Strategic Plan
The First 5 San Diego 2020-2025 Strategic Plan builds on the legacy of over 20 years of impact and serves as a roadmap over the next five years. First 5 San Diego will focus its priorities on our ongoing commitment to strengthen and connect our early care and education systems, support families throughout the region and impact the overall well-being of our youngest children.
Our Vision
All children ages 0 through 5 are healthy, are loved and nurtured, and enter school as active learners.
OUR MISSION
First 5 San Diego builds the early care and education systems and supports needed to ensure our County’s youngest children are safe, healthy and ready to succeed in school and life.
REFLECTING ON TODAY, PREPARING FOR TOMORROW
Since 1998, First 5 San Diego has invested over $716 million in programs, services and systems of care.
Historically, First 5 San Diego directly supported many partners that provide services and programs to the youngest children and their families. In the future, our core functions will focus on these four areas.
Since 1998, First 5 San Diego has invested
$716 million
in programs, services and systems of care
CORE FUNCTIONS
Invest in systems change leading to improved outcomes
Advocate for policy change at local and state levels
Convene experts and partners to coordinate and leverage existing resources
Build community, organizational and system capacity to strengthen and support families
FRAMING THE FUTURE
One day, California’s success will be measured by the well-being of its youngest children. We proudly contribute to building better service delivery systems, supporting positive choices, pursuing policy and environmental change and improving our internal culture.
GOALS
Our goals express our key priorities to address the complexity and breadth of local needs.
OVERARCHING GOAL – Strengthen the relationships essential for the healthy development of our youngest children.
HEALTH – Promote each child’s healthy physical, social and emotional development.
LEARNING – Support each child’s development of abilities, building on their natural readiness to learn.
FAMILY – Strengthen each family’s ability to provide nurturing, safe and stable environments.
COMMUNITY – Build each community’s capacity to sustain healthy social relationships and support families and children.
STRENGTHENING SYSTEMS, INVESTING IN RESULTS
In the coming years, forming and strengthening the partnerships that can create lasting changes to systems of care and generate better outcomes for our youngest children and their families will become a defining role for First 5 San Diego.
Strategic directions
Our strategic directions provide guidance for how First 5 San Diego will create lasting change.
Resilient Families:
Provide families with the foundational support and knowledge to be their child’s first and best caregiver and teacher.
Coordinated
Systems of Care:
Connect or integrate systems of care to ensure that the youngest children and their families have timely and seamless access to supports and services that best meet their needs.
Integrated Leadership:
Build partnerships across sectors and systems that increase community commitment to supporting the first five years of life.
Sustained Funding:
Identify and integrate existing and new funding sources from public, private and philanthropy sectors that establish innovations to the systems of care and expand services to the youngest children and their families.
IMPLEMENTATION
The full Strategic Plan includes a set of focused strategies and an evaluation framework. The Strategic Plan guides the allocation of funds at the strategy level and is complemented by a detailed investment and allocation strategy.
PRIORITIZATION – First 5 San Diego cannot meet all the needs of the County’s youngest children and their families. Funding must be directed to a few specific priorities.
SUSTAINABILITY – First 5 San Diego will fund initiatives that are strongly positioned to continue when our investment levels decline.
SYSTEMS-FOCUS – First 5 San Diego will fund initiatives that are evidence-based in improving the systems of care and generating meaningful outcomes for the County’s youngest children and their families.
LEVERAGING – Funds must be optimized by supplementing, pooling or matching existing resources.
First 5 San Diego dedicates itself to leading San Diego County in ensuring our County’s young children are safe, healthy and ready to succeed in school and life. On behalf of First 5 San Diego, we thank you for your ongoing commitment and partnership in improving the lives of our youngest children and their families.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT AND PARTNERSHIP
For access to the full 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, click here.