Strategic Plan: Community Selection Principles

Data-Driven/Select Only High-Need Communities: First and foremost, First 5 LA will use data on child outcomes in communities throughout the county to assess where the needs of children and families are greatest. This will assure an impartial approach that results in targeted investments only in communities of high need. The risk indicators for young children used to assess need include low-birth weight, low-performing schools and poverty, among other factors. Click here to read an article about data sources that will be used for community selection. 

Prioritize High-Need Communities Based on Their Strengths and Capacity: Ten years of grantmaking at First 5 LA, as well as lessons learned through multiple other community change initiatives, have demonstrated the importance of partnering with communities with existing capacity and strengths. This capacity and community strength is crucial to First 5 LA's ability to achieve its stated goals and includes the following characteristics:

• Community Leadership and Commitment — many community change initiatives have failed for lack of leadership and true commitment to partnering. First 5 LA will select communities that demonstrate existing leadership, engagement of multiple sectors in the process, and a commitment to partnering with First 5 LA in order to accomplish the stated outcomes.
• Community Infrastructure — successful implementation of First 5 LA's strategic plan will require the ability to partner with and build upon existing community infrastructure such as libraries, hospitals and informal social networks, including those resulting from previous First 5 LA investments.
• Potential for Partnership — First 5 LA will co-invest or partner with other funders to maximize its impact and leverage investments. High partnership potential is considered a community-strength.   

Respect for Natural Community Boundaries: As First 5 LA moves toward partnering with communities, it will respect the residents' input and allow for some flexibility in defining the boundaries of a community.

Representation of Diverse Populations and Regions: First 5 LA will seek a balanced approach to selecting communities that represent the various geographic regions of L.A. County and that include a diversity of racial and ethnic populations.

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