Annual Reporting Resources

ANNUAL REPORTING FOR FY 2023-2024
OVERVIEW & FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS  

Overview

Each year, First 5 LA submits an Annual Report to First 5 California with data on our investments through the last fiscal year, as mandated by the California Children and Families Act (Proposition 10). First 5 LA grantees and contractors that are contracted to provide direct services and/or advance systems change are required to report key information through the Annual Reporting Survey.

The survey allows us to capture the work that First 5 LA invested in during the last fiscal year to partner with its grantees/contractors in making sure that every child is born healthy and thrives in a nurturing, safe and loving community.

Annual Reporting Surveys are due August 8, 2024

• SURVEY RESPONDENT: Your contract’s First 5 LA Program Officer has identified a contact person for each contract / grant. That contact person received an email with a link to the survey on July 18^th, 2024. Organizations with multiple contracts with First 5 LA will need to submit a separate survey for each contract / grant.
• SCOPE: For every question on the survey, answer only as it applies to the First 5 LA contract (project), not for your whole organization.
• PERIOD COVERED: Contractors and grantees will be asked to provide information about work conducted during Fiscal Year 2023-2024 (FY 23-24): July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024. This will apply even for contracts and grants that started or ended in the middle of the fiscal year.
• ADDITIONAL SUPPORT: In addition to this FAQ document:
  • For a description of the survey questions and what to report, refer to the email sent with the instructions and the survey link.
  • For questions about your project’s contract, contact your Program Officer.
  • For technical assistance with the survey platform or any additional questions, contact: an**********@fi******.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

These FAQs will be updated following the Information sessions or periodically as more questions are received. New questions are identified in blue font.

General Questions about First 5 LA Annual Reporting

1. When is the Annual Reporting survey due?

The Annual Reporting survey is due by Thursday, August 8, 2024.

2. Our contract ended in the middle of the last fiscal year. Do we still need to complete the Annual Reporting survey?

Yes. If your contract was active any time during FY 23-24 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024), then an Annual Reporting survey needs to be completed for your project.

3. Our contract ended before June 30, 2024. Do we provide data for the entire fiscal year (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024) or just for the period that we were funded by First 5 LA?

Provide information only for the period your contract was funded by First 5 LA. For instance, if your contract ended September 30, 2023, you would provide data from July 1 – September 30 only.

4. Is the Annual Report all we have to submit now?

In addition to this Annual Report survey, your Program Officer may request additional initiative-specific reports, such as the Performance Matrix or budget/finance reports.

5. Could we receive the list of questions before we access the online survey platform?

Yes.  The survey questions are attached to the email sent to your project contact with the instructions and the survey link.

6. Who from our organization should attend the Information sessions?

We advise that staff who are completing the survey and/or are most familiar with the contract attend the Information session.

7. Are there any differences to the FY 23-24 Annual Reporting Survey from last year’s survey (FY 22-23)?

There are no changes to the survey questions, other than to reflect the FY 23-24 reporting period.

There are minor changes to how contracts providing direct services to children, families, and/or providers reply to questions regarding demographic counts. Please refer to the “Survey Instructions_Children Families Providers” document for more details.

Online Survey Platform – Qualtrics

1. Are we able to enter data into the online survey and come back later to finish?

Yes, information entered into the online survey is saved automatically. Grantees/contractors can come back to the survey at a later time to complete and submit.

2. Can we modify our responses once we’ve clicked “next” on the survey?

Within each section of the survey, there is a “back” button that you can click to view or make changes to your entries.  However, once the “next” button is selected at the end of a section, you will not be able to go to the previous questions. If you accidentally selected “next” and need to make an update, reach out to an**********@fi******.org. To avoid reporting errors, we encourage respondents to review the survey questions in the Survey Instructions as preparation before beginning to fill out the survey. The instructions also indicate when a section ends.

3. Is technical support available, if needed?

For questions regarding technical support with using the survey platform, please contact an**********@fi******.org.

4. How many of our staff can work on this online survey platform?

Multiple staff members can work on the survey using the same survey link provided. The survey link was only sent to the person identified by your Program Officer as the contact person. However, the link can be accessed from anywhere, by anyone, and whatever information that has been entered up to that point will be available.

5. Do we need a login or password to access and complete the online survey?

No. There are no logins or passwords needed to complete the online survey.

Clients Served—Client Counts

1. We served more than 1,000 clients through our First 5 LA contract. Is there a format for entering client counts into the Annual Reporting survey?

Yes. When asked for unduplicated count of clients, include a whole number without commas or an error message will show up on the demographics page. For instance, if your contract served 1,523 children, enter 1523 not 1,523.

2. When filling in parent numbers, does 1 equal one parent or both parents?

1 equals one parent/ individual, not both.

3. Our First 5 LA contract provided children with developmental screenings and referrals to assessments, as needed. We only collected information on the children we served, not their parents. What would we include for the number of parents served? What about if we provided classes to parents?

If your contract did not provide direct services to parents whose children received a developmental screening, then do not count those parents as having received a service.  However, if your contract provided classes, then count those parents who attended classes, as that is a direct service to the parents.

4. Our organization does a lot of individual and family advocacy through our First 5 LA contract. In addition to providing a count of the clients served through our services, should we also include the count of clients that we provided referrals to, like food pantries, etc.?

Yes, First 5 LA is collecting client counts on direct services provided through First 5 LA funding. This includes referrals to family services such as Family Resource Centers, food pantries, and other community resources through First 5 LA funding.  Counts need to be unduplicated, so if the same client received services and referrals, count as one client.

5. We serve providers but our First 5 LA contract is not for this work. Should we include the unduplicated count of those providers?

Only include data for those services/activities provided via your project’s First 5 LA contract, such as if your project was funded by First 5 LA to provide in-service trainings or similar services.

6. If we provide in-service trainings or similar services to providers through our First 5 LA contract, would we count them as receiving direct services?

If your organization provided trainings through First 5 LA funding, then count the number of providers served at that training as that is a direct service to providers.

Clients Served—Demographics

1. Our organization is funded by First 5 LA to provide services where we do mass screenings. The children are ages 0-5 but the group is so large that we do not track their ages individually. Should we record them all as “unknown?”

If you feel you can make a reasonable estimate of children’s ages, then do so. If not, then record them as unknown.

2. We don’t know the races/languages/ages of the children/parents we serve through our First 5 LA contract.

Please either estimate to the best of your ability (preferred option) or put the total counts under “Unknown”.

3. For the demographic questions about the race and ethnicity of our children or parents served through our First 5 LA contract, how do we provide the counts if some parents selected more than one category (for instance, Asian and White and Black/African American)?

The survey will have an option of “Two or more races” to report on the number of children or parents who identify as more than one category of race/ethnicity. Alternatively, if the client selected which category they most identify as, they can be counted under that race/ethnicity instead.

4. What do we count as pregnant individuals served through our First 5 LA contract?

Count a client as a pregnant individual if they were pregnant at any point during the time of services. Pregnant individuals are counted in two sections: Parents/ Guardians/ Pregnant Individuals Served and Pregnant Individuals Served.

5. Our First 5 LA contract served parents with young children. Would we count a parent as pregnant if they became pregnant at any point during FY 23-24?

Yes. Count the pregnant individuals served if they were pregnant at any point during the time of services. They should be counted regardless of whether the services they received were related to their pregnancy.

6. Where do we include older children (ages 6 and up) that we serve through our First 5 LA contract?

Older children would be counted as “Other Family Members.” “Children” should only reflect children ages 0-5 years.

Select Home Visitation and Welcome Baby Grants

1. We are a Select Home Visitation grantee. Would we indicate that we serve parents only or also include children served?

In general, Select Home Visitation (HV) grantees include both parents and children 0-5 served, so please include counts and demographics for both children and parents / guardians / pregnant individuals. In addition, Select HV and Welcome Baby grantees will also be asked for counts on the number of unique families served.

2. How are you defining “unique families served”?

Unique families are distinct households. Please count as one unit all children, parents, or primary caregivers within the household, even though one or more children, parents, or primary caregivers may have received services as an individual. First 5 California requires information on the number of unique families served through home visitation programs.

Accomplishments

1. Do we need to provide accomplishments for our overall First 5 LA contract or can we focus on a family?

Your contract can provide information about an individual, family, organization or some other highlight or accomplishment that occurred through your First 5 LA funded contract. If focusing Accomplishments on an individual or family, do not include any identifying information, such as real names or addresses.

Geographic Target Areas

1. What are the geographic boundaries of the Supervisorial Districts, Service Planning Areas (SPAs), and Best Start geographies?

To access a map of the Supervisorial Districts in LA County, visit https://bos.lacounty.gov/executive-office/about-us/board-of-supervisors;

For a map of the Service Planning Areas, visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/chs/SPAMain/ServicePlanningAreas.htm;

For a map of Best Start geographies, visit https://www.first5la.org/article/best-start-communities-map/

2. We have increased the number of providers we are serving from when we started until now. Do you want SPA/Supervisorial Districts served during FY 23-24 only?

Yes. Please provide information for FY 23-24 only.

3. Should we indicate the area(s) that our clients live, in addition to the area(s) we serve through our First 5 LA contract?

Yes. First 5 LA is interested in understanding the entire reach of its investments, so if your contract’s clients live in other areas to receive the services, please indicate this for the questions about the Supervisorial District, SPA, and Best Start geography.

4. If we are working as a coalition, should the information be for the lead agency only or the entire group?

The entire group. First 5 LA is interested in understanding the districts / areas served by all partners that are funded by First 5 LA grants.

5. What are Best Start geographies?

Best Start is First 5 LA’s primary investment for engaging communities in a common vision and intention for children and families to thrive, working to strengthen community leadership and collaboration across sectors.  First 5 LA supports Best Start in 14 communities across L.A. County. In an effort to coordinate place-based work, First 5 LA would like to know if your contract is working in any of our Best Start geographies.

6. Our project is Welcome Baby, which primarily serves 1-2 Best Start geographies; however, we often have clients that are referred/transferred to us from other Welcome Baby hospitals who are serving other Best Start geographies, so do we include all Best Start geographies or only those the project is intended to primarily serve at our site?

Include all the Best Start geographies served through your First 5 LA contract.

Organizational Characteristics

Note: If your First 5 LA contract reported Organizational Characteristics on previous year’s Annual Reporting survey, then this information will not be asked again for this fiscal year.

1. We are representing our city’s public health department. Would we provide information for our city or our department?

Provide information on the department rather than the larger entity.

2. Our First 5 LA funded organization is part of a larger entity (e.g., we are a center within a university). For questions asking about our organization’s operating budget and number of employees, should we include just our organization’s information or that of the larger entity?

Include the operating budget and number of employees only for the organization funded by First 5 LA (not the larger entity).

3. What if our organization does not have someone with the title of executive director/ CEO/ president?

First 5 LA is interested in knowing about the top leader in your organization that is being directly funded by First 5 LA. If that person has a title different than executive director/CEO/president, but has the top leadership role, include that person (including anyone in an interim role).

4. For other leadership, would we include all our vice-directors/presidents?

First 5 LA is interested in understanding all your leadership positions for the organization that is being directly funded by First 5 LA. This would include key decision makers in your organization (vice-presidents, C-level positions, directors, etc).

For a PDF version of the FAQs, click here.