Photo credit: "Resurrection" by Alma Thomas.

A WORD FROM THE CEO

Dear First 5 Team,

I am excited to share with you the latest updates and highlights of our work in this new and improved format of our Monthly Update! This new format was developed by the Communications team based on the feedback collected in the all-s taff internal communications s urvey conducted last summer and in conversation with me. My appreciation to Itzel, Caitlyn, and Yolanda for their work to balance the need to share timely and important information in an engaging and digestible way. We are committed to refining the Monthly Update as needed to ensure it meets staff and agency needs. There is a three-question survey at the end; please tell us what you think about the new format.

In this month's newsletter, you will find stories about a partnership I cultivated with Stanford University to document our early childhood system building efforts, the successful in-person Help Me Grow Connections Café, the results of our strategic planning process for our Neighborhoods Ready for School initiative, the adoption of a new KRA tool, and more! These achievements would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our entire team, and I am proud to be a part of such a talented group of individuals.

As we move into February, I want to take a moment to recognize and celebrate Black History Month. This is a time to reflect on the significant contributions of African Americans to our country's history and culture. In honor of this month, a staff committee planned a series of events and activities that I encourage all our staff to participate; please scroll down to the staff events section for more details.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our mission. I look forward to seeing the impact we will continue to make as an organization.

In community,

Kristin Spanos, CEO

TOP HIGHLIGHTS

First 5 Partners with Stanford University

Stanford University’s Center on Early Childhood, which is led by Dr. Philip Fisher, a nationally renowned researcher and evaluator of scalable and evidence-based early childhood interventions, has selected First 5 Alameda County to be the first case study they will develop to highlight innovative system building work nationally.

The partnership with Standford’s Center on Early Childhood will provide another avenue for us to influence policy and systems change, advocate for prioritization and increased investments in early childhood, inform best practices and approaches to early childhood system building and evaluate and share our equity-centered whole community, whole family, whole child approach as a model for other localities and states seeking to undertake similar efforts in the future.

“Researchers’ interest in First 5’s system building endeavor is a testament to our entire staff’s thoughtful, dedicated, and innovative work.” CEO Kristin Spanos said. “This six-month study process will serve as an exciting opportunity to showcase our work and have it serve as an example for other communities to build and improve their own early childhood systems."

Back in person! Help Me Grow Connections Café

The Pediatric Care Coordination team hosted its first in-person Help Me Grow Connections Café since 2020 in January, welcoming more than 70 participants from 40 different organizations and agencies serving Alameda County families for a morning of networking and peer-to-peer learning.

“We were excited to bring back an opportunity to engage and connect with community partners in person,” Help Me Grow Senior Community Liaison Juliana Sanchez said. “While the virtual experience is convenient, it does not replace physical connection and space to catch up with old community colleagues or meet new faces. Building relationships and creating trust is at the core of our cafes, and we are happy to be back.”

The café hosted 10 presenters in the First 5 Conference Center, providing information and resources for housing, child care, food access, children with special needs, parenting and fatherhood support, mental health, and tax preparation. The excitement of seeing one another in person was palpable as participants networked, shared resources, and learned about existing and new programs for families building their resource toolbox.

Learn more about Help Me Grow

Neighborhoods Ready for School: Planning for the Future

On Thursday, January 25, the Neighborhoods Ready for School (NRFS) grantee partners joined First 5 staff for the last convening of the initiative’s strategic planning process facilitated by Cities & People. We engaged in the year-long process and provided the facilitators to evolve the work. The intention was to offer dedicated resources to support each site in evolving its thinking and work and identifying priorities within its communities.

As part of this process, each NRFS grantee partner finalized a four-year strategic plan to guide the next phase of their site’s NRFS efforts. The grantee partners' plans outline community-driven priorities at each site and how each partner plans to advance and address these priorities through the evolution of their NRFS work. This process was intentionally facilitated by Cities and People, the same firm that facilitated Oakland Thrives strategic planning process, to leverage Blue Meridian funding that will enhance and expand the place-based work NRFS helped to seed for families with children 0-5.

“The facilitated planning process our NRFS partners participated in over the last year confirmed that a place-based strategy is both possible and necessary.” Director of Community Programs Carla Keener said. “The goal is to recognize and develop the innate capacity of everyone in our neighborhoods to imagine a healthy, safe, just, and people-centered community…to create spaces where our children can grow and thrive! This was the message, the hope, on full display at the January convening and will continue until the vision and transformation we seek is realized for us all.”

Appreciation to Maria Gonzalez, Administrative Associate, and Alma Reyes, Senior Administrative Associate, for their support in making this event a success and for their support throughout this entire process!

Learn more about our partner's work p lans.

Fathers Corps Partners with Forward Change Consulting

Fathers Corps provides a platform for dads to connect and share their experiences, tips, and advice. Whether you're a new dad or a seasoned pro, the Fathers Corps offers valuable resources, support, and a sense of camaraderie. In January, the Fathers Corps program hosted two Innovation Workshops to identify potential areas of innovation for the program. Arnold Chandler from Forward Change Consulting led participants through a process focused on using the Fathers Corps’ Program Theory Map. In addition, Fathers Corps staff facilitated a Father-Friendly Principles Workshop, and the Healthy Relationships Learning Community hosted an in-person training.

Learn more about Father Corps, watch the Fatherhood Summit video!

Alameda County School Districts Unanimously Adopt a New Kindergarten Readiness Tool

The fourth meeting in the Countywide Kindergarten Readiness Tool (KRA) Decision-Making Series was held last month and featured a strong presentation on the Early Development Instrument (EDI) by UCLA staff Dr. Lisa Stanley and Leila Espinosa. The representatives of the school districts in attendance expressed clear interest, excitement, and tentative agreement on the selection of the EDI tool, recognizing its power and utility to inform and guide broader public and private investments. As a result of that meeting, we, in partnership with Alameda County Office of Education, selected the EDI as the policy-focused tool for our next Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA).

“We are so appreciative of our dedicated Alameda County School Districts and ACOE partners who engaged in this meaningful series to reach agreement and adoption of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) at this critical moment of opportunity in our county,” Evaluations Officer Jamie Klinger said. “We are excited to collaborate with UCLA’s Data Informed Futures team on the upcoming KRA study and look forward to utilizing the findings to inform equity-centered investments for young children, their families, childcare providers and early educators, and the systems that serve them for decades to come.”

Click here to learn more about the EDI tool.

STAFF EVENTS: BLACK HISTORY MONTH

February is Black History Month, a time to honor and celebrate the contributions of African Americans to our society. At First 5, we are committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace and beyond, and we believe that taking the time to learn about and reflect on Black history is an important part of that effort.

To that end, staff members are planning a series of events and activities throughout the month of February to celebrate. These events include a mural and resource table activities, dance and movement opportunities, a brown bag lunch, and an all-staff potluck!

Download the event flyer for more details!

Special shout-out to the staff members planning and coordinating the events:

Ms. Bridgett Crawford, Program Administrator, ECE
Charla Black-Edwards, Office & Facilities Manager
Damoni Nears, Administrative Associate
Stephanie Joseph, Quality Improvement Navigator
Lea Yancey, Senior Associate, Training
Glenda Kith, Data & Policy Analyst
Detra Teal, Chief Human Recourse Officer
Carla Keener, Director of Community Programs
Kevin Bremond, Fathers Corps Program Administrator
Noah Lopes, Fathers Corps Program Manager
Zuriel Sanders, Data & Policy Analyst

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: MEET NICK ZHOU, CFO

Nick Zhou, our Chief Financial Officer, has been a part of the Bay Area community since 2010. He is passionate about using his financial skills to serve the community. Most recently, he served as the CFO for Marin Housing Authority, an agency with the goal of providing for the housing needs of residents with low- and moderate-income. Nick holds a master’s degree in accountancy and is in the process of becoming a Certified Public Accountant.

In his free time, Nick enjoys a variety of genres of music, from jazz to funk/soul. He stays active with rock climbing, and has recently taken up tennis.

POLICY UPDATES

Did you know that every year, First 5 Alameda County joins the First 5 Association of California for its Annual Meeting and a day of advocacy in Sacramento?

Nine staff attended the Annual Meeting and participated in sessions on Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI), an equity-focused approach to data and evaluation, fiscal operations, the future of the First 5 Network, and a keynote by Elliot Haspel on making the case for early childhood.

Advocacy Day aims to connect First 5 colleagues with state officials, celebrate policy wins, and share systems change practices. This year, the Gov. Affairs & Policy (GAP) team and Chief of Staff Vanessa Cedeño Geisner attended six legislative meetings with our Alameda County State Delegation, including a meeting with Assemblymember Bonta, and highlighted our support for Medi-Cal continuous eligibility for children 0-5, First 5 Association's $100 million one-time budget ask and the creation of a Prenatal to 3 statewide workgroup. Our team also shared our 2024 policy agenda and highlighted our programming, system-building efforts, and new local funding through the Oakland Children's Initiative and possibly Measure C.

Learn about the topics presented in the Advocacy Day sessions!

LEARN FROM YOUR COLLEAGUES