November 21, 2024
First 5 LA’s Board of Commissioners Meeting took place on November 14. Highlights included a presentation on the initiatives and tactics that will shape the implementation of the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan, a vote on the agency’s multi-year Policy Agenda, and a presentation on the development of an Early Childhood Equity Index.
During her opening remarks, Board Chair and LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell offered some words of encouragement in the light of the shifting political landscape.
“We all have to give ourselves grace during these times that can sometimes feel overwhelming,” said Mitchell. “But I hope that you share the same sentiment that I do: that this Board’s vision, mission and voice matters on behalf of our youngest residents… We’re doing work that the community tells us is critical.”
First 5 LA President and CEO Karla Pleitéz Howell echoed Mitchell’s sentiments. “This is more important and more urgent than ever,” she said of First 5 LA’s work. After thanking Commissioners and community members for their ongoing participation in the development of the 2024-29 Strategic Plan‘s initiatives and tactics, Pleitéz Howell commended First 5 LA staff for ensuring that families and communities, especially those most affected by systemic disparities, were engaged in the planning process.
“You did such incredible work,” she said, addressing staff in the audience. “I am deeply, deeply grateful to you all for centering community, centering equity, in our work.”
Those proposed initiatives and tactics were the subject of the next presentation. Consultants Chrissie Castro and Rigo Rodriguez of Castro & Associates provided a review of the four key initiatives that will serve as the road map for translating the Strategic Plan into action.
“The four key initiatives — Prevention First, Vibrant Environments, Maternal and Child Well-Being and Whole Child, Whole Futures — thread together two or more of the measurable objectives in the Strategic Plan,” explained Castro. “They are really designed to target systemic issues affecting young children and their families, with the focus on equity and long-term impact.”
Following a conversation with Commissioners regarding additional information and resources that would help the Board in their decision-making process, Castro and Rodriguez introduced three additional presenters who provided further context on three of the proposed tactics:
- Communication: Jenny Kern, a managing senior vice president at Spitfire Strategies, discussed the role of strategic communication in achieving social change. “A lot of people are aligned with our values but are responding to words that have been said,” she observed. “So how can we shift how we talk so that we are building bridges and tapping into that commonality?”
- Advocacy: Alicia Lara of Community Partners discussed the importance of advocacy as a strategic plan tactic, emphasizing the building of coalitions and partnerships. “Neighborhood organizations have deep connections and are often able to advocate authentically for policies that impact children zero to five,” Lara said. “It’s a bottom-up approach that we know works.”
- Community Engagement: First 5 LA program associate Celina Rivas shared insights regarding the critical role community engagement plays in shaping First 5 LA’s tactics and the importance of community wisdom in decision-making. “This is not a one-time process,” she remarked. “We’ll continue to collaborate, centering equity in our work and remaining open to learning from the community.”
A copy of the presentations can be found online here.
During the meeting, Commissioners also approved First 5 LA’s 2025-2029 Policy Agenda which will inform the agency’s legislative, budget and administrative advocacy efforts over the next five years. Vice President of Community Engagement and Policy Aurea Montes-Rodriguez and Senior Policy Strategist Ofelia Medina provided an overview of the Policy Agenda, which features high-level policy goals that align with and advance the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan.
“Having an approved policy agenda will make First 5 LA really well-prepared to engage with the state Legislature in 2025,” said Medina, adding that the recent elections saw a wave of new state policymakers in Sacramento, including 24 new assemblymembers and 12 senators. “L.A. County alone will have 11 new state policymakers for First 5 LA to build as champions for young children,” she added.
Medina also noted that First 5 LA will continue to develop and share with the Board an Annual Agenda that provides more detailed information on budget, legislative and administrative policy priorities in a given year.
More information on First 5 LA’s new Policy Agenda can be found here.
Commissioners next turned their attention to a presentation on the development of an Equity Index focusing on early childhood. Director of Impact and Accountability Kim Hall explained that an index specifically focused on young children and their families would help First 5 LA prioritize high-need communities, allocate resources more strategically, act on commitments to address geographic and racial disparities, and advance strategic goals and objectives through a data-driven approach.
“Ultimately, our goal is to advance equity in LA County,” said Hall. “That’s what we want this index to help us do… by directing resources toward improving the well-being of young children and families and by prioritizing those communities that experience the greatest disparities.”
Joining Hall for the presentation was John Kim, president and CEO of Catalyst California, who discussed the lessons learned in developing successful models of equity indices as well as the importance of a community-centered approach in creating an index model that drives authentic impact.
“First 5 LA has a history of targeted investments,” Hall observed, citing Best Start and other past initiatives. “What’s being laid out today represents an evolution of this work that’s targeting and further leaning into and centralizing equity.”
Following a discussion on the potential merits of an early childhood-focused index, Hall noted that staff are in the planning stages of a stakeholder engagement effort. A draft of the equity index framework will be shared with the Board in early 2025.
For more information on the Building Brighter Futures Index, check out the Board presentation here.
The following actions were taken:
- Contract renewals: As part of its consent agenda, the Board approved a Public Policy and Early Care & Education contract renewal with California Strategies & Advocacy, LLC. For more details, click here.
- Policy on Compensation & General Human Resources Procedures: Also on the consent agenda was a new policy delegating authority for the general administration of human resources to First 5 LA’s President and CEO. The presentation on the approved item can be found here.
- Second Floor Lease Agreement: The Board approved a preliminary agreement for the lease of First 5 LA’s second floor and also authorized First 5 LA’s President and CEO to negotiate and execute the final lease on the Board’s behalf. Lease negotiations with the County of Los Angeles on behalf of the Department of Public Health are expected to be completed by December 2024, and a fully executed lease is anticipated in the first quarter of 2025. For more details, click here.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for February 13, 2025. For more information, please visit www.first5la.org/our-board/meeting-materials 72 hours in advance of the meeting date.
