First 5 LA

09/08/2026

This week, First 5 LA's Ofelia Medina, Director of Public Policy & Early Care and Education, and Erika Witt, Policy Analyst, spent three days in Anaheim at the 2026 First 5 California Summit.

Nearly a thousand early childhood leaders from across the state gathered around this year's theme, Their Futures First. A shared conviction ran through the sessions. Parents know what their families need, providers know what their communities can absorb and when, and trusting that wisdom is what allows First 5 Commissions to show up for families exactly when it counts.

Each First 5 is building something shaped by the needs of its own county, and we are all pointed in the same direction.

08/28/2026

August is Transgender History Month in California, the first observance of its kind in the nation. First 5 LA celebrates transgender parents raising young children across Los Angeles County.

A new post on the First 5 LA website shares the story of pregnancy outside the gender binary, and highlights recent The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law research, which found that half of the transgender parents surveyed have at least one child age five or younger. Having responsive support is critical to the whole family’s health and well being.

Read the full post: https://www.first5la.org/article/creating-healthy-beginnings-for-transgender-parents-and-their-children/

08/26/2026

For little kids, speaking a home language while learning another builds skills that reach beyond language into problem-solving, memory and attention.

The Universal Transitional Kindergarten Dual Language Immersion (UTK DLI) classrooms are built on that foundation. UTK DLI programs reach multilingual children at the age when two languages develop most naturally.
Families interested can start by asking their local school district what is available in their area.

Read this piece with MomsLA to consider whether multilingual learning is right for your child.
https://momsla.com/dual-language-programs-matter-los-angeles/

08/14/2026

Still time to register!

Join us on August 18 for an interactive webinar introducing the Family Dual Language Learner (DLL) Support Guide—a practical resource designed to help families and educators partner throughout the California State Preschool Program DLL identification process.

Together, we'll explore how to:
• Build stronger family–school partnerships
• Affirm children's cultural and linguistic assets
• Support meaningful conversations during enrollment and family meetings
• Encourage biliteracy from the very beginning

Participants will also engage in interactive activities and leave with practical strategies they can use right away.

📅 Tuesday, August 18, 2026
🕛 12:00–1:00 p.m. PT

Register today: https://buff.ly/7Ev7ZEW

08/11/2026

August is National Breastfeeding Month, a moment to celebrate and support the parents and caregivers who choose to breastfeed.

No family should have to navigate feeding alone. When the conditions around families are set up to support them, breastfeeding becomes more accessible for everyone who chooses it. L.A. County Public Health offers lactation support, classes, and resources for families: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/mch/cah/BreastfeedingPromotion.htm

07/30/2026

This National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, we are honoring the Black Girls Mental Health Foundation (BGMH Foundation), a 2025 grantee of the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Village Fund.

An extension of the Black Girls Mental Health Collective, the Foundation expands access to culturally appropriate maternal mental health care in Los Angeles County through therapy vouchers for Black mothers and training scholarships for healthcare providers and birth workers.

Supported parents and caregivers mean stronger starts for babies, and First 5 LA is proud to support the Village Fund alongside our partners at the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment.

Learn more about their work: https://www.bgmhfoundation.org/

07/27/2026

One week left to apply for the Community Opportunities Flexible Fund. Community Partners is accepting applications through Monday, August 3, with grants of up to $70,000. Office hours are today for anyone with questions.

Local nonprofits, fiscally sponsored projects, and social-benefit businesses across Los Angeles County are eligible.

The work can range from advocacy to organizing to coalition building, as long as it moves systems for young children and their families.
https://www.communitypartners.org/landing-page/ecpaf/

07/24/2026

The Los Angeles Food Policy Council is fielding a survey of home-based child care providers across Los Angeles County to better understand food access and nutrition in family child care settings. The survey looks at providers' own food security, their eating habits, and the financial, time, and resource constraints that shape what they are able to purchase and serve to the children in their care.

Home-based providers care for a significant share of L.A. County's youngest children, and the daily realities of running a program out of a home are often missing from conversations about nutrition policy. Responses will inform programs, policies, and supports designed to strengthen food access in these settings.

Participation is voluntary and anonymous. No identifying information is collected, and findings will be reported in aggregate only. The survey closes August 1.

English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KS82XDH
Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KR9QMVB
Chinese: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RKZFDWK

07/24/2026

Just a few days left to weigh in. First 5 LA's "Two Languages, Twice the Opportunities" survey closes soon.

If you parent, care for, or work with a child whose home language is Spanish, Chinese, Armenian, Korean, Vietnamese, or Khmer, your input shapes where this campaign goes next. First 5 LA is running the survey alongside the Quality Start Los Angeles Dual Language Learning Initiative and Social Policy Research Associates (SPR), and every response helps the partnership reach more multilingual families across L.A. County.

Add your voice: http://s.alchemer.com/s3/b2f79db2458f

07/23/2026

Qualifications are due TOMORROW, July 24 at 5pm PT. First 5 LA is contracting a Policy Technical Assistance Consultant to strengthen how policy and budget developments reach its Board, staff, and partners.

Individuals and firms with legislative and budget expertise still have time to submit. Review the scope and apply: https://www.first5la.org/article/policy-technical-assistance-consultant-request-for-qualifications-rfq/