When most of us were in 7th grade, we looked forward to driving, maybe the prom, staying up late. When Valeria Chavez-Franco was in 7th grade, she already knew she wanted to join the First 5 Commission. Her bright smile and confidence come across immediately. She apologizes for the noise,
The Family Development Credential Class is coming back. The FDC program is a professional development course and credentialing program to learn and/or enhance skills of strength-based family support with families. This FDC course is offered to San Mateo County individuals that would like to build their professional skills of partnering with
Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, families have weathered unforeseen impacts with strength and fortitude. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation set out to collect family stories of experiences, challenges, and hopes for their children’s future. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, families have been forced to be resilient. It is time that they have
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic experiences that occur in childhood. Prolonged exposure to trauma such as abuse or neglect, as well as to things like poverty, racism, and community violence, can create toxic stress. Over time, toxic stress can damage a child’s developing brain and body. ACEs can even
Help promote health for those with limited opportunities to be healthy through the four community-identified priorities shared in the Get Healthy San Mateo County Strategic Plan: Healthy Housing, Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Schools, and Healthy Economy. These priorities come out of our ten elements for a healthy community and build on over a decade of great work done by
As Shakespeare famously said, “what’s in a name.” “Money often costs too much,” said Ralph Waldo Emerson. A recent column by Paul Krugman in the Mercury News (Oct 6) titled: “What securing the future means in today’s America, Climate and Children” really caught my eye and reflected my concern about
In San Mateo County, there is a critical childcare shortage, and Build Up San Mateo County was awarded a $50,000 grant from Gilead Sciences to expand the capacity of childcare providers during the pandemic. With Gilead’s investment, ten $5,000 Family Child Care (FCC) Grants were awarded to small at-home childcare
Child care providers in San Mateo County are eligible for grants of up to $10,000. Child care providers are integral to our community and hold a special place in our recovery and our resilience. The pandemic is not over, but thanks to the dedication of San Mateo County residents to
President of the Board of Supervisors David J. Canepa announced that applications arebeing accepted for appointment to the First 5 San Mateo County. There are currently three (3)positions representing: Public Member, each to commence January 1, 2022. The Public Member includes the following categories: recipients of project services included in
“Wow, I don’t know how you do it.” When early learning and care providers talk about work, they often encounter responses like these from their family and friends. The Good2Know Network is a powerful network of people who know exactly how these educators do it. This network of San Mateo
Throughout COVID-19, we had the opportunity to come together with organizations throughout the area to make BIG impacts. When the pandemic struck in March 2020, these leaders joined to create the San Mateo County COVID-19 Child Care Response Team. The Response Team identified three pressing needs for the child care
To ease the financial burden of COVID-19, the United States government supplemented households across the country with COVID-19 relief checks. But, across San Mateo County (and the rest of the US), there were families that were not able to receive that lifeline. A disproportionate number of people living in the
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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.
