism, maternal depression, social determinants of health, and social-emotional development.
12,021 children
ages 0-3 served
9,526 well-child visits
for children ages 0-3
4,713 children ages 0-3
with at least one developmental screening
1,085 children ages 0-3
with at least one autism screening
2,626 children
whose mothers had a maternal depression screening
3,436 children/families
screened for Adverse Childhood Experiences and Related Life Events
Coming Soon!
We are thrilled to report that, given the success of HealthySteps at these five clinics, we sought and secured a $1.88 million grant from CalOptima Health in March 2024 that will allow us to expand to 10 additional clinics in FY 2024-25.
HealthySteps works within a dyadic care model, which takes into account that young children do not live alone, but in a family. Dyadic care allows providers to care for a child in the context of their caregivers and family so that families are screened for mental health, interpersonal safety, social determinants of health such as food and housing insecurity, and additional family needs with real-time mental health treatment and connection to services for the strongest start possible.
Detect & Connect OC
First 5 OC is a founding partner and funds the facilitation of Detect & Connect OC, a cross sector group that works to increase well-child visits, developmental screenings and early identification of developmental delays, and connection to interventions.
In 2023-2024, we worked together to create a four-part parent-facing campaign to share coordinated messaging with parents and caregivers about the importance of well-child visits and finding a doctor that meets a family’s needs. We also developed navigation resources for speech and language that providers can use to direct families.
Separately, First 5 OC began work on a parent facing speech-focused video campaign to demonstrate early speech milestones and related activities that parents can do at home with their young children.
21 active organizations
at Detect & Connect OC
3 working groups
(systems of care, shared messaging, and data)
Detect & Connect OC Work Groups
System of Care: The System of Care Work Group recently developed and executed strategies to improve families’ connection to and navigation of speech and language services. The Work Group is now looking at autism services and identifying strategies to strengthen systems that connect families with autism screening, diagnosis, and services, with a focus on children with Medi-Cal insurance.
Shared Messaging Work Group: One of the key learnings from Detect & Connect parent focus groups was that parents are eager to be their child’s advocate and first teacher, and that they would like information to help them do so. The Shared Messaging Work Group focuses on developing campaigns and materials to share with the parent/caregiver audience related to well visits, developmental screening, and connection to resources.
Data Work Group: The Data Work Group is developing a dashboard to capture key metrics related to Detect & Connect’s shared vision, as well as a plan for where the dashboard is shared, and how/how often it gets updated.
Kid Builders
This free resource continues to be among the most popular pages on our website, with 11,030 website visits last fiscal year. We attended 29 community events across Orange County to share Kid Builders and get this free, fun, and age-specific developmental resource into the hands of everyone who interacts with young children. The events had about 5,700 participants, including 4,300 parents or caregivers, 1,260 children under age six, and 82 childhood providers/professionals.
We also launched a 12-week ad on the sides of Orange County Transportation Agency buses as well as a 15-second ad on Grocery TV, which played at grocery store check-out stands across Orange County.
29 community events
519 Kid Builders content
shares on social media
5,700 event participants
11,030 visits
to the Kid Builders web page
Kid Builder Events in 2023-24
2. A Safe, Stable, and Nurturing Home
Children need a nurturing environment to build resiliency and positive experiences. Well-equipped parents and caregivers provide foundational relationships and emotional stability to growing children.
Home visiting
Home visiting pairs pregnant people and new parents with trained professionals who provide guidance, coaching and connection to health and social services. First 5 OC invests in Orange County’s home visiting system by funding providers to conduct home visits, expanding training opportunities for the workforce, and developing a coordinated entry system to expand access for families and match them to the program best suited to their need.
First 5 OC continues our support for the Home Visiting Collaborative to build a countywide system that ensures Orange County’s expectant and parenting families have easy and equitable access to culturally responsive, integrated supports.
Organizations that were actively engaged in the Home Visiting Collaborative in 2023-24 include:
- First 5 Orange County
- CalOptima Health
- Children’ Bureau
- Help Me Grow Orange County
- Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies
- MOMS Orange County
- Orange County Health Care Agency
- Orange County Social Services Agency
- OC Head Start
- Rancho Santiago Community College District
- Start Well
- The Priority Center
partner agencies actively engaged in the Home Visiting Collaborative
home visiting models: Parents as Teachers, Healthy Families America, and Nurse Family Partnership
Through First 5 OC and CalWORKs funding:
6,211 home visits
to pregnant people and new parents to help their children thrive
Over 450 cases
currently open and active
4 new partners
onboarded to begin services in July 2024
Community Health Workers
As trusted community members with lived experience, Community Health Workers (CHW) have a long history of connecting those not well served by the traditional health care system with culturally competent health and social services. Currently in Orange County, there is a gap in services for about 10,000 pregnant and post-birth families. First 5 OC’s goal is to improve health outcomes for these families by efficiently linking them to CHW services to increase access to care, reduce health disparities, reduce social determinants of health, and effectively navigate social service systems.
In 2023-24, we sponsored five people from MOMS OC, Padres Unidos, and Help Me Grow to participate in a CHW certification program at Orange Coast College. These individuals, who are part of our prenatal to three network, will participate in a CHW pilot program prioritizing early engagement with prenatal families.
We also were selected by CalOptima Health to receive $100,000 for one year to join a CHW Learning Academy, which began in June. This funding will allow First 5 OC to gain an in-depth understanding of the organizational and technology capacity needed to effectively support these CHW services – leading to greater long-term sustainability to helping to close the gap in services for prenatal/post-birth families.
CHW Certificate graduates with First 5 OC Board member and staff
5 Graduates
Community Health Workers
$100,000 secured
to participate in CHW Learning Academy
OC Fatherhood Coalition
The OC Fatherhood Coalition’s mission to increase fatherhood engagement in the most underserved populations to improve outcomes for children and families, improve engagement in programs that support families, and impact future generations.
Over the past year, the group created an OC Fatherhood webpage and a resource guide, conducted events and trainings around father-friendly practices, and worked on development of an inaugural OC Father Fest. The Coalition meets six times per year. Through this work, we are elevating the importance of father engagement across both First 5 OC and partner programming. In addition, one of First 5 OC’s staff members completed the Boot Camp for New Dads trainer program and trained Padres Unidos staff to facilitate the curriculum.
26
active partners
3 father-focused events
with over 100 participants
Family Wellness Plans
First 5 Orange County co-leads the Family Support Task Force, a cross systems partnership which is working to implement Family Wellness Plans (also known as Plans of Safe Care) in Orange County, under the umbrella of the Orange County Family Wellness Initiative. The Initiative has four areas of focus:
- improving outcomes for infants and families affected by prenatal substance exposure,
- supporting the recovery of pregnant and parenting individuals and their families,
- developing policies and protocols that support intervention during the prenatal period, and
- reducing the number of infants removed from their families as a result of parental substance use.
The Task Force has launched six workgroups, which have accomplished the following in the last year:
Created a Family Wellness Plan Template
Designed a Draft Family Wellness Plan Pathway
Designed a Draft Notification Portal
Created a Draft Data Dashboard
Developed a Draft Newborn Risk Assessment Tool
Defined “Family-Centered Care” for Orange County
First 5 Orange County co-leads the Family Support Task Force, a cross systems partnership which is working to implement Family Wellness Plans (also known as Plans of Safe Care) in Orange County, under the umbrella of the Orange County Family Wellness Initiative. The Initiative Besides co-leading the Family Support Task Force, First 5 OC has representatives on all the workgroups. In addition, we are assuring that implementation of Family Wellness Plans is integrated into the work of our hospital screening, OC Prenatal Connect, HealthySteps and Home Visiting programs in order to maximize the success of all programs in improving the lives of families in Orange County.
3. Neighborhoods that Support Young Children and Families
Outside of the home, neighborhoods also influence the growth and development of our children — including access to early learning, resources, and healthy food. We want every neighborhood to have the infrastructure needed to support children as they grow and learn.
New Child Care Businesses
In partnership with Orange County Community Foundation’s Workforce Development Initiative, we support a child care business program with the Small Business Development Center, CIELO (Community for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Opportunities), Orange County Association for the Education of Young Children (OCAEYC), and other partners.
A total of 85 future child care providers graduated from this program during 2023-2024. They completed the 8-week session, met with a business consultant and OCAEYC peer guide, learned business basics, early child development, and how to operate a child care program. Participants create a business plan before graduation. Of the 85 participants, 39 have applied successfully for a child care business license and 26 have received their license, enrolled in QualityStart OC and are providing quality child care to 208 children ages 0-5.
85 future child care providers
39 business license applicants
208 new child care slots
opened for ages 0-5
104 new infant and toddler
child care slots have opened
Also this year, we worked with Rancho Santiago Community College to create an apprenticeship model that launched in February of 2024, with 50 apprentices who will be paid to work in child care centers in the community college district while attending the apprenticeship/school for free.
Why is increasing child care so important?
- There is a severe shortage of infant and toddler care in Orange County with 21 infants/toddlers for every licensed child care space.
- Child Care is costly, averaging $15,650 a year for one child – compared with the average household income of $94,441.
- Over 40% of Orange County parents who completed our survey reported that the price and inaccessibility of child care has prevented them from working at some point.
Family Ambassadors
This year we more than doubled our Family Ambassadors. Thirteen Family Ambassadors meet every other month as well as participate in workgroups such as the Equity Commitment workgroup, the OC Fatherhood Coalition, and the Civic Empowerment workgroup. They also support First 5 OC with emergent activities including supporting the interview process of new hires or reviewing applications for funding. Family Ambassadors provide their insight into First 5 OC projects and plans, bringing their diverse lenses and parent voices into our work. They are compensated for their active engagement, including reimbursement for child care when needed.
This year, Family Ambassadors:
- served on 7 workgroups
- spoke as family representatives at 4 community events
- brought their voice as parents of young children to community forums, Board meetings, and community events
- provided insight on First 5 OC programming
13 Family Ambassadors
Engaged Neighborhoods
Our four Engaged Neighborhoods – groups of parents and community organizations that are focused on early childhood – continue to connect and empower families. This year, each Engaged Neighborhood created an Impact Plan to document their dreams for the next three years of partnership with first 5 OC.
Here are some of the ways these collaboratives found success this year.
Anaheim Learn Well
- 25 families engaged through a Resident Leadership Academy
- 5 nonprofits supporting children in Anaheim, hosting Early Development Index data presentations and discussions
- More than 250 families attending meetings, classes or events focused on early childhood education
- $50,000 of First 5 OC funds leverage to increase support for partner agencies
The Collaborative is looking to bring together parents across the three past Resident Leadership Academies to strengthen social networks and build the group of resident leaders supporting early childhood. The Early Development Index will continue to be a data source to drive events and activities.
Growing Up Garden Grove
- 13 family workshops and activities held
- A family excursion with 10 families to Irvine Regional Park
- 11 new partner organizations participating in the Grow Up Garden Grove Task Force meetings
With the Boys and Girls Club of Garden Grove as a new partner, the Collaborative plans to expand its reach – including City of Stanton in the task force as well as growing family participation in workshops and early childhood activities. Additionally, the Collaborative intends to develop a process to efficiently stipend parent leaders.
Santa Ana Early Learning Initiative (SAELI)
- 1,300+ families engaged
- 5 additional partner organizations supporting SAELI
- Ongoing trainings with parent leaders through the Neighborhood Leadership Teams to build resident leader capacity to address early childhood
- Nearly $100,000 funds raised in addition to First 5 OC funding
- Empowered family members advocating for their community through the Parent Leader Network and Community Organizing and Family Issues workshops
Parents join advocacy efforts focused on what is important to them such as early childhood education, safe parks and open spaces and housing, and continue to participate in early childhood development educational opportunities.
La Habra Little Learners
- Nearly 20 presentations in the City and with partner agencies to engage support for Early Childhood in La Habra
- Nearly 20 outreach events to engage La Habra families
- 2 city elected officials added to the La Habra Little Learners Collaborative
- Weekly Readiness on the Road events throughout the school year to support children and families through activities, movement, and presentations from community partners
- Integration of Kid Builder activities into weekly Readiness on the Road events
- Addition of weekly Physical Fun Fridays at Oeste Park, a La Habra location selected based on Early Development Index data
- Over $70,000 of First 5 funds leveraged to increase support from partner agencies
La Habra Little Learners continues to grow and expand its early childhood focus via six neighborhoods (Montwood Park, El Centro Park, Portola Park, Guadalupe Park, Descanso Park, Oeste Park, and La Bonita Park). They are expanding activities and events to support these areas and to include parent leaders in the La Habra Little Learners Collaborative.
4. Equitable Distribution of Resources
Improving equity is the most important way First 5 Orange County can realize our vision that all children reach their full potential. 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. In practice, this means we listen to families, shift our language, and invest our resources based on what families tell us.
Equity Commitment
This year, we updated our Equity Commitment and are implementing an accountability plan for that commitment.
Early Development Index
We are creating an interactive map and updated webpage for the Early Development Index for easier access to this important information that shows the readiness of Orange County’s young children when they enter kindergarten. By understanding whether children are on track, not on track, or at risk for not being on track, we can tailor programs and investments and work with our partners to best support children and their families.
Building Champions for Young Children
First 5 OC’s Partnerships and Government Affairs team works to develop strategic relationships and advocate for impactful state and local policy, as well as share early childhood data. In 2023-2024, we supported early childhood legislation, identified funding opportunities, and partnered with many community organizations to grow Orange County champions for early childhood.
3 California bills supported
CalWORKs Home Visiting Program (Senate Bill 1396)
Access and quality for infant and toddler child care (Assembly Bill 2476)
First 5 Association Bill (Assembly Bill 2982)
Also advocated in the state budget for continuous Medi-Cal coverage for children ages birth to five
2 Orange County child care visits
with the California Surgeon General
10 meetings
with Orange County Board of Supervisors
Recognized by the Board of Supervisors for First 5 OC’s 25th anniversary
Public comments at 25 school district board meetings
Children and families served in FY 2023-2024
11,035
Children receiving preventative, restorative or emergency dental treatment
12,783
Children receive health or developmental screenings
2,295
Children’s records entered in OC Children’s Screening Registry
22,174
Number of well or sick visits at HealthySteps clinics
8,692
Mothers receive breastfeeding support and health education
26,992
Shelter bed nights for children ages 0-5
6,211
Number of home visits provided to families
8,524
New mothers receive hospital bedside screening
5,700
Children and families reached at community outreach events
2023-2024 Investment in Services for Children and Families
| Budget Item | Program | Catalytic |
| Bridges: Maternal Child Health Network | $4,502,961 | |
| CalWORKS Home Visitation Program | $1,814,148 | |
| First 5 CA Home Visiting Coordination | $803,561 | |
| Early Relational and Mental Health Systems | $466,745 | |
| Autism and Pediatric Support | $711,749 | $300,770 |
| Prenatal-to-Three Program Support | $753,537 | |
| Prenatal-to-Three Sub-total | $9,052,701 | $300,770 |
| School District Partnerships | $6,254,160 | |
| Childcare Quality Improvement: First 5 CA IMPACT | $1,227,118 | |
| Early Literacy and Math Programs | $35,306 | |
| School Readiness Initiative Program Support | $626,861 | |
| School Readiness Initiative Sub-total | $8,143,445 | – |
| Homeless Prevention Operational and Systems Support | $595,773 | $68,293 |
| Homeless Prevention Sub-total | $595,773 | $68,293 |
| Children’s Dental Education, Outreach, Prevention and Treatment | – | $839,936 |
| Children’s Dental Sub-total | – | $839,936 |
| Systems Building | $280,852 | |
| Engaged Neighborhoods | $415,117 | |
| Systems Building Support | $801,430 | |
| Capacity Building Sub-total | $1,497,399 | – |
| TOTAL | $19,289,318 | $1,208,999 |
Note: Catalytic expenditures are one-time funding actions designed to reduce ongoing demand on First 5 Orange County’s budget, while making system-wide impacts on services for young children.
First 5 OC’S financial outlook
First 5 Orange County is funded through a 50-cent sales tax on tobacco products. Given the trend of people smoking less, we anticipate and have prepared for a decline in revenue over time. We keep an updated Long-Term Financial Plan that provides:
- A 10-year outlook of anticipated revenue
- A forecast of funding capacity to address any potential issues or opportunities
- A framework for evaluating annual budget decisions and program renewal planning
This allows us to accommodate years where revenue is somewhat over or under budget and to avoid unpredictable changes in available funding for programs and activities.
At the beginning of FY 2023-2024, the Long-Term Financial Plan estimated a further decline in our revenue due to the ban on flavored tobacco products, before settling into a new baseline level. Revenue is expected to decline an average rate of 3% per year going forward. The goal of the plan is to maintain level program funding as long as possible.
During this fiscal year, First 5 OC secured funds from several non-tobacco tax sources, including:
- $1,870,000 from CalOptima for Healthy Steps Expansion (over 2 years)
- $8,000,000 from OC Social Services Agency for CalWORKs Home Visitation (over 2 years)
- $1,800,000 from OC Health Care Agency for Black Infant Health (over 2 years)
- $2,960,000 from University of California, Irvine to implement Black P.E.A.R.L. (over 4 years)
For more information
Contact Lisa Burke at lisa.burke@cfcoc.ocgov.com