By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer
November 19, 2025
First 5 LA’s Board of Commissioners convened in person on October 9. During the meeting, members approved the submission of First 5 LA’s Annual Report to the State Commission and received updates on the Annual Records Disposition plan. Staff also provide updates on the Equity Index, the Strategic Plan and the Whole Child; Bright Futures Initiative.
The Impact of The Federal Shutdown
During her opening remarks, LA County Supervisor and Board Chair Holly Mitchell gave an update on the effects of the ongoing federal shutdown at the local level. Programs such as CalFresh/SNAP, WIC, and Section 8 would be affected if the shutdown doesn’t end by October 25. Public-housing operating funds, public-health programs, and pending grant applications would also be affected.
“Given the child-poverty rate in the Second District, I am deeply troubled about what this will do to our family, friends, and neighbors,” Mitchell said. “Our 0–5 population will be disproportionately impacted. A mother who receives Section 8 benefits and also relies on CalWORKs, SNAP, and subsidized child care — She’ll be disproportionately affected because she relies on all of those programs.
“Yes, there have been shutdowns before,” she continued. “But for me it’s the cumulative effect — on top of H.R. 1 and the executive orders — that makes this uniquely troubling and, frankly, devastating.”
First 5 LA President and CEO Karla Pleitéz Howell echoed Mitchell’s concerns, adding that Head Start preschool block child care grants had been halted in the wake of the shutdown. She also outlined several ways that First 5 LA could help, such as offering stability to current grantees serving children and families and aligning and amplifying the work with partners.
At the same time, Pleitéz Howell said that First 5 LA must also look past the current crisis and plan for the work ahead.
“We can — and should — focus on the urgent,” she stressed. “But we also need to think about what it’s going to take to build back after all this is done.”
Equity Index to Guide Next Phase of Place-Based Work
Vice President of Community Engagement and Policy Aurea Montes-Rodriguez joined Catalyst California’s John Kim and Chris Ringewald to present updates on the Equity Index and First 5 LA’s plans to realign place-based investments. Building on demographic shifts and structural inequities, the Equity Index will be used to identify high-need areas that may fall outside First 5 LA’s historical Best Start boundaries. This work will inform a new “network of hubs” model—community-rooted spaces designed to connect families to culturally affirming services, safety-net programs, and policy advocacy efforts.
Commissioners emphasized the need to coordinate with county and state partners, leverage existing resources, and consider indicators such as transportation, environmental burden, and immigration status when refining the Index. Several called for greater urgency in addressing community fear and isolation and recommended flexible funds and public education campaigns as tools to stabilize and empower families.
For more information on First 5 LA’s Equity Index, please read the presentation here.
Whole Child, Bright Futures: Multilingual Learners and Early Learning
Aurea Montes-Rodriguez and guest presenter Doua Thor of Everyday Consulting discussed the findings from a landscape analysis of multilingual learners in L.A. County. Thor explained that the analysis — undertaken under the umbrella of the Strategic Plan’s Whole Child, Bright Futures Initiative — highlighted the need to elevate linguistic diversity as a strength.
“There’s a lot of research now about brain science and what it means to speak multiple languages,” Thor explained. “These children multitask better, they’re cognitively stronger, and then it carries all the way to their later years, even beyond childhood.”
Commissioners encouraged First 5 LA to continue building on its past Dual Language Learner campaign work to promote culturally affirming early learning environments. More information on the analysis can be found here.
Board Reviews Annual Strategic Plan Implementation Interviews
The meeting was capped off with a presentation from President & CEO Karla Pleitéz Howell and consultant Nancy Strohl, who gave an overview of the recently completed Commissioner interviews. Strohl explained that the discussions showed Commissioners’ strong support for home visiting, federal advocacy, guaranteed income and integrated service hubs.
“Strategic planning can be difficult,” added Pleitéz Howell. “But I think through our work and repeated reviews, we struck a good balance.”
Commissioners reiterated the importance of staying nimble in response to shifting federal conditions, strengthening cross-sector partnerships, and designing policy interventions that reach families most impacted by fear, poverty, and systems breakdown.
For more information, please read the presentation here.
Additional Items
During the meeting, the Board approved the following items:
- Submission of First 5 LA Annual Report: Director of Impact & Accountability Kimberly Hall and Data Strategy Specialist HaRi Kim Han presented the FY 2024-25 Annual Report for submission to First 5 California. Having focused on the Demographics section of the report in September, staff focused on the two other sections of the report (Revenue and Expenditures, County Highlights and Evaluation). Key accomplishments mentioned included emergency response funds for over 330 families impacted by wildfires and immigration raids, the completion of Version 1.0 of the Building Brighter Futures Equity Index, and evaluation findings showing improved early intervention referral timelines and stronger community leadership pipelines in Best Start communities. The Board approved submission of the report by the October 31 deadline, fulfilling Prop 10 requirements. More information can be found here.
The following information items were also presented:
- Strategic Plan Review and Implementation Update. Vice President of Operations and Sustainability JR Nino presented the required annual review of the 2024–29 Strategic Plan. During the presentation, Nino explained how the Strategic Plan’s four Initiatives — Prevention First, Maternal and Child Wellbeing, Vibrant Environments, and Whole Child Bright Futures — are being translated into actionable portfolios, each with clearly defined priority areas and project leads. More information can be found here.
- Annual Records Disposition Update: The Board heard from First 5 LA staff about the agency’s annual records disposition process, which follows best practices for public agency risk management. The review includes digital and physical records identified for secure destruction in accordance with state law and the agency’s retention schedule. This item will return to the Board for a vote in November. More information can be found here.
- Welcome Baby Funds and Strategic Plan Affirmation: The Board received notice of upcoming funding from LA Care to support Welcome Baby services. The item will return for a Board vote in November. More information can be found here.
The next regular Board of Commissioners meeting will be held on November 13. Materials will be available 72 hours in advance at www.first5la.org/our-board/meeting-materials.
