See how we partner with community and make investments to help young children prosper.
Check out our resource hub for information on your growing child.
Join us in making a difference for San Mateo County families.
Working to counteract racism, create opportunity for all children, and promote equity has been integral to the work of First 5 San Mateo County from our beginning more than 25 years ago. Our work is about seeing inequity in the lives of children and families and doing something about it. We look forward to continuing to partner with parents and leaders throughout San Mateo County and at the state to change conditions that affect child development and family well-being.
As we advocate and advance change for San Mateo County’s children, we also work to change the systems and structures that perpetuate inequity and barriers to opportunity for young children and their families. Centering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is both a guiding principle and a priority area of strategic focus. In addition to focused attention, DEIB principles will be embedded throughout our work, with the goal of supporting families through a targeted universalism approach.
All children have the right to grow up healthy, safe, and with every opportunity.
It’s the year 2030, and you are looking around San Mateo County’s diverse communities and neighborhoods. What looks different for children prenatal to five and their families? We are trying to answer this, and many other questions, through our strategic planning refresh process. And we are not trying to answer
For a quarter of a century, First 5 San Mateo County has been proud to be a leader, partner, and investor working on behalf of young children and families in our county. That’s right–it’s our 25 year anniversary, an incredible milestone in our history. From our early investments in children’s
Explore the latest news and updates from First 5 San Mateo County! Inside, read about how we’re helping put empathy into action, a new resource for parents to support early reading, and how Build Up is taking action on climate change.
First 5 San Mateo County Commissioners meet monthly to discuss First 5 San Mateo County programming, policy, and initiative advancements. Meetings are open to the public and packets are posted 72 hours in advance. Join us to listen in or provide public comment.
See the links below for upcoming meetings agendas and past meeting documents.
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Kitty Lopez has served as the Executive Director of First 5 San Mateo County since 2013, focusing on strategic investing, community leadership, policy and advocacy development for young children, 0-5, and their families.
Kitty has served as Co-Chair of the Advisory Body for Build Up for San Mateo County Children’s Initiative, with Board of Supervisor, Dave Pine, since 2018. Congressman Kevin Mullin is Honorary Co-Chair. This initiative was established to preserve, grow, and increase the number of early care sites in San Mateo County.
Kitty previously served as the Executive Director of Samaritan House, one of San Mateo County’s leading Core Service Agencies and safety-net nonprofits serving low-income families and individuals with food, shelter, clothing, health care, counseling, education classes, and holiday assistance from 2002 to 2013.
Kitty taught kindergarten, second grade, and high school in southern California and San Francisco and was a consultant in schools with children who have autism and special needs. Additionally, Kitty worked in a residential substance abuse treatment center in San Francisco and psychiatric hospital for children and youth in San Diego. Kitty’s roots in supporting children began as a 16-year-old volunteer at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles where she taught swimming to children and adults with visual impairments.
She attended University of California Santa Barbara earning a California Teaching Credential and B.A in Psychology. Kitty is active in her community serving as Vice Chair of the San Mateo County Event Center, and Past President and Current Member of the San Mateo Rotary Club. She is currently serving as Past President of the First 5 Association of California. On March 2022, Assembly Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin selected Kitty Lopez as the 2022 Assembly District 22 Woman of the Year.
