Best Start LA Kicks off Workforce Development Project

The goal of the project is to impact the L.A. County prenatal-through-3 workforce by ensuring that it has the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the developmental needs of the county's youngest children. While there is a plethora of child and family development research confirming that the earliest years have the greatest potential to impact an individual's life, practices based on this research are not fully used by much of the current prenatal-through-3 workforce.

"The gathering of experts will frame efforts that will result in a project that calls for a comprehensive, collaborative approach for these service systems," said First 5 LA Commissioner Evangelina Stockwell. "More importantly, these experts will have designed a project that will enhance, from their professional perspective, their workplace skills, thus improving and enhancing the services they provide to children 0 to 3."   

Experts were chosen to be part of one of three groups — a core competencies workgroup, a training workgroup, or included as a content expert — to work together to strategize how to shape the project. Over the course of the meeting, participants provided input on how to define the prenatal-through-3 workforce, pose questions to be considered, and ask questions about the project.

First 5 LA has contracted with nonprofit ZERO TO THREE to help implement the project and facilitate the kick off. "This project is very important work because it brings together cross sectors of service systems," said Leticia Lara, regional manager for the ZERO TO THREE western office. "Research says service systems need to be coordinated and linked in order to improve outcomes for young children. This cutting edge project makes an effort to bring those systems together."

A five year initiative, the plan is to bring on a third workgroup as the project gets off the ground. The sustainability workgroup will develop strategies to sustain the improved quality of the workforce as a result of the project.

For more information about the Best Start L.A. Workforce Development Project, call John Bamberg at (213) 482-7515 or Leticia Lara at (213) 481-7279 ext. 206.