Strategic Plan

2024-2027

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County Strategic Plan

The 2024-2027 FIRST 5 Santa Clara County Strategic Plan is the culmination of a journey where our dedicated FIRST 5 Commissioners, FIRST 5 staff, community organizations and county system partners, as well as parents and caregivers contributed their knowledge, time, feedback, and support to inform and develop a strategic vision and plan that guides our collective work.

Parent/Caregiver Survey

FIRST 5 launched this effort with a community-wide family survey, which aimed to elevate the top concerns of families with young children, prenatal through five years. In addition, the survey asked families what helps them feel safe and welcomed in health, childcare, and other service-centered environments, as well as the barriers they encounter to accessing critical services and supports in our community. Families’ most important concerns included access to healthy food and nutrition, child safety at home and in the community, connecting with a doctor, dentist, and other health provider, and how to access parenting programs, trainings, and support.

Focus Areas

Together with the parent/caregiver survey results and feedback from FIRST 5 Commissioners, staff and community partners, we identified four primary strategic focus areas that address community needs:

Priority Populations

FIRST 5 has identified five priority populations to focus support on and recognizes that any one family can be experiencing many of these impacts at once. 

Financial Sustainability

In the face of declining revenue from Proposition 10, the tobacco tax that supports the work of FIRST 5 entities across 58 counties in California, and to support successful implementation of this strategic plan, FIRST 5 is committed to key financial sustainability priorities that ensure continuation of our critical mission and vision, including: