In the dynamic landscape of early childhood development, First 5 San Mateo County (F5SMC) is proud to welcome a new commissioner, San Mateo County Supervisor, Noelia Corzo, whose personal journey has fueled her commitment to championing the well-being of young children and families. Supervisor Corzo was excited to share her
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
First 5 San Mateo County funds programs and builds partnerships that support our mission to promote positive outcomes for young children and their families, and foster success for every child. Collecting data through impact evaluations is a huge part of how we make sure that we are actually doing that.
To our amazing San Mateo County Community, As we reflect on the last three years, our hearts swell with gratitude for the unwavering dedication and tireless efforts you’ve contributed to our shared mission: promoting positive outcomes for young children and their families. You have been a pillar of our success,
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
First 5 San Mateo County has been a proud partner of Build Up since their start. MENLO PARK, CALIF. (Oct. 26, 2023) — Build Up San Mateo County (SMC) and Build Up CA have today convened elected officials and early care and education leaders for a site tour of the
Christine Thorsteinson and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation have supported KQED San Francisco to harness the transformative power of storytelling in early childhood systems. “We wanted to try to go deep in system-level change and find ways to address systemic inequities that underlie the disparities in our region. Think about
President of the Board of Supervisors Dave Pine announced that applications arebeing accepted for appointment to the First 5 San Mateo County. There are currently one (1)position representing: Public Member, each to commence January 1, 2024. The Public Member includes the following categories: recipients of project services included in First
Read our newsletter to discover how storytelling is essential to First 5 San Mateo County’s work, Bilingual learning communities for parents, how we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, and the upcoming planning for San Mateo County’s universal pre-kindergarten resources.
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
Our Executive Director here at First 5 San Mateo County, Kitty Lopez, shared her view on the current child care shortage, and how we will address it, with the San Mateo Daily Journal. Read more now!
Read our newsletter to discover how First 5 San Mateo County is investing in infant mental health to provide families with free resources and support programs, how we’ve celebrated pride, 5 things that we LOVE about child care, and upcoming opportunities.
© 2024 First 5 San Mateo County
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.
