Mission: FIRST 5 Santa Clara County supports the healthy development of children prenatal through 5 and enriches the lives of their families and communities.

Goals:

• Children are born healthy and experience optimal health and development
• Families provide safe, stable, loving and stimulating homes,
• Children enter school fully prepared to succeed academically, emotionally and socially,
• Neighborhoods and communities are places where children are safe, neighbors are connected and cultures are respected,
• Systems are responsive to the needs of children and families.

In June of 2006, the commission adopted a new strategic plan for 2006-2011. This process led by the commission adopted a two pronged community investment strategy:

• Community-wide services and supports utilizing best practices for all young children and their families
• Quality programs that are targeted to specific geographic areas identified by the presence of greatest cumulative risk and the greatest number of children under the age of six, and/or particularly vulnerable and high-risk populations such as high-risk infants.

Through these investments our intent is to demonstrate the essential elements of a comprehensive, well coordinated system of early care and education for children prenatal through age five. Three of the elements critical to the development of such a system are:

1. Universal access to high quality care and education

• Effective use of braided funding
• Investment in workforce development and competitive compensation
• Implementation of comprehensive early education standards
• Consistent implementation of the essential elements of quality including the integration of children with special needs
• Culturally and linguistically competent practices with children and families
• Effective parent engagement and partnership
• Ongoing evaluation and accountability of process and outcomes

2. Universal screening, assessment and service for children with special needs

• Improved pre-referral interventions
• Universal access to early and periodic screening
• Improved access to assessment and follow-up services with delay or disability is identified
• Improved access to high quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions
• Effective partnerships with parents
• Evaluation to determine effectiveness of intervention and follow-up

3. Well planned, seamless transition to K-12

• Strong and consistent linkages between early education programs, public school and families of kindergarten bound children
• Alignment of early education standards with the K-3 state and district standards
• Coordinated professional development opportunities for early education and kindergarten staff
• Ongoing collaboration and coordination between systems so that children with special do not experience a break in services

Attachment	Size
Section 1: Ch1 First 5 California Overview	52.61 KB
Section 1: Ch 2 FIRST 5 Santa Clara County Overview	50.92 KB
Section 2: Ch 1 System of Care Overview	282.99 KB
Section 2: Ch 2 Community Engagement and Education	52.49 KB
Section 2: Ch 3 Community of Learning	41.76 KB
Section 2: Ch 4 Community Partnerships	150.81 KB
Section 2: Ch 5 Programs, Services and Supports	40.06 KB
Section 2: Ch 6 Pilot Projects	27.16 KB
Section 2: Ch 6 Power of Preschool	223.54 KB
Section 2: Ch 6 Differential Response	271.15 KB
Section 2: Ch 6 Court Services	233.14 KB
Section 2: Ch 6 High Risk Infant	105.25 KB
Section 2: Ch 6 Early Screening, Consultation and Assessment	244.01 KB
Section 2: Ch 7 Forms	12.07 KB
Section 2: Ch 7 Introduction to Forms	16.96 KB
Section 2: Ch 8 Confidentiality	11.87 KB
Section 2: Ch 9 Technical Assistance Guidelines (TAGS)	208.95 KB
Section 2: Ch10 Partnership Development Guide	208.95 KB