First 5 California represents an important part of our state’s effort to nurture and protect our most precious resource – our children. Research shows that a child's brain develops most dramatically during the early years of life. Our focus at First 5 California is to educate parents and caregivers about the important role they play in their children’s first years. First 5 California’s services and support are designed to ensure that more children are born healthy and reach their full potential.

Through statewide programs and public education efforts, First 5 California, along with First 5 county commissions and numerous other partners, touches the lives of millions of children and their families every year. Since its creation in 1998, First 5 California has launched innovative programs and services designed to help young children grow up healthy and do well in school and in life.

The promise of First 5 California is to continue to invest in services and programs that directly benefit children and families and to advocate for a sustainable early childhood system for future generations. Current efforts at First 5 California include the development and implementation of integrated programs and resources designed to benefit three target audiences: the Child, the Teacher, and the Parent in the focus areas of Nutrition, Early Literacy and Language Development, and Smoking Cessation. Our public education and outreach efforts also target hard-to-reach and low-income populations through a variety of effective media approaches.

While we are proud of First 5 California’s accomplishments to date, our work is far from over. We are eager to work toward meeting the new challenges that await us, and we are confident that we will continue to have a positive impact on California's youngest children and the futures they deserve.

In partnership,

Kris Perry