Secure, stable, and supportive relationships with caring adults significantly contribute to a child’s healthy brain development. Yet, many families in San Mateo County face challenges.
of low-income families could not count on anyone in their neighborhood for help
of high-need families reported they did not have friends to help them in their role as parents
Supporting parents supports children. When parents are equipped to deal with stress or trauma, have strong community connections, and can support their children’s needs, children benefit from caring environments and positive parent-child relationships.
First 5 supports parent connectivity, family engagement capacity building for service providers, and intensive support for families with multiple risk factors.
CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse) provides domestic violence mental health services and supports to parents and young children, and leads a Coordinated Community Response Team (CCRT) that ensures a trauma-informed approach to smooth referral pathways for domestic violence victims.
Family Connections engages at-risk families in a bilingual, culturally-responsive, quality family learning community, which takes place within three early learning programs in the southern part of the county. The program fosters strong parent-child attachments and strengthens parent resiliency. More intensive supports are available to families in need.
First 5 partners with Izzi Early Education to engage at risk, low income families to promote healthy parent-child relationships. Izzi Early Education utilizes authentic family engagement strategies, including Father Engagement and Parent Leadership approaches, for families in its Head Start and Early Head Start early learning programs.
Peninsula Family Service is funded by First 5 to provide therapeutic treatment addressing toxic stress and trauma for homeless toddlers and preschoolers (18+ months) in culturally competent, bilingual, early learning settings at two family shelters, First Step for Families and Haven Family House.
Puente is funded to provide a bilingual parent-participatory cooperative preschool serving south coast children and families. The co-op utilizes authentic family engagement and parent involvement approaches for toddlers and parents, activity groups for parents and infants, and Trauma Transformed trainings for parents and providers.
First 5 funds SMCOE to increase the capacity of family serving providers to authentically engage families, through provider and parent leader skill building opportunities and peer networking groups, including Friday CAFEs.
StarVista provides two services to support high-risk families. Bilingual and culturally sensitive mental health home visiting services help mitigate the impact of toxic stress and trauma and help prevent child abuse. Additional programming focusings on authentic father engagement and supporting fathers through coaching, Father Cafes, and fatherhood workshops.
© 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.
