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Newsletter | December 2024

The State of Young Children and Families in San Mateo County

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Over the past several months, we’ve been busy planning the next five years for First 5 San Mateo County. That process has included spending a lot of time hearing directly from families, providers, partners, and members of our community, as well as reviewing data and findings from our local partners. 


Through all of that rich data and insights, we’ve identified many data highlights and key takeaways that capture the state of young children and families in San Mateo County.

Read 5 takeaways about the state of young children

More on our Strategic Planning Process

If you are one of the people who’s contributed your data, ideas, or stories during our strategic planning process, THANK YOU! 


In our 25 years as a systems leader, community partner, and strategic investor for young children in San Mateo County, we have learned that the expertise and insight needed to effectively plan for the future lies within our community partners and the lived experiences of the families we serve. That is why we’ve prioritized a strategic planning approach that leverages our existing work to uplift diverse voices, center lived experiences, and strengthen community collaboration.


Stay tuned for our new strategic plan, which will be released in early 2025.

Read more about our planning process so far.

25 Years Young

For a quarter of a century, First 5 San Mateo County has been proud to be a leader, partner, and investor working on behalf of young children and families in our county. That’s right–it’s our 25 year anniversary, an incredible milestone in our history.

  

Take a look at our timeline that shares select highlights from the past 25 years of our work. And, thank you for your support! Whether you are a partner, parent, or committed community member, we’re proud to work alongside you to make sure San Mateo County has healthy families, a vital workforce, and strong communities.

Take a look at our 25 years of impact timeline


Universal PreKindergarten Plan

First 5 SMC is a proud member of the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council, which has approved a new plan to create a Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) system, ensuring all 4-year-olds and more 3-year-olds can access high-quality, full-day early education. This mixed delivery model combines community input and data to address challenges, including the need for more UPK teachers, accessible programs, and increased family choices.



Read the UPK plan

Free Books for Kids! Dolly Parton's Library Comes to San Mateo County

Reading to children between the ages of 0-5 not only boosts their language and literacy skills, it is also a way to connect and support their social and emotional skills!


In addition to checking out books at the library, families can now build their own collection of books at home for free!


The San Mateo County Library has just launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of San Mateo County. When families sign up a child ages 0-5, they will receive a book EVERY MONTH delivered to their home for FREE!



Books are available in English or Spanish.

Sign up here

Thank you for all you do for children and families in San Mateo County.

First 5 San Mateo County | 1700 S. El Camino Real, Suite 405, San Mateo, CA 94402

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