First 5 Orange County has released an annual report documenting our collective achievements throughout the 2019/2020 fiscal year.
We began our year focused on our core programs of hospital screenings at birth, home visiting to support children’s healthy development and caregivers’ parenting skills, and other activities that advance Orange County children’s school readiness. But as COVID-19 began to impact families we used our resources to bolster support for child care facilities, frontline nonprofits and providers addressing family homelessness.
As more families and child care facilities were impacted by the pandemic, it became clear that the child care system – while a critical underpinning to the local economy – is fragile and ripe for systemwide improvements. The first phase of the Orange County Child Care Landscape Analysis examines the supply and utilization of child care; the flow of public funding for child care; and the bright spots, challenges, and system barriers facing Orange County’s child care. Phase II is already underway to assess the impact of child care issues in Orange County on the economy, employers and working parents and caregivers. Read the report here.
The experiences we’ve had during the 2019/20 fiscal year have opened up additional lines of communication, toppled silos, and forged new coalitions bringing more people together for a common goal. These actions – and the results they are producing on behalf of children and families – leave no doubt that even in challenging times we can create positive and lasting change when we pull together.
This year, we and our community partners have strengthened our shared commitment to the vision that all children should have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Learn more about First 5 Orange County’s 2019/2020 accomplishments in our annual report or visit our website at https://first5oc.wpengine.com.
You can also take and share our parent and employer survey about child are here, in English and Spanish: https://first5oc.wpengine.com/childcare/.