Elevating the voice of the community to help create change to benefit kids and their families is the core work being done in Best Start communities. As we look toward the New Year, we invite you to view this video highlighting the accomplishments across all 14 Best Start Communities in 2016.
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Los Angeles, CA (July 2, 2025) - First 5 LA is deeply dismayed by the Trump Administration’s Executive Order which undermines the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—the provision that guarantees citizenship to all individuals born on U.S. soil. This action...
Los Angeles, CA (July 1, 2025) - First 5 LA President and CEO, Karla Pleitéz Howell released the following statement in response to the enacted Fiscal Year 2025-2026 California state budget signed by Governor Newsom: “First 5 LA recognizes the complex and constrained...
By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer June 10, 2025 Nine hundred days. That's how long the dream of freedom was deferred for the enslaved Black people of Galveston, Texas. Although President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, it...
June 9, 2025 (Los Angeles, CA) – There are moments that call for us to choose – between fear and compassion, division and dignity, silence and courage. This is one of those moments. What we choose now shapes the kind of community and future we are building for our...
Building a Society Without Discrimination “If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society." Those words from Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin take on renewed meaning this June as we...
By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer May 22, 2025 Opening your home to a stranger can be scary. Especially if you're a new mom. Just ask Dani. After the birth of her son, she got a call from a parent educator asking if she'd like to participate in a home visiting...
By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer April 22, 2025 The young boy is talking about cognates. "I know some words in Spanish," Mateo tells the nice lady sitting next to him in the booth. "When we watch these videos, they show the word first in English and then, at the...
By, Erika Witt | First 5 LA Policy Analyst May 22, 2025 On April 28, 2025, First 5 LA returned to the State Capitol for its annual Advocacy Day, delivering a clear message: California must continue to invest in young children, especially as families face rising...
By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer May 22, 2025 First 5 LA’s Board of Commissioners Meeting was convened on May 8. Highlights of the meeting included a discussion on the proposed First 5 LA budget for the new fiscal year; a presentation on First 5 LA’s Maternal &...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 15, 2025 Contact: Marlene Fitzsimmons Phone: 213.482.7807 Los Angeles, CA (May 15, 2025) - First 5 LA President and CEO, Karla Pleitéz Howell released the following statement in response to Governor Newsom’s May Revision to the FY25-26...
