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Nurturing Diversity: Celebrating the Power of Black Caregivers in Early Childhood.

February 5, 2024

Think about your favorite book or song— each tells a unique story that has shaped the way you see the world. Those stories are so important to how we understand our community, and how we celebrate our own backgrounds. This Black History Month, First 5 San Mateo County is proud to celebrate the Black caregivers in our community, and how their unique stories shape early childhood. Many things shape a child’s journey: their heritage, traditions, and societal influences, like the upbringing within their communities. Understanding these elements is at the center of providing inclusive care for all children. Creating space to celebrate the beauty of Black culture is about more than providing diverse materials. It requires us to create spaces where kids see themselves in a positive way. Whether it’s sharing stories that connect rich histories, or enjoying various types of art and music, the goal is to make kids

Read More

Adding Belonging to the Equation: The Shift from REDI to DEIB 

November 28, 2023

Years ago, we adopted a focus on bringing REDI–Race, Ethnicity, Diversity, and Inclusion–principles to all of our initiatives, communications, and partnerships. REDI initiatives laid the foundation for addressing issues of racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion. However, as we delved deeper into our equity efforts, we realized that we could create an even more truly inclusive approach to our work, where every single person feels valued and supported. That brings us to DEIB, which stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. This shift shows how our understanding of diversity and inclusion has changed and grown. Creating a sense of belonging to our communities, especially more marginalized communities, through our investments and services is essential and should be called out. Making sure that everyone is included is the core of DEIB principles. Everyone who comes into contact with First 5 San Mateo County, from our partners and providers to parents, to

Read More

5 Reasons Why Sharing Stories Is Vital for Early Childhood Care Advocacy

August 29, 2023

Joan Didion, a famous author from California, once said, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” Stories are the first type of parenting support that ever existed. The stories that have been shared are a key way to create community between generations of families and children. For the well-being and development of young children, sharing stories is one of the most potent tools we have to drive changes in the lives of individual children and in entire systems. Here’s why: Everyone wants to know that they are not alone. So many parts of early childhood can feel like magic, and sometimes parents do not know what to do. Knowing that there are other parents who have been in exactly the same shoes can reassure parents that they are not alone. Stories forge a powerful emotional connection between parents. When Eric Valladares shared his story about why he chose to

Read More

Investing in Infant Mental Health: Starting from Home

June 20, 2023

As a new parent or caregiver, you may be wondering how you can best support the social and emotional development of your young child. Infant mental health focuses on promoting healthy social and emotional development for children from birth to three years old. The foremost expert on Infant Mental Health, Zero to Three, explains, “Babies come into this world ready and wired to form relationships. From the moment of birth, children are forming connections, developing social responses, and learning about themselves and the world around them.” By providing stable, responsive, and nurturing care, parents and caregivers can help children develop the confidence, resilience, and emotional regulation skills necessary for success in the future. There are so many incredible resources available through First 5 San Mateo County to support your child’s development in the earliest years of their life for free. These are just some of the amazing resources that First

Read More

5 Things We Love About Child Care

June 6, 2023

Child care is not just a necessity for working parents; it plays a vital role in our society as the backbone of our economy, enabling families to thrive. High-quality child care has far-reaching effects on our community and economy as a whole. There are so many reasons that we, as a community, love accessible child care. These five shed light on the importance of making sure there that our community has child care resources available for everyone that needs it. High Quality Child Care Boosts Economic Growth: Investing in high-quality child care has a positive impact on the economy. When parents can participate in the workforce confidently, productivity increases, and businesses thrive. An investment of $257.5 million in infant and toddler care (which is the estimated annual amount needed to make sure everyone in San Mateo County has the care they need, just take a look at the 2022 Child

Read More
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Nurturing Diversity: Celebrating the Power of Black Caregivers in Early Childhood.

February 5, 2024

Think about your favorite book or song— each tells a unique story that has shaped the way you see the world. Those stories are so important to how we understand our community, and how we celebrate our own backgrounds. This Black History Month, First 5 San Mateo County is proud to celebrate the Black caregivers in our community, and how their unique stories shape early childhood. Many things shape a child’s journey: their heritage, traditions, and societal influences, like the upbringing within their communities. Understanding these elements is at the center of providing inclusive care for all children. Creating space to celebrate the beauty of Black culture is about more than providing diverse materials. It requires us to create spaces where kids see themselves in a positive way. Whether it’s sharing stories that connect rich histories, or enjoying various types of art and music, the goal is to make kids

Read More

Adding Belonging to the Equation: The Shift from REDI to DEIB 

November 28, 2023

Years ago, we adopted a focus on bringing REDI–Race, Ethnicity, Diversity, and Inclusion–principles to all of our initiatives, communications, and partnerships. REDI initiatives laid the foundation for addressing issues of racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion. However, as we delved deeper into our equity efforts, we realized that we could create an even more truly inclusive approach to our work, where every single person feels valued and supported. That brings us to DEIB, which stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. This shift shows how our understanding of diversity and inclusion has changed and grown. Creating a sense of belonging to our communities, especially more marginalized communities, through our investments and services is essential and should be called out. Making sure that everyone is included is the core of DEIB principles. Everyone who comes into contact with First 5 San Mateo County, from our partners and providers to parents, to

Read More

5 Reasons Why Sharing Stories Is Vital for Early Childhood Care Advocacy

August 29, 2023

Joan Didion, a famous author from California, once said, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” Stories are the first type of parenting support that ever existed. The stories that have been shared are a key way to create community between generations of families and children. For the well-being and development of young children, sharing stories is one of the most potent tools we have to drive changes in the lives of individual children and in entire systems. Here’s why: Everyone wants to know that they are not alone. So many parts of early childhood can feel like magic, and sometimes parents do not know what to do. Knowing that there are other parents who have been in exactly the same shoes can reassure parents that they are not alone. Stories forge a powerful emotional connection between parents. When Eric Valladares shared his story about why he chose to

Read More

Investing in Infant Mental Health: Starting from Home

June 20, 2023

As a new parent or caregiver, you may be wondering how you can best support the social and emotional development of your young child. Infant mental health focuses on promoting healthy social and emotional development for children from birth to three years old. The foremost expert on Infant Mental Health, Zero to Three, explains, “Babies come into this world ready and wired to form relationships. From the moment of birth, children are forming connections, developing social responses, and learning about themselves and the world around them.” By providing stable, responsive, and nurturing care, parents and caregivers can help children develop the confidence, resilience, and emotional regulation skills necessary for success in the future. There are so many incredible resources available through First 5 San Mateo County to support your child’s development in the earliest years of their life for free. These are just some of the amazing resources that First

Read More

5 Things We Love About Child Care

June 6, 2023

Child care is not just a necessity for working parents; it plays a vital role in our society as the backbone of our economy, enabling families to thrive. High-quality child care has far-reaching effects on our community and economy as a whole. There are so many reasons that we, as a community, love accessible child care. These five shed light on the importance of making sure there that our community has child care resources available for everyone that needs it. High Quality Child Care Boosts Economic Growth: Investing in high-quality child care has a positive impact on the economy. When parents can participate in the workforce confidently, productivity increases, and businesses thrive. An investment of $257.5 million in infant and toddler care (which is the estimated annual amount needed to make sure everyone in San Mateo County has the care they need, just take a look at the 2022 Child

Read More
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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.