In 1998, California voters passed Proposition 10, the Children and Families Act, a statewide ballot initiative taxing tobacco products. The monies collected are used statewide and locally to fund programs that promote early childhood development for children ages 0-5 and their families. The Yolo County Board of Supervisors created First 5 Yolo in 1998 following the passage of Proposition 10. Originally formed as the Yolo County Children and Families Commission (YCCFC), YCCFC officially adopted the name First 5 Yolo in 2005 to further spotlight its mission of service to children in the first 5 years of life and their families, and for consistency with the overseeing state commission known as First 5 California.

First 5 is a statewide network comprised of local commissions in all 58 counties, First 5 California, and the First 5 Association. First 5 Yolo receives funding based on the number of live births in the County (approximately 2,400 per year) as a percentage of all live births in California. Governed by a Commission of nine individuals appointed by the Board of Supervisors, First 5 Yolo is a county agency with certain independent authority, including authority over its finances and strategic plan.

First 5 Yolo’s Strategic Plan is a guiding document that describes the overall direction First 5 Yolo Commission will take to target the needs of children ages 0-5 years and their families (Att. A). First 5 Yolo’s mission is to assist the community to raise children who are healthy, safe, and ready to learn. Investments are made that help the youngest children, in years critical to their brain development, to thrive and better reach their full potential later in life.

In addition to this high level Strategic Plan, First 5 Yolo will develop an Implementation and Funding Plan with recommendations that contribute to achieving that strategic direction.

Attached to this item is the working draft of the First 5 Yolo Strategic Plan for FY2018/19-FY2020/21.  The First 5 Yolo Commission has undergone 10 months of planning, with portions of the document adopted along the way. While a subcommittee of the Commission has reviewed and approved the current draft, parts of the draft Strategic Plan have yet to be adopted by the full Commission, and are in draft form only at this time. The Commission, in keeping with Proposition 10 requirements, will adopt the final version of the full document in June 2018.  The Strategic Plan must then be updated each year.

First 5 Yolo Executive Director and Vice Chair will present the “working draft” of the Strategic Plan, as well as a few highlights from the last year and new trends emerging with statewide First 5 Network efforts to envision the work of First 5 in the next 20 years.