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. For reference, the First 5 Yolo FY19-21 Strategic Plan is attached (Att. A).
 
First 5 Yolo has traditionally categorized its initiatives and programs under four Strategic Plan Goal Areas: Improved Child Health, Improved Safety, Improved Early Learning, and Improved Systems and Networks. As the First 5 Yolo Commission has more completely shifted from siloed to integrated investments, First 5 Yolo now supports three central initiatives with most funded programs and contracts within or closely related to them.  These initiatives (The CHILD Project: Road to Resilience, Help Me Grow Yolo, and Yolo Quality Counts California/IMPACT) are more accurately framed by the goal of “Improved Systems and Networks” rather than only a single program area and are multi-year efforts.
 
The presentation will address each of the three main initiatives and current work, as well as the of the agency and the First 5 Network.