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.
There has been a significant and ongoing investment in recent years to create more effective connections between healthcare and social services, recognizing that people’s physical, mental, and social health are intertwined. First 5 has long recognized the need to support the whole child and the whole family in our work.
Oral health plays an important role in a child’s physical health, school success, and self-esteem. When children have tooth pain and decay, they miss important parts of being a kid! Playing, paying attention in school, sleeping, and eating are important parts of your child’s development. As baby teeth grow in,
May is Mental Health Awareness Month – a time to reflect on the importance of caring for our mental well-being, especially as parents and caregivers. When we prioritize our own mental health, we’re better equipped to nurture the emotional and social development of the children in our lives. Mental health
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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.
