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The Power of Storytelling in Transforming Early Childhood Systems: A Conversation with Christine Thorsteinson, Director of Early Childhood Development at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation

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

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Commission Vacancies Announcement

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

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Investing in Infant Mental Health: Starting from Home

As a new parent or caregiver, you may be wondering how you can best support the social and emotional development of your young child. Professionals call that young children’s social and emotional well-being “infant mental health.” What Is Infant Mental Health? Infant mental health focuses on healthy social and emotional

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5 Things We Love About Child Care

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

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First 5 San Mateo County Stands for the End to Gun Violence

Our vision of success for every child means that children should have the opportunity to grow up with security, safety, stability, and respect from the first days of their lives. Creating success for every child is about constructing a nurturing and limitless future that we hope to leave the next

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Newsletter: The Next Decade of Thriving Families

Read about the 2022 Child Care Needs Assessment, share stories about what child care means to you, hear from Family Connections’s Eric Valladares about why he chose to vaccinate his children, register for a webinar about children and gender identity, and while you’re at it, sing the Dragon Song. All

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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.