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 health and development, to our longstanding commitment to creating access to high quality early childhood education and supporting the early childhood workforce, we have been committed to making San Mateo County a place where young children and their families can thrive. Since its inception, First 5 San Mateo County has invested more than $150 million in local programs and has served nearly 100,000 children from birth through age five.

Take a look at this timeline that shares select highlights from the past 25 years of our work. And, thank you for your support! Whether you are a partner, parent, or committed community member, we’re proud to work alongside you to make sure San Mateo County has healthy families, a vital workforce, and strong communities.

P.S. It was hard to narrow down 25 years of work into a two-page timeline. If you do not see your partnership with First 5 reflected in this document, please know that your work and support of San Mateo County families is not forgotten! 

Headshot of Kitty Lopez

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.