As a parent, you are the most important person to your child. Your relationship is the foundation from which your child will learn about the world.
Parents and other caregivers are better able to build warm and consistent relationships with children when they have resources and support. That’s why we fund and partner with programs that provide ongoing, individualized, professional services and support to children and their families.
We are partners in your parenting journey.
In their first five years, children grow and learn from everything around them. Supporting your child is simple. You can help your child’s healthy development by actively engaging with them—talking, reading, singing and playing. These resources can help.
Get connected to information about young children and local resources to help your family.
Developmental screenings help you keep track as your baby develops from birth to age five.
A welcome gift for your new baby from First 5 San Mateo. Information is delivered to your door.
You can tell a lot about how your child is growing up by watching how they play, learn, talk, behave, and move. These things they do are called milestones. Milestones are what most babies and kids learn to do at different times as they grow up, like smiling, talking, and walking. Every child learns and grows at their own pace, but these milestones can give you an idea of what to expect as your child grows up.
Click on the links to learn more about each stage of development from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Healthy Children website and keep reading to find resources that support your child and family in every stage of their development.
Pregnancy is a time of anticipation, excitement, preparation, and, for many new parents, uncertainty. The nine months of pregnancy are time to have your questions answered, calm your fears, and prepare yourself for the realities of parenthood.
It doesn’t take long to develop the confidence and calm of an experienced parent. Your baby will give you the most important information—how she likes to be treated, talked to, held, and comforted.
Your child is advancing from infancy toward and into the preschool years. During this time, his physical growth and motor development will slow. You can expect to see tremendous intellectual, social, and emotional changes.
Before you know it, your child has turned four and then five years old. You may find that your somewhat calm child of three has now become a dynamo of energy, drive, bossiness, and sometimes out-of-bounds behavior.
What comes to mind when you think of empathy? Perhaps it’s a warm hug during a moment of sorrow, or the shared laughter that brings people together. If you’ve attended a Friday CAFE (Community and Family Engagement), administered by the San Mateo County Office of Education and funded by First
“In the developed world, the United States is an outlier in its low levels of financial support for young children’s care. The U.S. spends 0.2 percent of its G.D.P. on child care for children 2 and under — which amounts to about $200 a year for most families,” the New
As parents, caregivers, and members of the community, we often hear about the importance of early childhood. But what exactly does it mean to invest in the first years of a child’s life, and why is it so crucial? This week, the entire early childhood community is celebrating all of
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Kitty Lopez has served as the Executive Director of First 5 San Mateo County since 2012, focusing on policy, advocacy and communications development. Additionally, she is the Chair of First 5 Association of California. Kitty previously served as the Executive Director of Samaritan House, one of the leading safety-net nonprofit agencies serving low-income families and individuals in San Mateo County with food, shelter, clothing, health care, counseling, education classes, and holiday assistance from 2002 to 2012.
Kitty taught kindergarten, second grade, and high school in the Bay Area and in Santa Barbara, 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 in San Diego.
She attended University of California Santa Barbara earning a California Teaching Credential and B.A in Psychology. Kitty is active in her community serving on several community boards including HEART (Housing Endowment and Regional Trust of San Mateo County), STEP (Success Through Education Program), and Past President and Current Member of the San Mateo Rotary Club.
