Centering Family Experience and Voices
Young children and their families are the focus of everything we do at First 5 Orange County. We engage families and elevate their lived experience through our Engaged Neighborhoods, Family Ambassadors, the OC Fatherhood Coalition, and more.
An Engaged Neighborhood is a collaborative group of parents and community organizations focused on early childhood in a particular geographic area. Their goal is to engage families to advocate for their children while connecting early health and development systems. Each Engaged Neighborhood group looks different to serve each unique community; however, each community acts to connect families on their journey — from prenatal through the start of school — to resources and supports so their children are ready for school and success.
Our robust group of Family Ambassadors provide insight into First 5 OC programming, participate in workgroups, lead community events, are involved in the co-creation of our equity commitment and accountability, and bring their voice as parents of young children to community forums, Board meetings, and community events.
In 2022, we helped launch the OC Fatherhood Coalition to bring fathers to the table on early childhood issues. The Coalition has reached hundreds of families, spreading the word about early childhood services, Kid Builders, and the importance of father engagement in early childhood.
Commitment to Equity through Family Leadership
First 5 Orange County’s vision is that all children reach their full potential.
To achieve this vision, we put families at the center, acknowledging that families and other caregivers are children’s first teachers and best advocates.
First 5 Orange County is committed to embracing family leadership.
To do this, we:
- Connect, empower, and support parents and families.
- Prioritize equitable access to quality services and positive outcomes to reduce disparities.
- Work to understand and remove barriers, and build bridges so that families have a voice.
Here’s how we hold ourselves accountable:
Strengthen family leadership with trusted community groups
Support families to become leaders and advocates
Bring family members along in decision making
Encourage funded partners to use family input in their policies and practices
Use data to build equity by addressing disparities
Bring motivated family members and caregivers to the table
We are successful when:
- • Families have an effective voice in local decision-making on issues related to early childhood.
- • Families and parent leaders are influencers and their input is used for our investment and program oversight.
- • First 5 Orange County’s policies and practices address inequities.
- • Further data analyses demonstrate equitable outcomes.
- • 100% of our funded partners include parents in their planning and decision-making.
For more information on Community Engagement, please contact Erwin Cox at Erwin.Cox@cfcoc.ocgov.com