Dear Parents and Families:
The health and well-being of you and your loved ones is of the utmost importance to us as we mobilize our efforts to support you during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. We want to assure you that First 5 San Diego is working closely with our partners so that the families of San Diego continue to receive the support they need.
We encourage you to follow the guidelines set by the state and found on our COVID-19 resource page. While this is a rapidly evolving situation, it is imperative that we all practice good hygiene and stay inside, if possible. We can all do our part to help stop the spread of this virus.
In the meantime, we know that you may be looking for resources to help out at home, particularly with school being on hold. We invite you to visit a list of at home activities to help pass the time with your little ones while continuing to prepare them for the future.
We recognize the impact this may be having on you and your family and we want you to know we are here for you and will continue to provide you with updates and resources as they become available to meet the evolving needs of our region. We are committed to you and ensuring that our young children are taken care of. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our First 5 network or call 2-1-1 to be connected to a live representative should you have questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Alethea Arguilez, First 5 San Diego Executive Director
Dear Partners:
As the COVID-19 pandemic situation continues to evolve, we at First 5 San Diego want to express our deepest appreciation for your commitment to serving the children and families of our region. The work you and your employees do is essential and critical to the long-term success of future generations, and First 5 San Diego is dedicated to supporting our contractors and grantees during these challenging times.
In the weeks ahead, we want to assure you that First 5 San Diego will be working closely with you to ensure that the health and safety of our region’s children and families remains a top priority. We are aware that many of the families we serve may be facing immediate needs due to the pandemic’s economic impacts, and we are working closely with public agency groups and philanthropic partners to identify ways to ensure our families have our support during these times.
Here are recent updates on how we are supporting our partners and employees:
First 5 San Diego will continue to be a remote organization for the foreseeable future, aligned with the guidance and protocols recommended by state and county public health officials. Our work will continue and our commitment to collaborate with our partners to address the challenges this pandemic is creating for our most vulnerable families is front-and-center.
In conformance with current state and county direction, we have closed our offices for all nonessential personnel, and we are establishing interim emergency processes and internal protocols to ensure a continued work process and minimal impact on partners.
First 5 San Diego Invoicing/Contracts
We are establishing interim procedures for processing invoices, though we suggest you continue submitting electronic invoices unless otherwise informed by your program officer. Thank you for your patience as we adapt to the situation.
We also want to be responsive to the needs of the communities we serve by ensuring our contracts reflect those evolving needs, whether that means extending contracts or modifying deliverables. We are working diligently on all fronts to create a process that meets the needs of our current circumstances, including exploring ways that as a public agency we can adapt to the immediate situation.
First 5 San Diego remains dedicated to advancing our mission for all children in our region to enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school in life, and we thank you for your solidarity and shared efforts now and in the future. We will communicate additional updates as more information becomes available.
Thank you,
Alethea Arguilez, First 5 San Diego Executive Director