Strategic Plan: Place-Based Target Communities Selected

This place-based approach recognizes the importance of a family's environment to the health, safety and school readiness of young children. By focusing a significant portion of its resources in specific communities, First 5 LA will strive to have a greater impact on the children and families who reside in neighborhoods of high need in our county. 

As part of the criteria for selecting the target communities for its place-based investments, First 5 LA conducted an intensive data-driven analysis of neighborhoods across L.A. County. This analysis focused on factors that put children and families at risk, such as poverty, low birthweight rates and low test scores in schools. First 5 LA also evaluated the strengths, assets and infrastructure capacity within communities with high levels of need, and sought to distribute resources throughout different geographic regions of the county and in communities that were reflective of the county's diverse population.

Collectively, the 14 target communities selected are home to about 165,000 children from newborn through age 5, which represents nearly 20 percent of the children 5 years old or younger in L.A. County. The collective need of the target communities is illustrated by the following key statistics:

• 22 percent of families with children living in the 14 target communities live in poverty, compared to 12 percent of families in L.A. County in 2009.
• 41 percent of 3rd grade students score below basic or far below basic in California Standards Test for English-Language Arts proficiency in the target communities compared to 30 percent in L.A. County.
• Out of every 1,000 births, approximately 76 of the babies born in the target communities are considered to be low birthweight, this compared to approximately 73 per 1,000 in L.A. County.
• 54 percent of adults over age 25 in these communities have less than a high school education compared to 31 percent in L.A. County.

Click here for a list of target communities and their profiles.

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