We are pleased to share First 5 LA’s Strategic Plan for 2015-20: Focusing for the Future. Our new plan is the product of careful listening to multiple partners and stakeholders, parents and community members, First 5 LA staff and Commissioners. What we learned from our partners and more than 15 years of experience resulted in a clear and consistent message: First 5 LA must focus and clarify its strategic direction, role, and impact to maximize our collective contributions to improve outcomes for young children in L.A. County.
The Strategic Plan for 2015-20 represents a straightforward roadmap for how First 5 LA will lead moving forward. It begins with a renewed purpose to help all children in L.A. County enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school and life. It focuses on improving outcomes for young children by strengthening families, the communities they live in, and the systems that support them. It recognizes that the path to widespread impact and sustainability is the product of community, systems and policy change. It reflects our understanding that First 5 LA must work in partnership with those who share our aspirations for young children. And, it accounts realistically for our declining tobacco tax revenues and the need for First 5 LA to live within its means.
I want to recognize and thank our Board of Commissioners for their investment of time, energy, and wisdom. And, I want to acknowledge First 5 LA’s terrific staff for contributing their smarts, expertise, and talents to the development of our new Strategic Plan. Together, they have crafted a thoughtful plan to improve the effectiveness, coordination and quality of the services and supports families need to help their children succeed.
We are eager to hear from our many partners who share our common vision for L.A. County’s youngest children. We invite you to join an upcoming webinar on the new Strategic Plan on Thursday, Nov 20 at 4pm and next steps for its implementation. Until then, we invite you to visit the Strategic Plan section of our website to learn more about the planning process and give us your feedback in the “Comments” section below. We look forward to working with you to ensure that children in L.A. County enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school and life.
Best,
Kim Belshé
Executive Director, First 5 LA
